Getting all Spruced up.

Mum wanted to try the sauna this weekend. Dad decided to give it a miss as he prefers not to feel "hot under the collar", but he kept me company discussing the difficulty of hollowing out wooden vessels on the lathe whilst Mum bathed herself in orange invigorating light, listened to Spirit of the Rainforest by Terry Oldfield and breathed in a revitalising aromatherapy blend. Apart from feeling a little light-headed shortly afterwards, Mum's experience was positive and she'll be coming back for more. I'm not sure whether Dad will be attempting to make some hollow vessels as says he has bowls in mind. As far as wood is concerned, I think there's nothing better than being surrounded by knotty Austrian Spruce, warmed by the infra-red.

Cooking with a friend

I've been inviting my friends to try the magic of the infra-red since installing the sauna in November. My best pal Jo popped in after work to heat up and chill out with me on Tuesday. The calories in the Marks & Spencers carrot cake Jo brought with her were soon burned off, which is just as well as we were both over-indulgent over the festive season. I have developed a theory therefore that naughty foods consumed just before a sauna do not count, and they might in fact aid toxin release, as my skin was pouring on this occasion. I'd also been suffering from a tension headache and that was eased.

Jo and I tried all the different colours of light, listened to some tranquil music and breathed in the Harmony blend of aromatherapy oils. We also discussed the cons (couldn't find any pros) of managing people and how it's so difficult to really be part of a team when the friendships you form with members of your team must remain at a superficial level in order to be professional in managing them. We both miss being on the same level as the rest of the team. By the end of her first session, Jo was ready to purchase her own sauna, she enjoyed the experience that much!

Horses sweat, men perspire, ladies glow.

Despite being totally exhausted this weekend, I found I could not sleep in this morning, so I sat myself in the infra-red sauna and read some magazines from some charities I choose to patronise. Apparently, if whales could scream, the commercial whaling industry would stop, as nobody could stand it. Japan alone killed 700 whales in 2003 and as many as 1400 a year die from harpoons. I'm so glad Tesco recently decided not to continue selling whale meat in their Japanese supermarkets, as I was having to boycott them. This was a nuisance as they are one of the better providers of online groceries.

By the time the sauna switched itself off at 60 minutes, I was "glowing" so much my whole body was dripping. Sometimes I can sit in there and not even feel damp and other times the toxin release is massive. I haven't discovered what causes a successful sweating session, but I have an idea that this time it was my excessive intake of Christmas chocolates . Need to do some experimentation there.

http://www.physiotherm.co.uk