In hot springs
Satu Rämö enjoys Iceland´s "natural saunas"
Iceland-based journalist Satu Rämö likes spas and Iceland’s hot springs.
Iceland-based journalist, writer and blogger Satu Rämö is a staunch fan of spas. Pampering treatments in relaxing spas add a little luxury to the everyday life. When a work trip takes the writer into new cities or countries, getting familiarised with the local spa and sauna cultures is a must. Her rule of thumb is that you can never get too many back massages.
However, one doesn’t always need incenses, sports massagers and cotton towels to feel relaxed. A more ordinary setting can be just as calming. A regular Finnish sauna, for example, is at its best in the summer time. Bathing in Iceland’s natural hot springs is also an experience like no other.
1. How keen a sauna-goer are you, on the following scale: Scorching, hot, warm, mild, cool, cold?
– I’m warm. I go to sauna quite frequently, but only stay there for a short while at once.
2. With vihta or without? On a scale of 4-10, how good are you at making vihtas?
– Usually without. There aren’t many trees growing in Iceland, so I don’t think the neighbours would be too pleased if I started cutting off twigs from the only birch growing in the area.
3. How often do you go to sauna? Who do you most prefer going with?
– I go to a swimming hall a few times a month. In the swimming pools in Iceland you usually sit with your friends in the warm pools and steam saunas.
4. Do you use any sauna products, such as hats, scented oils, etc.? What about any rituals or habits after taking a sauna?
– I use scented oils in Finnish saunas. My favourite scent is birch. After sauna I like to have a cold beer and some ice cream.
5. Which of these describes you best: one who sits around in the sauna for a bit, one who enjoys the sauna long and hard, one who tries to persist even if it gets boiling hot, or one who takes the heat with a contorted face?
– I am one of those sits around with a contorted expression on my face, especially if the benches get too hot.
6. Are there any ”sauna maniacs” in your family? What is your earliest sauna memory?
– Unfortunately we don’t have any such craziness in our family… My earliest memory of going to a sauna is from my childhood home. After the weekly Saturday sauna you would get a pint of pineapple soda while watching the dating show Napakymppi.
7. Describe your favourite sauna
– That will hopefully be in our back yard before next autumn. Our own home sauna is currently under construction, and I’m sure it will be great.
Out of the so-called natural Icelandic saunas, hot springs, I have two favourites. One is a hot water pool in Nordurfjördur in the Icelandic countryside (see the picture on top, it is indeed lovely!), where you can admire the ice-cold Atlantic Ocean while bathing in the pool. Another great place to relax can be found in Laugavellir, in the wilderness of eastern Iceland. After bathing in the hot spring you can take a warm shower – the warm water falls down from the pool along a cliff like a huge shower.
8. What makes going to the sauna so pleasant? Are there any tips you could share with others?
– The best thing about it is the relaxation, and the silence. In saunas or spas it’s better not to even consider taking out your phone, laptop or any other such gadgets.
9. What’s the most unusual sauna experience you have had?
– Me and my husband (I managed to twist his arm to come with me) once visited a spa in Berlin. The German sauna culture was completely foreign to us. Walking down the halls we got a little confused as we saw both men and women walking around totally naked. We were wearing bathing suits, towels and bathrobes – the works. I guess you could say we felt slightly overdressed for the occasion.
10. Wish list: Where would you most like to go have a sauna? Who would be your dream sauna guest?
– I would love to go to a nice wooden sauna in Finland over the summer, somewhere by a lake with clear waters, and have my family with me to enjoy it all.
11. Who would you like to see as our next sauna guest?
– I would like to invite Finnish crime writer Marko Kilpi as next sauna guest. I just read his newest book, “Among the Living”, that follows the police’s battle against the drug trade. Kilpi works as a police officer in Kuopio, Eastern Finland. I have heard that he is an active sauna goer and he has also built saunas himself. I am sure he has a bunch of great sauna stories to share!