Saunas for Health and Longevity, not Just for Tourists and Ageing Folks

The health benefits of Saunas are something I experienced and urged for, long before folks like professor Huberman are citing studies that may convince our questionable leaders. After a gentle approach for years, I am obligated to escalate my language towards potential actions. It is overdue to highlight our short-term sauna targets, but also our medium to long-term sauna targets. It starts with knowledge, but then to availability and affordability. On the knowledge part, I would rather task you to research on the 'health benefits of Saunas' based on studies and human testimonies. You will learn how it reportedly helps on cardiovascular health and up-to longevity, as my title hints. So my piece will rather focus on how to make it available and affordable to all, in the Gambia, Africa, and beyond. Every district must have at least one sauna in the short-term or now, but every compound or average compound should strive to have a sauna within five years.

Despite what the title rightly says, we must argue in the language our average politicians understand: money and one-eye honor or gratitude above care for all? 'Don't go to the Gambia, Nigeria, Ghana, etc as a tourist, they have limited or no saunas in 2026, after all the studies about Sauna and the health benefits...' They will be forced to research, try to prove you wrong, try to get Tourists' money by investing in better Saunas, etc. Your target is not to deny the Gambia or any country tourists, but to help beyond tourists. Even from such a perspective, you must argue how having saunas in every district will serve tourists who visit the countryside, provinces. You can imagine many other things we can argue from this front, including what efforts is your president and tourism minister employing for realization? Are they educating and urging business folks beyond hotel and motel owners? Should journalists and podcasters also confront the health minister and bureau of commerce for actions?

Affordability: The cost of saunas can be lower, but they are already low enough to meet our short-term goal. You can get a very good sauna for under one thousand dollars in China and other places. So a budget of $50,000 to $100,000 can secure the basics for about 50 districts , nationwide for the Gambia, and how many for your country? Something that can boost cardiovascular health, improve mental health, improve longevity, boost tourism, etc should mean shifting one million to billion dollars from other projects you may now prioritise? Even the cost of one or few vehicles of the president or some opposition leaders can help purchase enough Saunas for every district in the Gambia.

After availability, the affordability for the poor, not just tourists matter. Our retired ageing folks may not have regular income and may need unrestricted access. So have monthly or annual fees, not daily rates. Such will also encourage return until they feel or see the benefits.

Educating the Masses: You do not wait until people demand good things like saunas. Sometimes you have to introduce and even convince people before they accept something good. It does not matter if one to five percent of the poor districts learn in the first months, more may gradually try. Also understanding the importance of accommodating minorities is vital and something many Africans ignore. How hard is it to convince literate folks after multiple studies and visibly seeing people using the Sauna daily to weekly? Be optimistic that grateful Africans exist, and people may sacrifice a few minutes of 'inconvenience' for heart health, longevity, and other benefits. With time, it can be joyful with other mysterious blessings, not 'inconvenient'.

Knowing your Opponents: Even at Cabinet level, you may have ignorant people who may think governments should not spearhead what can reduce their burdens on curative health. Ordinary questionable people may claim 'Africa is hot, we do not need such.' The reality remains Saudi-Arabia and Arizona may be much hotter and they do need and have saunas for the willing or blessed ones. I cannot waste too much time and space on such, but what they whisper privately must be confronted publicly. Sometimes it is the bad advisers of the leaders that are ever opposing new needed blessings. The studies are not based only on cold countries, but on people. The hottest countries do not reach the heat or temperature levels of saunas. So if governments can spend millions on questionable air-conditioners against health and climate change, can they spend millions on saunas for health and friendly climate change?

Sun Saunas: We can modify or demand special Saunas for Africa. Through ideal location, a glass sauna with a glass roof will require less to heat up in Africa. We can call it and make it climate change friendly saunas. Having few solar panels between two small glass extending saunas can do some powering up. Wind power, hemp fuel power, and many other heating systems can make it 24hours heat services, or we compromise for daytime only due to budget or demand. The importance of a glass roof is huge, because the sun exposure to your head helps beyond vitamin D, your mitochondria, and other mysterious blessings. Unless we do something slightly different, we cannot claim 'our African saunas are now better than your average western winter saunas'. Verifiable claims matter and thank me later if I boost your tourism income, boost tourists' health, boost even the health of your local folks beyond my country.

Better Workers and Volunteers: Take fire fighters as an example of direct workers. By having regular exposure to saunas, our fire fighters will not only be braver, but will have less chances of dying through heat. Fire fighters die differently while fighting fires. Some faint due to the heat, because they may not be used to regular high heat even as fighters. The worst of fire fighters may not come close to the heat saunas offer, so they let ordinary private citizens die unnecessarily. I believe regulations+ should demand all fire fighters, police, soldiers, etc to verifiably go to saunas at least once a week, to potentially save their own lives and the very citizens that pay for their livelihoods.

Ordinary youths with verifiable records of visiting saunas should be given priority to be fire fighters where other important factors are tied or close. Beyond fire fighting, regular sauna visitors means probably healthier workers for your everyday tasks. In the case of fire, such may be the brave volunteers to stop a fire that could have been deadly or destroy millions. Even those trapped in fire incidents, the ones used to saunas may survive if 15 to 60 minutes of heat was the imaginable reality before help arrives.

Potential seeming disadvantages: Few stupid or unfortunate people may suffer or even die through saunas. The reality remains very few incidents are reported regarding sauna disasters. The imaginable higher reality is for every 'seeming' victim of sauna, two to ten or hundred fold will be helped or saved by saunas. We educate the people to gradually stay long. Five minutes may be enough for your first week. You may need water. We can even regulate commercial ones to prohibit less than two people at a time, so that one can help the other where need be . Or use video and emergency buttons to minimise problems or expedite rescues.

Religious hints and common sense convincing: Long before scientific confirmations of heat benefits, Quhr-aahnic verses that say 'God was in the fire while talking to Moses (Musa)' are not narrated for no purpose. You can argue God is different or that fire is different, but if Godly folks can do it, you try. If Ihqrah (learning) reveals the benefits and you are using God's sun or xyz, then you try as believers. Also verses that demand ' male pilgrims to expose our heads under the high heat of Saudi-Arabia' are hinting at potential benefits, not punishment... Those who visit saunas regularly are less likely to suffer or die through the exaggerated Saudi heat. Should would be pilgrims be simply advised or mandated to visit saunas? After simple research, I discovered the 41 to 45 degrees of Saudi-Arabia is not really hot, because they seem to have less humidity than even sweet Africa. Although saunas are much hotter, people tend to spend thirty to sixty minutes in saunas, while you are talking about hours or days in less heat of Saudi-Arabia. Still, once you reach enjoying sauna level heat, you will likely survive or cry less about Saudi-Arabia's heat.

Different cultures use heat to heal, long before modern science. Use the ones in your country or area to convince the pessimistic ones. Just sweating is in a way semi-internal washing. My skin feels much smoother when I do my makeshift sun-sauna . My mind works better after a sauna and imagine if millions in your country start to think better...

Preparing for the Potential Future: We all heard climate change may include higher temperatures and we have seen deadly heat waves in Europe and the Americas. Those who regularly use saunas will likely have a higher survival ratio if heat waves visit your country or continent. Our bodies tend to gradually adapt. You do not wait until disaster hits, you prepare smartly. In this case, a sauna gives you present 'timeless' health benefits and we pray for no deadly heat waves. However, nature and God often demand more than prayers, as per the checklist of ch.103 and historical lessons. After Saunas, you tend to enjoy sunlight like the trees we pray for; your skin pores open up and you enjoy the amazing natural air much more. With or without a sexual partner, touching your own skin and feeling good or God's help is indeed a blessing worth seeking.

All hotels and motels should seriously consider having saunas to introduce health benefits, not wait for demands. Even gyms should consider having saunas, because it is arguably the safest 'Warm up ' and you are adding health benefits that may surpass your probable next few equipment. For the Gambia, space may be an issue for our average gyms, but let those who can try, try.

Hot Yoga and Preventive health Centres: Although the under thousand dollars saunas may be too small for hot yoga, except for a few people. Governments and smart business folks should consider opening hot yoga centres or preventive health centres that may offer many other health products and services. Again, Africa can have hot yoga centres built differently, offer higher quality, and still cost less. Rather than just sitting or lying down in the sauna, I strongly recommend using ‘hot yoga’ and other stretching for higher health.

Every compound needs and deserves a sauna. So shame on a country, district or village that refuses efforts to have one asap. As a start, a small sauna may serve a whole village, because not many may stay for thirty minutes. That thirty minutes may serve you health and happiness more than average sex or what you value. Some of the poorest villages have cows they over value and village development committees (VDCs) that must think better. Yes! I urge the governments to offer district level examples, but you can try to impress the Lord as pioneers at what level? Research and development (R&D) before and after studies are different. If you need decades after the studies to sacrifice even one thousand dollars, then where else you are spending may be a testimony against you. It is not easy for some to order from the Internet, but where are the altruistic or caring business folks to import enough with or without tax breaks? May the Kind Lord realize much more for every trying soul. Considering all these potential benefits, I expect caring journalists to do more research, pressure harder until realization. May God bless Showlove Trinity: let's learn, let's work, let's have fun.

By Jarga Kebba Gigo
An Activist and Transformer
Author of Juts Quhr-aahn