What I learned about my mental blocks by building a sauna tent at home with unusual materials

I love Saunas and russian baths and hammams. The highlight of my trip to Turkey was a hammam treatment, and I really enjoy Archimedes Banya - nothing like meeting one of the 49ers in a hot tub and really understanding how small in stature I am!

I’ve wanted to build a sauna at home ostensibly for health purposes but mostly because I want it, but I’ve gotten hung up on the multi thousand USD prices. Even the sauna tents for sale seem exorbitant. Then looking at one online I had a realisation: i’ve seen this before on TV. it’s a grow tent for marijuana! lo and behold, the material used is the same for the commercial ones that cost 10x.

I needed to find a source of steam that was inexpensive, and found that two wallpaper steamers (available on eBay for $40) suited this nicely. With one, I can hit 110 degrees F and 88% humidity. Two will push 140 degrees, though i have to run an extension cord so i don’t trip the breaker!

What did I learn? I kept fixating on the expensive solution that when in reality there was a functional equivalent in a slightly different form that i kept overlooking. Once i made that leap, then the leap to finding a different steam source was easy.

Is my wife happy about this? still no. But boy does it feel great… for my health.