Finland
is the land of the sauna and the Finns are a nation of
sauna-enthusiasts.
Finland has a population of 5.1 million and 1.7 million saunas — one for
every three inhabitants. The sauna is considered an age-old Finnish feature,
although it is not a Finnish invention and certainly not the private property
of the Finns. In the late 19th century, sauna-bathing was practiced in the
Old World all the way from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains. The sauna
was also common among the other Finnic nations in the Baltic region — the
Estonians, the Karelians, the Veps and the Livonians. Other traditional
sauna-users include many Slavic, Baltic (Latvians, Lithuanians) and eastern
Finno-Ugric peoples as well as Turkic Tatars.
The Finnish Sauna Society Recommends
· Reserve enough time.
· Begin by taking a shower.
· It is recommended to use something to sit on, a towel for example.
· The temperature should not be more than 80 to 90 degrees Celsius (100 at the most). Adjust the humidity by throwing water on the heater.
· When you've warmed up yourself, go to cool off for a while.
· Return in the heat, throw some water. Now is the time to use the vihta
· Heat and steam competitions are unhealthy and do not belong in the sauna.
· Return to the heat according to your liking. Spend as much time in the heat as you feel comfortable. A fast transition from hot to cold surroundings is not recommended. Those worried for their health should consult a doctor.
· Warm up before washing yourself. After washing, one can still return to warm up a bit.
· Finish by rinsing yourself clean. Rest a while and enjoy a refreshing drink. Put on your clothes only after the sweating has completely stopped.
· Leave the sauna in a tidy condition.
· Avoid alcohol and heavy meals before the sauna. For the time spend in company after the sauna, light snacks and refreshing drinks are the way to go.
The Finns have an extensive sauna related vocabulary that is difficult or even impossible to translate.
sau'na: (or sow'-) n. (Building for) Finnish-style steam-bath. [Finn] - The Concise Oxford Dictionary. The correct pronounciation for sauna is sow-na (as in "cow"), not saw-na.
Also saunoa, action of bathing in a sauna and saunoja, a person bathing in a sauna.
Swimming in a hole in the ice covering a lake or sea. You can take a dip while enjoying a sauna, or just refresh yourself by taking a short swim.
The stove in the sauna, or the heater, as some call it. Heated with wood or electricity, it has stones on top for increased heat capacity. The more there are stones, the better is the heat the stove gives. Traditionally, a wood heated stove gives a more pleasant warmth.
Lauteet are wooden platforms in the sauna for people to sit on. They are placed relatively high in the room, so the bathers can enjoy the hotter air close to the roof.
To make the humidity rise in the sauna, one throws water on the stones of the stove. Löyly is the resulting steam. Also heittää löylyä, the action of throwing water.
The steam is hot (nearly 100 degrees Celsius) and causes the room temperature to go up temporarily. Since water carries heat much more efficiently than air, you will feel the change instantly. The steam is hottest near the roof and bathers sometimes react by bending down to avoid it. (Lots of Ooohs and Aaaahs may be heard as well....)
A
thick bunch of birch twigs, approx. 40 cm in lenght. Used to slap on oneself to
promote blood circulation and cleanse the skin. Also vihtoa, the action
of slapping. It is not used as a whip, although it may so seem to the
inexperienced sauna-goer. It is not supposed to hurt, but to make the skin
tingle for a while. Kids, don't do this at home if you don't have Finnish sauna-goer
to show you how.
In the United States, where birch is not as common as in Finland, some people
have started using cedar with good results. [D.G.] In Israel, where birches are
hard to come by, Pinhas Baraq uses "tsaftsafa" or poplar.
The vihta is made in the summer, just before the Midsummer's Feast, by cutting birch twigs that have a lot of leaves and tying them together. It should be a thick bunch of young, tender branches. It is important for it to have many leaves, as they make the slapping softer and more pleasant.
