30/11/2021
Know anybody that wants a sweatbag for Xmas? 🤣
OK, we should give this thing a rest for a while and return to showing you great Estonian saunas.
..at least, that's what we thought until the Kardashians posted their 2021 Christmas gift list. It included this 'sauna' that they sell in their online store - and we just had to rate it.
"Essentially," they explain, "it’s a lined sleeping bag with professional infrared heat tech with EMF blockers (so you are as close to nature as possible) and lined with jade and tourmaline for even heat distribution as well as positive vibes."
Even heat distribution is one thing we can agree makes a good sauna. That’s traditionally achieved by building high benches so that your feet are in line with the top of the stones above the stove, although there are modern stoves that circulate heat and steam evenly to the floor too. It doesn’t quite work if your head is sticking out of the sauna though, as in this one.
We also love saunas as close to nature as possible, although we’re not sure how that’s achieved just by blocking EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies). While EMF blocking technology does have some uses - like in a microwave, for example - it’s unclear what benefits there are to occasionally shielding your body from regular frequencies around us. Also, experts in this field generally agree that commercially-available EMF blocking technology does nothing at best, while many products actually contain metals that absorb waves and therefore increase exposure. That’s because there is no legal standard to define EMF blocking and testing its effectiveness is very difficult, while product sellers instead prefer selling it with a bit of technical jargon and little scientific evidence. In fact, the US Federal Trade Commission warns consumers to avoid products “that supposedly shield users from cell phone emissions”.
In reality, the best way to be “as close to nature as possible” in your sauna is to build your sauna as close to nature as possible.
Ultimately though, we had to rate this sauna as zero because it has no meaningful connection to our sauna tradition, which is a communal experience involving hot rocks and steam at the very least. Manufacturers shouldn’t use such a culturally important word as ‘sauna’ to describe any kind of heat therapy.
This product is closer to a microwave than a sauna.
