Sauna culture in Finland
Sauna – probably the most known Finnish word around the globe. You might know this wonderful bathing and washing concept as a part of a visit to spa or being a way to have an evening wash. This steamy tradition has been surrounding Finnish daily routines for hundreds of years. Let’s dig deeper into this hot topic.
Finnish sauna and midnight sun
Sauna in its current modernity is a tradition going back to Bronze Age in Finland. The actual word ‘sauna’ has its origins from a word ‘stagh-ná-‘, meaning a pile of something. In the case, sauna could have been identified by its pile of stones, ‘kiuas’ in Finnish. Saunas used to be dug pits on the ground, heated with stones and covered by shelters. This was an easy way to find coverage against breeze and to warm up during long and cold winters. This way sauna could be made in the location where people moved to with their herds.
More stable saunas were still quite far away from the modern ones we know. These types of saunas were smoke saunas. The stoves were inside a dark, small log cabin and literally lit up inside. A fire indoors might be a fire hazard (no wonder that quite often smoke saunas do burn down without proper attention) but they were the essence of life: not only people bathed in sauna (typically heated up on Saturdays) but they also gave birth in these sanitary surroundings. People also died in saunas which essentially means that sauna supported the whole circle of life.
A traditional Finnish smoke sauna in Mosku, Sompio.
Nowadays, Finns are a self-proclaimed sauna nation. If you ever find a Finn who hasn’t ever been to sauna, you are up for a reward. Finns have saunas in almost every apartment, separate saunas by lakes or rivers that are heated up with fire wood, floating saunas and even private smoke saunas. In total there are around 3 million saunas in Finland, according to a Finnish Sauna Association.
A Finnish pop song ‘Poika saunoo’, literally translated “the boy goes to sauna”, became a hit when Finland won the World Ice Hockey Championship in 2011. Boy refers to the champion cup, by the way. It is often a way to celebrate with a group of friends to heat up the sauna in the evening and have a few beers. And yes, Finns go to sauna naked, beat each other on the backs with a bunch of birch branches and skinny dip in the lake or snow in the middle of a sauna session. There is even the concept of bridal sauna as a part of hen parties where a good luck for marriage is charmed for the bride. And what would a sauna nation be without its own World Sauna Championships?
Inside a sauna
Sauna’s heat can be also used in plenty of other ways. Wrap a sausage in a tin foil and put it onto the warm stones to prepare your evening meal while having a bath. Or perhaps you would like to experience sauna yoga? Getting your clothes dry after a long day in the snowy surroundings is also rather simple with this warm room. Sauna also relaxes your muscles and eases tensions, in addition to other health benefits, e.g. cardiovascular health improvements.
Finnish vasta, a bunch of birch branches used in sauna
Grab a towel along with your preferred sauna drink and be prepared for a nice relaxing evening with your friends. If you wish, we can let you experience even the traditional smoke sauna experience, without any running water or electricity as a part of your overall Lapland trip!