Men who went for a sauna four to seven times a week were 63 per cent less likely to die from heart complications / Robert Kneschke/shutterstock.com
The therapeutic benefits of having a sauna have been proven in a new study* published in February.
Researchers from Finland, where there’s a strong tradition for saunas, found that middle-aged men who have frequent sessions in the heat experience are significantly less likely to die from heart disease, than those who don’t. In fact, the men who visited a sauna the most, even as much as once a day, experienced the greatest benefits.
Regular benefits A total of 2,315 men aged 42-60 from eastern Finland were monitored over 21 years. During the follow-up period, the scientists recorded 190 sudden cardiac deaths, 281 fatal causes of coronary heart disease, 407 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 929 deaths from all causes.
Those who used saunas regularly, however, seem to have been protected from heart complications. The risk of sudden cardiac death was found to be 22 per cent lower for men who went to a sauna two or three times per week and 63 per cent lower for those visiting four to seven times a week.
Coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease death rates were similarly cut by spending time in saunas.
Time well spent Participants benefited if they spent longer in the sauna. Those whose sessions lasted 11-19 minutes were 7 per cent less likely to suffer a sudden cardiac death compared to those who spent less than 11 minutes in the sauna. Men who spent longer than 19 minutes in the heat were associated with a 52 per cent reduced risk.
Dr Rita Redberg, editor of JAMA Internal Medicine and a scientist at the University of California commented: “Although we do not know why the men who went to saunas more frequently had greater longevity – whether it’s the time spent in the hot room, the relaxation time, the leisure of a life that allows for more relaxation time, or the camaraderie of the sauna – clearly time spent in the sauna is time well spent.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2015 issue 2
Interview: Kathy Van Ness
The COO at Golden Door tells Katie Barnes how she’s used her background in fashion to reinvent the destination spa
Wellness: In sickness & health
The Urban Zen Integrative Therapy programme by designer Donna Karan helps acutely-ill patients in health and social care settings. Julie Cramer reports
Design: Sense of arrival
Neena Dhillon talks to the spa designers and operators at the new Aman and Ritz-Carlton properties in Japan
Ask an expert: Neuromarketing
Could this field of market research hold the key to finding out what customers really want? Rhianon Howells investigates
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
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Men who went for a sauna four to seven times a week were 63 per cent less likely to die from heart complications / Robert Kneschke/shutterstock.com
The therapeutic benefits of having a sauna have been proven in a new study* published in February.
Researchers from Finland, where there’s a strong tradition for saunas, found that middle-aged men who have frequent sessions in the heat experience are significantly less likely to die from heart disease, than those who don’t. In fact, the men who visited a sauna the most, even as much as once a day, experienced the greatest benefits.
Regular benefits A total of 2,315 men aged 42-60 from eastern Finland were monitored over 21 years. During the follow-up period, the scientists recorded 190 sudden cardiac deaths, 281 fatal causes of coronary heart disease, 407 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 929 deaths from all causes.
Those who used saunas regularly, however, seem to have been protected from heart complications. The risk of sudden cardiac death was found to be 22 per cent lower for men who went to a sauna two or three times per week and 63 per cent lower for those visiting four to seven times a week.
Coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease death rates were similarly cut by spending time in saunas.
Time well spent Participants benefited if they spent longer in the sauna. Those whose sessions lasted 11-19 minutes were 7 per cent less likely to suffer a sudden cardiac death compared to those who spent less than 11 minutes in the sauna. Men who spent longer than 19 minutes in the heat were associated with a 52 per cent reduced risk.
Dr Rita Redberg, editor of JAMA Internal Medicine and a scientist at the University of California commented: “Although we do not know why the men who went to saunas more frequently had greater longevity – whether it’s the time spent in the hot room, the relaxation time, the leisure of a life that allows for more relaxation time, or the camaraderie of the sauna – clearly time spent in the sauna is time well spent.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2015 issue 2
Interview: Kathy Van Ness
The COO at Golden Door tells Katie Barnes how she’s used her background in fashion to reinvent the destination spa
Wellness: In sickness & health
The Urban Zen Integrative Therapy programme by designer Donna Karan helps acutely-ill patients in health and social care settings. Julie Cramer reports
Design: Sense of arrival
Neena Dhillon talks to the spa designers and operators at the new Aman and Ritz-Carlton properties in Japan
Ask an expert: Neuromarketing
Could this field of market research hold the key to finding out what customers really want? Rhianon Howells investigates
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
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