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serpix

so, well over 140 Celsius then as there are saunas that are that hot and breathing in them is fine.

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You're also not fully clothed and running around in a stress induced panic while in the sauna.

Actually, I apologize that was a huge presumption.

When _I_ am in a sauna I'm normally not fully clothed and running around in a stress induced panic.

Presumably you mean Fahrenheit? 100 degrees C is the boiling point of water at sea level. I wouldn't want to sit in a room hotter than boiling water. Where as 140 degrees F is 60 degrees C and a little under twice your body's natural temperature, or a bit above a really hot Mediterranean summers day. Which seems a much more realistic temperature.

60 degrees C is a lot above a really hot Mediterranean summer day. Average temp is 33 degrees in the hottest summer months, and in extremes it may be 40 degrees Celsius. 60 degrees would therefore be almost twice as hot as average or 50% hotter than even the hottest days.

Also 60 degrees Celsius would mean it made an appearance here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highest_temperature_recorded....

Given that the highest recorded air temperature on earth is 56.7 degrees, you may wish to revise your last sentence.

> 60 degrees C is a lot above a really hot Mediterranean summer day. Average temp is 33 degrees in the hottest summer months, and in extremes it may be 40 degrees Celsius.

I was thinking 40 degrees. Given "average" isn't implied by "really hot", I'd say your 40 degree figure falls in line with what I had in mind. But you're right that it's still a big jump to 60 degrees.

Maybe I shouldn't have put vague comparisons in my post because it's rather distracting from the core point that the GP got their Celsius and Fahrenheit mixed up.

Apparently there are some lunatics who go above 100C in saunas - sometimes they die.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10912578

But it seems like 175F (80C) would be a normal-ish range. temperature.

Well, the article is about a first time someone died in a competitive "world championship" thing with constantly humidified 100+C air with a race about who can tolerate it the longest.

Probably people die in saunas all the time in countries where it's popular, like they sometimes do when eating, walking, or sleeping or watching tv.

It really depends on the type of sauna, local customs, and even then there is still quite a large range due to individual preferences.

80 degrees C would generally be the hotter end of spectrum. Some go as low as 40 degrees C

The exact temperature that's tolerable depends on the sauna, but can exceed 100 degrees C for dry saunas. Air has comparatively little heat capacity, so even at those temperatures, sweat can cool your body fairly efficiently (feels pretty toasty, though). If you add moisture to the air (steam sauna), that temperature becomes unbearable quickly, so those are at lower temperature.

It becomes unbearable not because of heat capacity but because of inability of the body to expel heat.

When outside temperature is equal or higher than body temperature the only way to expel heat is through sweating. For this the air must by dry enough (wet bulb temperature less than body temperature). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet-bulb_temperature

If body can't expel enough heat it results in eventual death.

Presumably you mean Fahrenheit?

No Celsius. Admittedly 140 C is very hot (but not unheard of) for a sauna and you should probably not be in for more than 2-3 minutes max at a time. 90-110 C however is pretty standard and really nice. I can highly recommend giving it a try.

The internet would disagree with you:

https://www.sunrisespecialty.com/sauna-temperature

https://www.saunasamurai.com/sauna-temperature-how-hot-is-sa...

Given someone died at 110 degrees C in a world championship, I'd wager 140 isn't "hot but not unheard of" and 110 isn't "pretty standard" like you claimed.

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