Native Americans used "sweat-houses" like this one to rid their bodies of toxins when they were ill. The sweat lodge (also called purification ceremony, sweat house, medicine lodge, medicine house, or sweat) is a ceremonial sauna and is an important event in some Native American cultures. There are several styles of sweat lodges that include a domed or oblong hut similar to a wickiup, or even a simple hole dug into the ground and covered with planks or tree trunks. Stones are typically heated in an exterior fire and then placed in a central pit in the ground.