As well as the (dry) saunas, Elaisa also offers a steam bath. This is called a ‘Turkish bath’ or hammam. Those who regularly use a steam bath will know that the layout, the ambiance but – most of all – the climate in such baths differ completely from a sauna.
Simply put: a sauna is filled with exceptionally warm yet dry air, while the steam bath has a much lower temperature with a remarkable humidity. A steam bath should have a dense, warm mist with a temperature of around 50°C. Modern steam baths are a direct continuation of the Calendarium in Roman Thermae, or the humid/warm rooms in the Muslim Hammams.
They can be found all over the Arabic and Turkish regions: these often beautifully stylish bathhouses as part of religion which in turn are part of cultural life.
The steam bath has a mild and pleasant effect on breathing, because the warm steam nicely ‘loosens’ the airways. A mild heat stimulus spreads across the body, a very different sensation from the sauna. In a steam bath, heat transfer takes place through the release of condensation heat on the skin.
