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sauna

/ˈsaʊnə/
/ˈsɔnə/
IPA guide

Other forms: saunas

A sauna is a small therapeutic hot room. Some people use a sauna at the gym or pool, where they sit and relax, enjoying the cleansing heat. If there’s a separate steam room, then the sauna provides dry heat.

In many Scandinavian countries, saunas are very common — in Finland, it's not unusual to have a sauna in or attached to your house. People who enjoy saunas find the steam, usually created by pouring water onto hot rocks, to be very relaxing and to have health benefits as well. The word sauna is Finnish, used to refer to both the structure of the room and the steam bath itself.

Definitions of sauna
  1. noun
    a Finnish steam bath; steam is produced by pouring water over heated rocks
    synonyms: sweat room
    see moresee less
    type of:
    steam bath, steam room, vapor bath, vapour bath
    a room that can be filled with steam in which people bathe; `vapour bath' is a British term
Pronunciation
US
/ˈsaʊnə/
UK
/ˈsɔnə/
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