By now most of you must have heard that over the weekend at the World Sauna Championships based in Finland, one of the contestants: Vladimir Ladyzhensky, a Russian finalist died from severe burns after enduring temperatures of 110C. The current championship holder Timo Kaukonen, who was the remaining finalist in the sauna alongside Vladimir Ladyzhensky, suffered severe burns but managed to survive.

The organisers of the event have now decided to cancel all future events and an investigation is underway into what actually happened to the Russian finalist.

In light of these events it is worthwhile mentioning what steps you can take to avoid any injury in the sauna whilst you may be having a wind down after a furious workout:

1. Wait after eating before you go into the sauna. Just like with swimming, it is strongly recommended to wait a couple of hours and properly digest your food before you enter a sauna.

2. Hydrate yourself before going in. This is of course fairly basic but remember to have plenty of water on you as whilst your in the sauna you will be sweating and losing a lot of water.

3. Remove any rings, chains and watches you may be carrying as these are likely to become very hot and may even burn you.

4. Know when to get out! The less time you stay in the sauna the less likely problems are to occur. Depending on your health and how many times you go to the sauna – never stay longer than is needed.

If you follow the above advice you should be fairly safe and avoid the need for any medical attention!

Happy Sauna’ing’!