Photo of the Week: In a Finnish Sauna
Wednesday August 20, 2008
The Finnish Sauna is an important part of Finnish tradition and has become popular world-wide. Most every house and hotel in Finland has one, and visiting an original Finnish Sauna should definitely be part of your itinerary, I think. Do you agree?
Comments
The sauna experience is indeed unforgettable. Everyone I’ve ever known from Finland has built a sauna at his or her U.S. home.
My Italian husband-to-be Antonio has a sauna in his apartment. It’s one of his favorite things.
I love the idea of a sauna, but I am a total wimp when it comes to actually being in one!
I make it about 2 minutes before I get light-headed and have to leave. Oh well! I always tease my Norwegian friend because she can’t eat spicy food. The sauna issue gives her a way to retaliate!
Saunas and steam baths are wonderful ways to relax.
It doesn’t look all steamy and suffocatingly hot.
*sigh* I can’t do saunas either, Kallie. The heat makes me sick almost immediately. We’ll just have to try out those other Finnish Christmas traditions!
for newcomers to saunaculture, one hint might help your experiences. a good Sauna will always have two things done right, 1) proper air flow, (ventilation and so on) 2) +60celsius or over temperature. if 1 is done wrong, you will get uneasy feeling shortly, because the oxygen levels drop fast. 2 is also quite important to bring up the löyly-smoke from heater (kiuas) which essentially is the heart of a good sauna.
what comes to other experiences, you could always try it the easier way; for example when my american cousin was introduced to sauna, during the first bath, he sat at second tier benches to get used to the full heat. (there are three tiers usually, 3 being the highest bench where the full heat lands first and 1 basically are the stairs) after few times, he joined me at the third tier benches and currently enjoys far harsher baths than i do, heh. the thing is that its not a sport, you bathe as long as feels right for you.
it is a sacred place because at the benches of sauna, we all are even. there are no titles, no competition just relaxation in peace.