Picture the scene: a warm, sunny evening at a Finnish lakeside cottage. There’s barely a ripple on the shimmering water, except perhaps for the occasional fish rising for its supper. The sun is low on the horizon, the air is warm and a bird sits quietly at the end of the little jetty that leads out onto the water.
Suddenly the evening peace is shattered – and the bird flies away – as an outhouse door is flung open and a group of scantily-clad people trot swiftly out to the end of the jetty and jump enthusiastically into the lake.
You have just witnessed one of the defining moments of the Finnish sauna experience. A few minutes of splashing about might now be followed by a return to the sauna room or perhaps some time simply relaxing on the verandah with a bottle of cold beer and a sausage or two from the barbecue. It’s a wonderful ritual, practised by countless Finns and enjoyed by visitors from around the world.
Enough of the cold splash, though. It’s time to peer into that hot room and attempt to understand just what it is about the Finnish sauna that makes it such a special experience.
First of all, the sauna offers a very special kind of heat. Sitting and sweating in temperatures of more than 80 °C could otherwise sound like something of a torture. But the trick is to ensure that humidity levels are low. This means that it becomes tolerable – even very comfortable – to sit in a room where the thermometer might be approaching boiling point.
It’s easy to test this by taking a scoop of water from the sauna’s wooden bucket and throwing it onto the stones which give the sauna its heat. The humidity level is briefly raised, and the burning effect is immediately noticeable, especially on the tops of your ears. Within a few minutes, the humidity level drops and the more tolerable dry heat returns.
Not surprisingly, Finnish sauna traditions date back many centuries. Indeed, there are records to show the first wooden saunas were built more than 2,000 years ago. The process of heating the sauna space in these early days involved the use of smoke. The methods were simple: rocks were put into a stone fireplace and heated by a wood fire. The smoke from the fire filled and heated the place until it was deemed warm enough for people to come in. at that point the smoke was cleared from the space, leaving nothing but a wonderful warm atmosphere with the lovely and gentle smell of woodsmoke.
Unfortunately, as the modern era approached, not everyone had the time to prepare a sauna in this way. After all, it could take all day to warm up the room to the desired temperature. So the sauna process evolved to use steam vapour from water poured over the hot rocks. A bundle of birch twigs (known in Finnish as a “vihta”) would sometimes be used for stimulating the skin cells and encouraging the cleansing process of the body.
Finnish traditions dictate that the sauna should be experienced in a state of undress. Therefore the sexes do not mix in public saunas. It’s perfectly usual, however, for family groups or friends to take a sauna together.
And what of the mystic traditions associated with the Finnish sauna? And is there any medical evidence to back up its health-giving properties? Well, the science is something the Finns like to leave to the doctors. But they have certainly held great store by the importance of the sauna in daily life. Behave in a sauna as you would in a church, is one Finnish saying. Another suggests that if an ailment can’t be cured by tar, alcohol or the sauna then you are unlikely to survive a lot longer.
Finest saunas
Who’s to say where in Finland you will find the very best sauna? Often it’s the people who are with you and the uniting sense of kinship that will stay with you as much as the location. But here are three particular favourites:
1. On the ferry to Finland
Set aside some time if you’re crossing by sea to Finland. The fabulous Silja Line cruise ferries which connect Helsinki with the Swedish capital, Stockholm, have male and female saunas located on the top decks. It’s possible to peep out and experience wonderful views of the Baltic skerries and promontories that form one of the most beautiful archipelagos in the world.
www.silja.fi
2. At the Russian frontier in north-eastern Finland
Take an exhilarating snowmobile safari directly east from the popular winter resort of Ruka and you’ll soon be closer to the Russian border than you imagine! A big smoke sauna is lit for groups of visitors, with a chance afterwards to slip down a ladder and through a hole in the nearby frozen lake. A chilly but unforgettable experience.
www.rukapalvelu.fi
3. Under the spill of the Northern Lights
There’s an old Lappish manor house on the banks of a mighty river, just north of the ski resort of Levi – around 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Walk around 100 metres along the snowy path from the house to the river bank and share the traditional warmth of the wood-heated sauna. The sight of the Northern Lights dancing in the clear skies above is hauntingly beautiful.
www.hulluporo.fi
Getting to Finland
Finnair (www.finnair.com) flies three-times daily from London Heathrow to Helsinki, daily from Manchester to Helsinki and twice-weekly from Edinburgh to Helsinki. From Helsinki there are convenient connections to Rovaniemi, Kittilä, Kuusamo and Ivalo in the north of Finland as well as to other cities across the country.
SAS/Blue1 (www.blue1.com) operates a twice-daily service from London Stansted to Helsinki. Blue1’s domestic network includes serves the northern destinations of Oulu and Kittilä.
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) operates 10 flights weekly from London Stansted to the Finnish city of Tampere, which is situated right in the middle of Finland’s beautiful lake district – with fantastic opportunities for summer cottage holidays (sauna included!).
For more general information please visit the Finnish Tourist Board website for more details: www.visitfinland.com/uk or call the consumer information line, 020 7365 2512.
