The 1000-year History of the Finnish Sauna

Although Finnish saunas are a newcomer to the United States, saunas have been enjoyed by the Finns for at least one thousand years, if not more. In Finland today, there is thought to be at least one sauna for every five people, and when you think about that number, it is easy to see how much saunas are a part of every day life in this country. Americans may be astonished to discover that there are more saunas in Finland than cars!

Primitive Finnish Saunas

According to the most ancient histories, the first saunas developed around 500 AD. Although today's saunas are enclosed rooms that are dedicated to the art of steaming and relaxing, they were used for bathing, for healing the sick and even as the preferred places to give birth or to prepare corpses. The Finnish people saw their saunas as the ideal place for curing any ill of the body or mind.

Originally, people interested in a sauna would be seated around heated rocks, using hides or other coverings to keep the steam from escaping. Later, whole rooms and shelters with roofs and walls would be devoted to this practice.

Finnish Sauna Customs

In many ways, the saunas were the center point of Finnish life. A Finnish woman would give birth in a sauna and then stay there for a few days, taking advantage of the warm, hygienic conditions while participating in the sacred rituals to usher in new life.

At that time, the traditional Finnish saunas were not heated all the time; instead, they would only be used once or twice a week. Getting a sauna properly heated could take days, and only designated fire tenders could be entrusted with this all important task.

Today, it is not unusual to see mixed-sex groups using a sauna, particularly if they are a family, but in times past, men sat in one group and women in another. This is a throwback to the days when men, after working in the fields, would enter the sauna, and then women would follow after they are done.

Inside a Finnish sauna, a person is expected to behave themselves. There are prohibitions against shouting or rudeness, and an air of quiet prevails.

When thinking about Finnish sauna rituals, you may have already heard about the fact that some participants will leap into cold water after spending time in the sauna or even roll around in the snow. In either case, the person is naked and this may be repeated a few times in a single session, after which a cool drink is enjoyed while relaxing.

Today, many modern Finns use their home saunas not just for relaxing but for hosting business meetings or discussions. Just like an American might take a business associate to a golf course, a Finn would take them to the sauna.

Different Types of Finnish Saunas

There are many different types of saunas that have been used by the Finns. They started out as simple holes that contained heated rocks, and today, they can be separate rooms or even complete standalone buildings. A smoke sauna used heated stones put in a pile to make smoke that was then funneled out through a small hole in the roof.

Modern saunas have embraced new building materials, and today's Finnish saunas can come with electric heaters as well as wood burning stoves. These saunas are still a part of the normal Finnish bathroom and you will still see hot stones used to generate steam and natural wood in the wall and ceiling.

About the Author:

Kevin Urban is the editor for Sauna-Talk, a consumer guide to home saunas and kits. Visit the site for a great selection of home infrared saunas and ideas on how to build your own Finnish sauna.