Tips for enjoying your Sauna
The purpose of taking a sauna is to relax and cleanse oneself both physically and spiritually, so allow your sauna companions the chance to enjoy the silence. Also, allow yourself plenty of time to take a sauna. One goes to sauna in one’s birthday suit. Nudity is natural, and the sauna culture has nothing to do with sex. If you are shy, you can always wrap a towel around yourself. Take a shower before entering the sauna. Ladies should take off all their makeup, and contact lenses should be removed.
One usually sits on a sauna towel or ‘pefletti’, as the bench itself can be hot against the skin. The ideal temperature for a sauna is 60-80 Co. Humidity is increased by throwing water on the stones in the stove. Be careful not to move around too much inside the sauna, as the surfaces can be slippery.
After your first visit to the hot room, you can cool down in the shower, swimming pool, lake or veranda. In winter it is not recommended to go outside directly from the hot sauna. You can repeat the number of times you go to sauna and cool down as many times as feels comfortable.
The sauna culture has long traditions among Finns. In days of old, the sauna was not just a place to wash but
also centre stage for many of life’s main rituals. With plenty of hot water on hand, saunas were used to give birth, take care of the sick, and even to wash dead bodies – thus accounting for the entire cycle of life. Sauna plays such a central role in the lives of Finns that just about every house and apartment block has at least one sauna.
These days, many individual apartments also have their own small electric saunas. Sauna is an essential part of the Finnish summer, and all summer cottages have their own sauna. Countryside saunas are nearly always heated with wood, whereas most city saunas are electrically heated.
One stays in the hot room for around 5-10 minutes at a time, each according to their own preference. An important part of the Finnish sauna tradition is the whisk, which is made from fresh birch branches. The whisk should have plenty of leaves and be soaked in water before being used to lightly whip your own body or those of your companions. The purpose is to lightly stimulate the blood circulation and create a fresh scent on the skin.
The sauna ritual is completed with a cool rinse. You should then continue to relax and enjoy a refreshing drink – Finns usually prefer a bottle of beer or soft drink. Get dressed only when you no longer perspire.
Source: Finnish Sauna Society,
www.sauna.fi