Secrets of the Finnish Sauna
Sauna is not just a place to get clean. It's a place to take off your clothes and at the same time shake off your cares. There are saunas of every size and type in Finland, from electric saunas at swimming pools and sports complexes, to little wood-heated saunas right by the water's edge.
Picture the scene. It's a warm, sunny evening at a Finnish lakeside cottage. There's barely a ripple on the water, except for an occasional fish rising for its supper. The sun is low on the horizon and a bird sits quietly on a post at the end of the dock. Suddenly the evening peace is shattered – and the bird flies away – as the sauna door is opened and someone runs to the dock and jumps into the lake.
After swimming for a few minutes, he returns to the sauna for another round. Or perhaps he relaxes for a while on the verandah. There's more to the sauna than just the steam. There's this ritual of steam, swimming and relaxing that is practiced by almost all Finns and enjoyed by visitors from around the world. Some people also do it in the winter. There aren't any birds and the sun is below the horizon. The lake is frozen except for a bit of open water at the end of the dock. And then someone walks out of the sauna and takes a dip in a hole in the frozen lake.
Finest saunas
Who's to say where you will find the very best sauna in Finland? There are smoke saunas, wood-heated saunas, electrical saunas, gondola saunas, mobile saunas, saunas on rafts, saunas with a view over the rooftops of Helsinki. Many Finns will say that the best sauna is to be found at their own summer cottage. Many Finnish saunas have been listed on the homepage of GoSauna Finland.
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