Frequently Asked Questions
Finnish Sauna Myths Explained
Wrapped in mystery and misconception, the Finnish sauna tradition elicits raised eyebrows, mischievous snickers and nerves a plenty. Worry not, we are here to evaporate the mysteries and wash away the myths.
How is sauna pronounced?
The ‘au’ in Finnish is always pronounced similarly to the English ‘ow’, thus sauna is properly pronounced ‘s-OW-na’. Not ‘s-OR-na’ as is natural to English speakers.
How is sauna different from a steam room?
The Finnish sauna is heated to very high air temperatures, ranging from 60 up to almost 100 degrees Celsius. Steam rooms on the other hand are usually maintained at around 40 degrees Celsius.
The humidity in saunas, however, is far lower than in steam rooms, around 40-60 grams of water per kilo of air or 5-25%, compared to almost 100% in their wetter cousins.
Whilst steam rooms employ a variety of methods to produce the steam, they all rely upon that steam to create and maintain the air temperature. The heat in saunas, on the other hand is dry-heat, produced by a stove operating with electricity, burning wood or – in some modern versions – even infra red.
The stove is covered with rocks that hold and maintain the warmth – these also allow bathers to increase the humidity at will, intensifying the hot-bathing experience, by throwing water on the stones to produce bursts of steam (löyly).
Is sauna sexy?
The Finnish sauna is a completely asexual place. Yes, you bathe naked, but in public, the saunas are always a strict one sex affair. Families and friends may bathe together in mixed sauna, but again it is a communal and strictly asexual affair.
How to dress?
The Finnish sauna is enjoyed au naturel – indeed, a number of public saunas specifically prohibit the use of swimwear in the sauna. You may take a towel to sit on and a towel or a morning rope to relax in afterwards, but in sauna the only thing you wear is your birthday suit.
How long to stay?
For as long as it feels good. Some Finns seem to have the capacity to abide the sauna coded into their genes, while others prefer a quick 10 minutes session or two.
Do Finns really do it?
Yes, we do. Sauna is more like wine for the French than geisha tea ceremonies for the Japanese – that is, firmly ensconced in the history and identity of the nation, but also a central part of everyday modern life. Most Finns have a sauna in our homes, just as most English have a bath, and we use it just as often.
What’s with the birch branches?
The fragrant bouquet of birch found in many saunas, vihta in Western Finland and vasta in Eastern Finland, is used for a ritual of beating that starts around the head and goes down all the way towards the toes – if you have friends in the sauna with you then hard-to-reach areas on the back can also be given a good whacking. Don’t worry though, this is far more pleasurable than it might sound. The lambasting is actually done very gently, and is soothing as opposed to painful, helping to relax the muscles and even calm mosquito bites! Not to mention the fragrance is wonderful.
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