World Examples
Early occurrences can be found in the fifth century BC, when Scythians constructed pole and woolen cloth sweat baths.
"Vapour baths were in use among the Celtic tribes, and the sweat-house was in general use in Ireland down to the 18th, and even survived into the 19th century. It was of beehive shape and was covered with clay. It was especially resorted to as a cure for rheumatism."
Native Americans in many regions employed the sweat lodge. For example, Chumash peoples of the central coast of California built sweat lodges in coastal areas in association with habitation sites.
When Finnish immigrants came to America in the 17th century, local Delaware natives called them "sweat lodge men" or "white-men-like-us" because of their habit of going to sauna. Because of that, the Finns got along with native peoples so their houses were not destroyed in the French and Indian Wars.
There are also numerous examples of sweating without any mystical significance. Secular uses around the world include the indigenous people around the Bering Strait, ancient Greeks, ancient Romans, northern Finns and Laplanders, and the so-called "Turkish bath" in England.
Read more about this topic: Sweat Lodge
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