The Sauna Saga

 

The Sauna

I grew up as a teenager in the 1970’s.  During that time, I was privileged to have access to my parents’ business, a “health spa”.  Back then, it was a place to work out with other amenities like a sauna and whirlpool.  I often went there to partake of the sauna and whirlpool, skipping the work out part.  It was a wet sauna, with the lava rocks that could be doused in water to produce steam.  Of course, the interior was made of that fresh-smelling wood, and I imagine it would have held 8-10 people comfortably.  The joke that was always told on me by my parents originated in that particular sauna.  I became friends with many of the members, very much my senior, because of my frequent visits.  Marion Brooks was one of those ladies who just happened to be in the sauna with me that day.  We had been in the sauna for a while when she said to me: “your cheeks are red” to which I replied, without hesitation, “which ones?”.  She thought that response was hilarious and proceeded to share it with my parents.  For decades that story was repeated over and over again.  It always began with “remember that time, when Tammy was in the sauna with Marion Brooks?”  I might as well record it here because my mom has passed and my dad is struggling with memory loss, so it may never be spoken again at this point.

In March of this year, I purchased my own sauna from Amazon for a reasonable price.  It is a single person sauna, 27” x 35” x 63”, reminiscent of a phone booth.  It was delivered to my home in a large box.  I assembled it myself, building it in my laundry room.  It is a far-infrared sauna which produces dry heat up to 148 degrees and has that sweet-smelling wood.  It also has a radio with surprisingly good speakers.  Now I sit there in solitude for a 20-minute session, remembering my time with Marion and listening to old classic songs from my youth.  After about 12-15 minutes, I begin to perspire profusely, and my heart rate goes up. Unfortunately, I don’t think this counts as cardio? I conclude my spa treatment with a cool, relaxing shower.  Now, I feel like a rejuvenated teen from the 1970’s! (not)

Tammy Harvey  7/21/2025