Cob Suana

Hello,

I am interested in finding out if a Cob Walled Sauna is possible. My fiance and I are trying to design our first cob home and we want to have a sauna. I dont want to use wood only for the fact that you have to treat it once in a while. Also we are wanting to have a sauna that could fit 10 or so people in it comfortably.

Is it possible to have cob walls and seats and it not be affected by the high humidity from the steam?

Also I would like to use a wood burning sauna stove. Could I use something mroe renewable like bamboo or other material? Wood just takes too long to grow and if we where to take 30 minute sauna baths every day thats alot of wood we would be using just for ourselves.

Looking forward to your responces.

David

Check Tel's rocket mass stove for his sauna:
https://permies.com/permaculture-forums/5766_0/alternative-energy/sauna-rocket-stove-progress

If you use a rocket mass stove you can burn sticks and i think Ernie mentioned that bamboo could be used. But a wood like Black Locust would grow big enough to use quickly too and put off more heat.

Check the thread here too; 

https://permies.com/permaculture-forums/1078_0/alternative-energy/rocket-stove-and-butt-warmer


And threads in alternate energy that have RMH in title are about Rocket Mass Heaters.

I don't think cob would be well suited for the interior walls.  Yes, the moisture would be an issue. 

There's a lovely cob sauna at Tryon Farm in Portland, Oregon. It doesn't get too hot too quickly but you sweat really well due to the high humidity. Fits about 35 really good friends if you like singing. We built a bale and cob sauna in Bath, NY. I don't see most people sauna-ing more than a couple times a week so even with a regular woodstove it wouldn't take that much wood. With a good rocket burner it would be fantastic, though smaller is better depending on the number of friends you have.