This weekend was something a little different, and something that I am guessing most people reading this probably haven't done before. The neighbor dropped me a message and asked if I wanted to head to a public sauna with him.
For sure!
Sauna is a Finnish invention (debated) and a part of the national identity (confirmed), where pretty much everyone goes regularly to the sauna. Most people (even in apartments) have one in their home, and pretty much every house has one. I am actually pressed to think of whether I have ever been in a detached home that doesn't have a sauna in it. Most these days are electric, but wood-fired saunas have a nicer heat to them, when the sauna is made correctly.
Ours isn't.
But, public saunas are also a big part of the tradition and there are plenty of them around the city, generally located next to the lake, so that between rounds of sitting in 100°C (212F) air getting sweaty. And, as you can see, this happens in winter too.
The lakes aren't frozen over yet (some edges are closing and the smaller lakes - this one is massive), but the water temperature is a balmy 2° (35F). This sounds cold, but the air temperature is at 11° (12F), so it isn't "that bad" considering. However, it is definitely a shock to the system and while some people will spend minutes in there, I am generally happy doing a thirty-second quick dip in and out. After that though, it is possible just to sit out in the fresh air for ten minutes or so talking.
Obviously, I didn't take any pictures in the actual sauna, but the public ones like this fit about forty to fifty people comfortably inside. And for those wondering, public ones tend to require bathing trunks, unlike at home saunas or with groups of friends only, where it is always naked.
The public sauna experience is also going through a bit of a renaissance period, as a lot of younger people go to them too, so there really is a bit of a "melting pot" of society, with old and young, rich and poor, all sitting very close to each other, getting very sweaty.
At times, there was standing room only in there, however my friend and I always managed to squeeze in somewhere. It is quite pleasant, but at times some people tend not to care about others and throw too much water onto the sauna stove, which sends a shockwave of heat that burns the ears for a minute or two. I don't go regularly, but the regulars generally wear a "sauna hat" that protects their head and ears at these times. There are also people wearing special gloves and shoes, so that they can stay in the water longer.
This particular place has been in operation as a public sauna since 1929, so it is coming up to a hundred years old. Next year or the year after, it will undergo some renovations to renew it (I guess for the centenary), but I hope they don't modernize it too much, as it has a very homely, functional feel to it. Nothing glamorous for sure, but cozy. And because of this perhaps, the people are more relaxed there, friendly and talkative, which is an oddity for Finnish people.
Now, supposedly winter swimming is meant to be good for your health, as it gets your blood flowing. But, a lot of foreigners are scared that going from the hot to the cold so quickly will give them a heart attack. I have never actually heard of this happening in the time that I have been in the country, but perhaps it is possible. For any normal person though, I do recommend giving it a go at least once if you happen to be travelling in the Nordic region, because it feels awesome.
Going from a hot temperate extreme to cold, means that all the blood comes to the surface in the heat, then gets shocked by the cold, leaving the entire body tingling in quite a delicious way. I haven't had that feeling at any other time in my life, other than from winter swimming, so it is hard to describe what it is like, without you having personal experience.
You will just have to try!
Occasionally, when colleagues from overseas have come to visit, we have taken them to a public sauna and for a swim, and none of them have either had a heart attack, nor regretted it. The first time they go into the water they are like "that is not too bad" and then, they want to go again and again.
We were there for about two hours, going from sauna to water, water to sitting and drinking some water, and then back to the sauna again six or seven times in that period. Afterward, I was Very relaxed and would have been happy to have a nap, or a glass of wine.
I went with the wine, of course.
Would you give it a go?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
There are not many saunas in France or in British Columbia.
I discovered the sauna when I was sent by the French Navy to Halifax, Nova Scotia, as a NATO exchange officer, in 1979.
My wife then told another woman that "there is not much oxygen here". She pronounced oxygen as "oxygène" in French. So, the woman guessed that my wife was speaking French. As this woman was from France, they started a conversation in French. And she and her husband, an East Indian, became our friends during her three years sojourn in Nova Scotia.
My boss, the French military attaché in Ottawa, once said in a sauna "It makes you sweet". Of course, he wanted to say "sweat", but he mispronounced it. The other guy looked at him with a strange look!
The year I was born! You were talking about being a boomer the other day - I am the last of Gen-X.
That is a great story. I think a lot of friendships are made in saunas here. Not as much now, but it also used to be the place where a lot of business was done - Sauna and vodka. Supposedly, a lot of the negotiations between Finland and the USSR happened in saunas too.
:)
In some countries, the sauna is seen as some kind of sexual thing, but it is nothing of the sort here! Families go together.
I don't think I have ever been in a sauna. They are pretty big in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but that isn't surprising as there is a lot of Finnish ancestry up there I think. I know people around here do something similar with hot tubs in the winter. They will sit in the hot tub then roll around in the snow, then go back in the hot tub.
Wherever there are Finns, they will build saunas. One of my supervisors works out of Dallas - has built a sauna at home.
The neighbor who invited me has a woodfired hot tub also. It is nice to be there in the winter and on occasion, the northern light are visible above.
Oh wow, that sounds awesome. My wife and I have been trying to see the northern lights for a while now. I have seen them a couple of times, but she never has. Up North in the UP, they have the circular style saunas made of cedar or whatever the wood is.
https://www.dewyseconstruction.com/index.php?page=Barrel_Saunas
They look pretty cool! The same guy from Dallas has his summer place with his brother in Finland, and it is buried underground. It is a smoke sauna - they have two others there also :D
Some sauna: https://sauna.fi/en/sauna-knowledge/a-good-smoke-sauna/
Nice!
I had already heard about it, mainly because I dream of one day visiting Finland. It's a fabulous country! Here in Brazil we also have saunas, but it is very rare; Normally there are condominiums, hotels or water parks, but not in people's homes. It makes sense because this is a super hot country. I already had the chance to go once, I really enjoyed it, I found it very relaxing.
I am guessing there isn't much call for getting even hotter in the tropics! Would be nice to have one near a cool pool though :)
I have only been in sauna a few times when my class rented a rural tourism homestead. That was so long... It seems like it was in another life.
Did you enjoy it?
It was nice.
Wow this is so interesting! The scenery is totally different from Asia, where saunas are mostly located in spas or gyms in buildings and malls! Japan has a similar "onsen" culture where people soak in hot pools, and it's always a nice experience for me when I visit Japan.
I didn't get to go to an onsen in Japan, but I would love to!
This is like reverse onsen :D
Most of the gyms have saunas here too, so people go after a workout for a few minutes as a relaxation process.
Ironically I have been in Scandinavian countries three times throughout my life and never tried up North, have had a good few down here at home in special Spa facilities, they are extremely invigorating to say the least.
They are great. I also like the Turkish bath style where it is cooler and steamy, but a good sauna is great. We have one at our house, but it wasn't made well and doesn't heat properly (for Finns!)
Personally I don't mind a cold water swim, the steaming not quite as much, although both healthy for you.
I love doing this when I am skiing! Nothing like a hot sauna after a long day on the slopes, then hanging outside in the cold pool, then going to the hot tub to warm up and then the sauna to sweat it all off again. Feels great for my sore muscles and a great way to meet other vacationers hanging about at the spa/hotel. Definitely my favorite apres ski activity since I don't drink.
"After ski" - it starts on the slopes ;)
The only time I’ve been in a sauna, there was no lake nearby.
But there was a huge snowbank. 😎
snow feels so much colder than the water!
It was a major shock the first time I jumped from the deck into the snow but by the third time it felt good. 😁
I can't imagine how exhilarating it must be to subject your body to extreme heat and then cold in succession. From your description, it sounds like a really lovely experience. I'd definitely try it out if I got the chance!
Here in the US we don't have many saunas, but with the cold weather today I sure wish home saunas were part of the culture here!
Thanks for the interesting read 😁
Sauna culture (even without the swim) is really nice in the winter. In the summer it is great too, where there is light past midnight, and warm weather with a cold drink :)
lol this is wild but reminds me of when I was young at a hotel and would jump into the cold pool and then back into the hot tub quickly. Felt so good! Looks like a blast!
It is a great feeling. One new year eve, it was -25C and we cut a hole in the lake with a chainsaw :D
Your weekend sauna trip sounds really interesting! The mix of hot sauna and cold water must have been quite an experience. It's cool that you're up for trying out these unique things.
If you get the chance, give it a go. Even if it is summer, a dip in the lake straight from the sauna is fantastic.
How do you get out, grab on to an icicle and hope?
:)
There are stairs. The walkway (rocks) also have a heated rubber mat over it, so it doesn't build up with ice. Dangerous otherwise!
What a unique and refreshing experience! Your description of the public sauna and winter swimming paints a vivid picture of Finnish tradition and the photos definitely adds an extra layer to the story.
Cheers to cozy, functional, and century-old saunas! 🍷
Back in "the day", children were born in saunas as it was the most sterile place in the home. :D
What?!!! I didn't know and nor did I even think something like that. Sounds cool.
Here in Canada saunas are very common, there are saunas of different capacities, some of them are for personal or family use. Many swimming pools have a water heating system and it is a pleasure to be in them or in the tubs in winter time. For rental, there are specialised places scattered throughout the cities; some weight training centres and machines have the service. Enjoy, it is a moment of purification of body and soul. Blessings.
It would be interesting to know how many saunas there are per capita in Finland. The ratio must be high!
Basically ,this wood-fired sauna is better than the electric one.
And for colleagues to come spend time at the public sauna,then it’s worth it .
k.
I've honestly never tried the transition from hot to cold like that... I imagine the first plunge into the cold was pretty brutal.
I've had saunas attached to gyms for most of my adult life, except the last few years, and I would try and hit the sauna after a work out if I had time. I have a very strong love/hate relationship with saunas. I think I have a really low tolerance to heat, so I think it becomes unbearable to me much quicker than other people... but I also have gotten more tolerant over time.
I think if we had ended up building a dream house in the US we both would have worked to try and include a sauna.
Have not been in a sauna for quite a while. Our hotel in Istanbul had one but it was closing too early. One of the days I decided to go there but it was only 5 minutes before they were closing and I left it for another day which never came.
I remember when I was younger and the gim I was attending had one. It was very relaxing so I can understand most of the finish having one at home.
Didn't know that it was invented by Finnish, so there is one nore thing after Nokia :) It sounds me like our traditional Hamam, but I think a hamam is better than a sauna despite having similar features :)
Such things like sauna aren't common in my locality. Feels like I could be in one someday.
Haha of course wine 🍷
I have a hard time jumping in the shower before the water warms up, so I'd definitely have a hard time jumping into the cold lake just like that. I'll do it if I ever come to Finland though.
I'm that pathetic with the cold that I think I would probably die or something if I jumped into water that cold XD
and if not from the cold then because my shoulder would probably severely sieze up, I can't cope with Perth winters never mind anything colder
Sounds like you had a great day out :)
I don't usually go to saunas because the Philippines is already warm as it is, and you will be sweating buckets without the need for additional heat. But I am curious about using the sauna, and taking a dip in almost freezing water afterwards. My brain tells me it sounds like a bad idea; going from very hot to very cold quickly. But I am willing to try it for the experience.
I think body may even accept the regular sauna considering the temperature there can go down a lot. Imagine doing regular sauna in Australia, it'd only hurt the body more. I suppose the sauna experience can be good especially post February when spring season is out.
My "extreme" experience is going from the sauna to taking a cold shower. I guess I don't have the nerve to jump into ice-cold water. Interesting tip about the "sauna hat". I believe this should be a special kind of hat for saunas, right? Haven't seen one around here... yet.
Oh, you hadn't even heard of it before? I am guessing they aren't common around your way!
This is a lake.