Bugs Bunny saunas

February 19, 2006 5:31 PM

BugsBunnyFilter: As I recall, a common feature of households seemed to be a box-like sauna where you'd sit inside with your head sticking out. What were these?

Also, were they really common or is this one of those useful-for-gags things (usually someone getting locked inside and the temperature dial being turned up to critical levels) Also, why aren't they around anymore? Or, are they? Finally, what are they called?

posted by vacapinta to society & culture (19 comments total)

I never thought about this until you asked this...I think they're Japanese.

Oddly I remember when I was young I had some sort of National Geographic book that had one in it, and it was filled with wood chips that got really hot (like a compost pile.)
posted by nekton at 5:45 PM on February 19, 2006

I believe it's called a "steam cabinet," but it's probably called other things by different people, too, like "steam chamber" or "steam box."
posted by Gator at 5:59 PM on February 19, 2006

Apparently they've been around a long time, too. Jeepers.
posted by Gator at 6:09 PM on February 19, 2006

They're called sauna boxes. While something of an anachronism these days, they're still available - in fact, you can learn how to build your own. In the past, they were considered to be a means of losing weight, which led to a variety of problems. Devoid of proper supervision, or knowledge of a user's medical history, one could suffer from overheating, or even scalding. If the doors to the sauna were blocked (Bugs, Marx Bros., 3 Stooges, etc.), say, with a broom handle, you could easily endanger the user in a matter of hours.

Another item of note: sauna box users would often forget to swim or shower afterward. The steam opens the pores in the skin, but you'd (preferably) want to follow up with an astringent, such as an aloe-blend. Usually, thay'd step out, put on whatever clothes they had on when they visited the club/spa, and re-clog their closing pores up with oil, dirt, etc. With so much to bear in mind (not to mention so much water being used per month at a busy hotel/club), many places gave up on the concept, as it was too much trouble. (WWI also played a hand in things, along with changing tastes in the late 40's.)
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:14 PM on February 19, 2006

PS - Gator's right as well. Steam cabinet's a synonym.
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:15 PM on February 19, 2006

Ah yes, usually right next to the workout device that consisted of a motor attached to a wide belt that apparently shook the fat right out of you, and across from the pressure cooker that was always exploding.

I think these must have been the precursor to the exercise bike and the stairmaster - not in every home, but their presence was not enough to jolt you out of whatever suspension of disbelief was left after watching an anthropomorphized cat chase around a mouse wearing a hat and bowtie.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:27 PM on February 19, 2006

They even have them in the future!
posted by Gator at 6:39 PM on February 19, 2006

Heh I loved those "workout devices" with the rubber belt. What *exactly* was the theory there? Make the fat feel unwanted and hope that it would just run away? Shake it up often enough and maybe it will just dissolve? What kind of quack came up with that idea and why did anyone ever believe that stuff did anything?
posted by Rhomboid at 6:58 PM on February 19, 2006

They're still around, at least in Japan - some friends and I used them in an onsen in Maruko.
posted by divabat at 7:12 PM on February 19, 2006

Rhomboid: I think they're supposed to improve muscle tone.
posted by Miko at 7:23 PM on February 19, 2006

See Thunderball - Bond traps a badguy in a steam cabinet. Or is it Never say Never again?
posted by filmgeek at 7:55 PM on February 19, 2006

iirc, the vibrating weight loss belts fell into disfavor because they shook the fat off the ass regions, right into the bloodstream, increasing chance of heart attack. I can't find a source on this, though.
posted by boo_radley at 9:49 PM on February 19, 2006

Filmgeek, I want to say its Thunderball as well.
posted by Atreides at 9:52 PM on February 19, 2006

BTW, I don't know that these were ever common in homes. You were more likely to find them at gyms and "work out clubs". Along with the belted-fat-breaker thingy.
posted by Dunwitty at 10:43 PM on February 19, 2006

they weren't in homes in the US at all...Dunwitty has it--health "spas" and Jack LaLanne-type places.
posted by amberglow at 4:26 AM on February 20, 2006

Jack LaLanne, at last check, was still alive!
posted by ParisParamus at 5:40 AM on February 20, 2006

The wife's farm still has one of those fat-shakers. They used to hook it up as kids for a kick.

And none of them are overweight. Hmmm....
posted by unixrat at 7:03 AM on February 20, 2006

These weightloss belts were pretty common in homes in the 50s and sixties. We had one in our home as late as the 80s (My parents were born in '29 and '32.) Laugh if you will at the absurd premise behind them, but their performance as a place to hang last night's shirt equalled that of any modern exercise machine.

I'm surprised no one's buying them off ebay and retrofitting as a sex toy.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:03 AM on February 20, 2006

amberglow writes "they weren't in homes in the US at all"

My parents had a steam box, although in Canada not the US.
posted by Mitheral at 8:22 AM on February 20, 2006