© Harri Tarvainen / Visit Finland
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The wooden cross-striped chairs are dimly lit
I couldn't tell if it was day or night
The firewood in the stove burned more and more vigorously
Take a scoop of lake water and pour it on the boiling stones
Hissing
Steam rises like a phoenix of nirvana
Nourish the people who create heat
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© Julia Kivelä / Lahti / Visit Finland
The term "sauna" originated in Finland
Originally meant a chalet without windows
It is in such chalets that the Finns rely on steaming steam
Gained the courage to withstand the long winters of the Far North
With the fusion of cultures and the development of science and technology
Different forms of sauna have emerged all over the world
However for the standard of "authentic" saunas
Finns have always had their own stubbornness
"Authentic" Finnish sauna
Ice sauna 📍 with wooden benches in Lucca-Kusamo
Wooden benches + efficient insulation + good ventilation = good sauna in Finland
A typical Finnish sauna can be not covered in wood, but the bench must be wooden. High-quality saunas also require good thermal insulation, maintaining indoor temperature can speed up evaporation and avoid excess moisture remaining on the floor. The last key factor is to ensure good ventilation. Even during use, people should be able to breathe fresh air in the sauna.
Löyly City Sauna 📍 Helsinki
© Pekka Keränen / Visit Helsinki / Visit Finland
A 100°C treat, hidden in the Löyly "steam"
The temperature of a Finnish sauna is usually kept between 70 and 100 degrees Celsius. Traditional smoke saunas generally use logs as fuel and take a long preheating time; most modern domestic saunas are heated by electric stoves. Either way of heating, the ultimate enjoyment is created by pouring cold water on a stone that is roasted at the end of the stove, and the steam generated by the encounter of hot and cold is called Löyly in Finnish. Less than two kilometres from the centre of Helsinki, there is a popular sauna called Löyly "Steam". Step up the wooden staircase of the "steam" sauna and enjoy panoramic views of the Baltic Sea. Blowing the sea breeze, steaming the sauna, jumping into the sea, a few back and forth, eating and drinking, talking about the world, it is the perfect day!
Ferris wheel sauna 📍 Helsinki
© Sky Sauna Helsinki
Only unthinkable places, no mulberry can not be taken
Although Finns have precise requirements for the design and temperature of saunas, they can vary in size and appearance, after all, it is only possible to get a sauna anytime, anywhere. According to statistics, Finland, with a population of more than five million, has more than 2.5 million registered saunas, an average of one per person per person. This does not include the winter limited ice sauna, the boathouse sauna floating on the lake and other various mobile saunas. Even the Ferris wheel carriages on Helsinki's South Pier can be steamed. Imagine writing the most romantic confession with your fingers on a misty glass window in a 40-meter-high Ferris wheel sauna that is unique in the world.
How to "steam" a Finnish sauna?
Finnish national drink Long Drink canned cocktail © Original Long Drink
The mobile sauna boat transforms into a jumping platform
- Alternating hot and cold brave games -
If splashing water on heated stones to create Löyly "steam" is the most important feature of Finnish saunas, another indispensable element is the alternation of hot and cold. For healthy people, sudden changes in temperature can enhance blood circulation and contribute to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health; if there are chronic diseases such as heart disease and hypertension, you need to follow the doctor's advice. Finns usually cool down when steaming in the sauna using both inside and outside.
Inside, as in other countries as in saunas, Finns advise you not to overeat or get drunk before the sauna. But during the sauna process, the temperature rises and makes people feel hungry and thirsty. At this time, you must drink some drinks to quench your thirst and cool down and maintain your fluid balance. Non-alcoholic beverages and mineral water are certainly safe and secure options, while Finns generally prefer to supplement them with cool, refreshing low-grade beers or long-blended long drinks.
Another way to cool down is to get out of the warm sauna, take a cool shower, jump into the lake for a dip, or roll in the snow. Either way, it's a brave game for the average person, but most Finns repeat this process at least twice before cleaning it with shower gel.
Birch branches © Emilia Hoisk / Visit Finland
- Birch branches wash away the turbidity -
If you happen to come to Finland for a sauna in the summer, you may also be "whipped" with a bundle of birch branches that finns call "vihta" or "vasta". It sounds like a reverie about the alphabet circle, but in fact it is just the secret recipe for locals to strengthen their bodies. Freshly picked birch branches are submerged in water and gently tapped on the warm skin, the fragrance of tree sap instantly spreads in the sauna, and the gum can take away the dirt deep in the pores. Finns also believe that moderate patting increases blood flow and relieves joint muscle pain.
© Visit Finland
- Forget the time and pay attention to the will -
The ultimate meaning of the Finnish sauna is to pursue the ultimate relaxation and pleasure of the body and mind, and although some people will tell you to go rolling in the snow or "smoke" yourself with a branch, you can ignore it. In a sauna, you don't see advice about "how long to stay in the sauna at a time," "when to go out and cool down," or "whether to add some water to the rocks again," and all actions should be motivated by physical sensations. We often wonder, why are Finns happy? Maybe sometimes happiness is in this small world, where you can hear the voice of your heart.
Sauna mom instructs the Finnish sauna process
© Julia Kivelä / Lahti / Visit Finland
- Sauna Mom Intimate Bathing Instructions -
Although there is no fixed process for Finnish saunas, it is inevitable that as a tourist in a foreign country, it is inevitable that you will be overwhelmed by the honesty of meeting people in the north and south of the world. To this end, many Finnish public saunas, hotels and spas employ "sauna moms" to provide behavioural instructions for guests who are new to the sauna experience. Of course, if you are not "socially afraid", you can also ask the Finns in the sauna directly, and in the dimly lit cabin, the introverted Finns also become cheerful.
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Is it good to bathe in Finland when the flowers bloom in spring?
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