An introduction...
The sauna is a small room or hut heated to around 80 degrees Celsius. It is used for bathing as well as for mental and physical relaxation.
While a hot sauna may seem a cruel punishment to unexperienced bathers, it is actually a very pleasant experience. All you need is a towel and at least half an hour of time. Start with a shower, then enter the sauna for a few minutes, listening to your senses. When you've had enough, take a refreshing shower, cool off for awhile and repeat once or twice. And no need to worry, it's entirely safe.
... and a lot more
The sauna has a long history and close relatives in other cultures: the Russian banya, the Native American sweat lodge or inipi, the Turkish hamam, even the Japanese onsen. In Finland it has at least a thousand years of history.
There are 1,212,000 saunas in private apartments in Finland (2002 statistics). With another 800,000 installations in summer cottages and public swimming pools that makes for more than 2 million saunas for a population of 5.2 million. For comparison, we have just under 2.5 million cars and trucks. If you are thinking of building a sauna of your own, start with these ideas and guidelines.
Sauna Gallery
New and improved! Get ideas and compare notes!
We've opened a gallery of sauna photos. You can join the fun and comment the photos on Flickr.
Christmas sauna
The sauna has a special place in the Christmas traditions of many Finnish families. In past times, peasant families started heating their saunas two days before Christmas so that everybody could bathe before the sun set on Christmas eve. It was believed that once the darkness set in, the sauna would be used by the invisible folk, the previous inhabitants of the house. In lighter versions of the tale, the visitors would be sauna elves, who also brought good fortune to the house.
Even in modern times, many families go to the sauna as part of the Christmas eve preparations. After the sauna, they visit the graves of their families and friends before settling down for the festive dinner.
