Sauna Tradition and Bathing Practices

Part of the Finnish Life

Through centuries the sauna has been a natural and integral part of the Finnish life. Going to the sauna has always been as normal a thing as eating or sleeping. When settlers inhabited the country the first building they built was a sauna. First it was also used for dwelling until a house was built. This was also true for Finns settling in other countries, e.g. Sweden and America: sauna would always be erected first. Likewise, Finnish soldiers, including UN troops of today, have always built permanent or make-to-do saunas whenever and wherever the situation has permitted.

Different Uses

Today the sauna is probably considered as much a place for cleaning the body as for relaxing the muscles and refreshing the mind. Originally the cleaning function has been secondary, if there at all, and the purpose of the sauna has been well feeling and recovery from the day´s toil. However, the sauna was not only used for bathing, but it served many other functions in the agricultural society of the past.

Because of the frequent heating and the coat of soot (charcoal) all over, the sauna was by far the most hygienic place in a household. It was therefore natural that the sauna was used for health related functions, such as curing illnesses, healing wounds, delivering babies, even preparing bodies of the dead. Herbs and charms were used for the sick, and an old but still well known saying states that if spirits (vodka), tar and sauna do not help, the sickness is fatal.

Saunas were also used for many farming chores, such as curing meat, preparing malt and drying flax for linen.

Sacred Place

For most Finns the sauna is not only a place to relax and get cleaned, but it has also a character of certain sacredness. The first and most cited rule on behavior in the sauna says that one should behave in the sauna as in church. Loud talking should be avoided, and quarreling or cursing definitely do not belong to the sauna. Finns also find reading papers or arrangements to watch television or listen to radio completely out of place in the sauna. A sauna is rather a place to quiet down and let the soothing warmth take one´s thoughts into paths of meditation!

The sacred character of the sauna comes from the past. It was believed that saunas were dwelling places of different spirits. In the Finnish tradition these sauna spirits were mostly of good character, but nevertheless they were not to be disturbed by improper behavior.

Morals

By a general rule in Finland today men and women do not go to the sauna together unless they are friends or members of the same family.  Public swimming pools with sauna departments have separate saunas for ladies and men but the steam rooms (a kind of sauna) is for both men and women. 

Of course there are exceptions to this, e.g. mixed groups of (mostly young) people may spontaneously go to a common sauna, but even in these cases the sauna going is rarely connected to any kind of sexual behavior. It is also unthinkable in Finland that the sauna name would be used as a disguise for sex clubs, as unfortunately is the case in many places elsewhere.

In the past, partly even until the Second World War, the above "rule of the family" has had a much wider interpretation. In the country it was not uncommon that servants would go to the sauna together with the people of the house, provided the sauna was large enough. In public saunas in towns there often was no separation of the sexes at all: families would come and bathe together with their neighbors and complete strangers, too. However, people learned the proper sauna conduct from early childhood, and no breaches of decent behavior are known to have taken place. Nakedness in the sauna has always been considered natural and not in any way associated with sex.

How Often?

The frequency of going to the sauna seems not to have changed in the course of time: Finns bathe in the sauna about once a week. Traditionally the day to go to the sauna has been Saturday, after the week´s work has been done. The sauna has softened the muscles and cleaned the body before the day of rest. In the summer and during periods of heavy work, such as harvesting, the sauna would be heated every evening. This is true even today. The exceptional time today is the summer vacation, which many Finns spend on their summer cottage. There they may heat their sauna as often as they wish. Practices vary from every day to once a week.

How Long?

There are no set rules as to how long one should stay in the löyly or how many times warming up and cooling off should be repeated: everyone should do exactly as feels good. The time to stay in the heat naturally depends on the temperature, humidity and the individual. Likewise, some people are happy with one or two rounds of warming and cooling while others like to go on for hours. Practices vary even on the individual level depending on one´s state of mind: some days the sauna just "tastes" better than on others.

Cooling Off

The most popular way to cool off between and after being in the hot room is to swim in a lake or sea, if possible. Many Finns like to do this all year round, which means cutting a hole in the ice in winter. The time to stay in the water is as individual as staying in the hot room: whatever feels comfortable is the best. Speaking of the icecold water this can be anything from a quick dip to a few strokes back and forth (space allowing). The same goes for rolling in the snow. When the skin temperature is dropped by the cold water or snow the heat escapes from the body slower than otherwise, allowing one to sit longer outside even in cold weather without feeling cold.

A very rapid change from the hot into the icecold can be too strenuous even to a healthy person and is not recommended, it is better to let the pulse settle for a while before a dip in the water or snow. People with heart problems should stay away from this kind of cooling off completely.

Sauna Temperature

In the old smoke saunas the temperature varied from about 50 to 75°C (122 to 167°F). The lower the temperature the more water was generally used and the more humid was the resulting heat. A higher temperature with less humidity was considered better. By today´s standards these temperatures seem rather low. The recommendation now is 80-90°C (176-194°F) with moderate humidity, but in many saunas today the temperature exceeds 100°C (212°F), at least at the beginning. When a traditional wood burning sauna is heated for many people, the temperature must be high at first or otherwise the last bathers would not have enough heat left.

The Whisk

The birch whisk (vihta or vasta) used to be an integral part of sauna bathing. When the skin softens in the sauna, beating it with the whisk stimulates blood circulation and gives a pleasant sensation comparable to scrubbing or massaging. The smell of the whisk adds to the feeling. In the past, when no soap was available, the chemicals in the birch leaves acted as a cleaning substance. Using the whisk is more enjoyable when the skin is thoroughly softened and the body has been adapted to the sauna. Therefore, the whisk is usually taken into use only after the first round of warming and cooling off.

The whisk is at its best in the summer when it can be made of fresh birch leaves. This also gives a nice smell to the sauna. Whisks for winter use are made in the summer (in Finland late June and early July is the best time), and dried in the air (in dark to preserve the green color!) or frozen. When taken into use dried whisks are softened in warm water, whereas frozen ones are melted in cold water. Frozen whisks also preserve the fresh smell.

Whisks do not have to be made of birch only, other trees may do as well, even conifers can be used. In fact, softened juniper branches have been found to be excellent whisks!

Today the use of the whisk has rapidly declined. In urban areas where trees are not at everybody´s disposal whisks cannot be made, and many people have simply learned to do without them. Neither do they want to see the trouble of making a whisk in summer when heating their own cottage sauna.