Editing Sweat lodge (section)

== Similar structures and rites in other cultures ==
There are examples of ritual sweating in other cultures, though often without any ceremonial or mystical significance. Secular uses around the world include many forms including [[thermae|Ancient Roman baths]], [[steambath]], [[sauna]], Slavic [[banya (sauna)|banya]], the culturally important Islamic [[hammam]], and the heated ''dry'' air [[Victorian Turkish baths|Victorian Turkish bath]].  Other varieties are used by [[Circumpolar peoples|Indigenous people]] around the [[Bering Strait]], [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]], the [[Finland|Finns]] and the [[Sámi people|Sámi]].<ref name=encyclo />

Some European cultures have historically used sweating for cleansing. In most cases the usage is primarily for physical cleansing and warmth, but in others prayer and songs may be involved. [[Scandinavia]]n, [[Baltic region|Baltic]] and [[Eastern Europe]]an cultures incorporate sweat baths in their sauna traditions, which are held within a permanent, wooden hut. While modern-day saunas are wholly secular, there are older traditions of songs and rituals in the sauna, and the acknowledgment of a spirit-being who lives in the sauna.

"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."<ref name=encyclo>{{Cite encyclopedia | title = Sweat, Sweat-house | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia of religion and ethics | volume = 13 | page = 128 | publisher = T. & T. Clark | year = 1922 | isbn = 9780567065124 | accessdate = 20 April 2025| url = https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.65340/page/n159/mode/1up}}</ref> These permanent structures were built of stone, and square or corbelled "beehive" versions are often found, mostly in the [[Irish Language|Irish]] and [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]]-speaking areas of Ireland and Scotland, though most seem of relatively recent date. The method of construction, heating the structure, and usage was different from the North American examples, and they seem to have been regarded as therapeutic in function, like the [[sauna]], and perhaps typically used by one person at a time, given their small size.<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=25510830 |title=Sweat House, Co. Wicklow |last1=Price |first1=L. |journal=The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland |date=1952 |volume=82 |issue=2 |pages=180–181 }}</ref>