Wednesday, 28 August 2013

Perfect sauna visit


An evening with friends by ‘their’ lake. A coffee break. A moment in the hammock staring up to the tree tops.


A short round with the rowing boat to check the quiet neighbourhood while waiting for the wood-burning sauna to heat up.


Sweating in the sauna, cooling in the lake. Sweating and cooling two, three, four times. Washing up and having a final dip in the lake. Getting dressed and taking a sip of beer for the fluid balance.



Enjoying the warmth of the last rays of sunshine and feeling contented. A perfect kind of summer evening, a rarity this late in our August.

If any of the foreign readers are wondering about the Finnish sauna bathing ways – we are the highest authority with our two million saunas for a people of 5.4 million – I can assure you I am as native as you can get and I have never been to a mixed sauna where everyone wouldn’t have had a swimsuit or trunks. Nakedness is by no means compulsory although it is common among same-sex bathers.


Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

8 comments:

  1. Kristiina K 29 August 2013 at 09:49

    Hieno paikka saunalle! Saisipa meidänkin mökkirantaan rakentaa saunan noin lähelle vettä, niin heti muuttaisimme saunan rantaan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Teresa29 August 2013 at 12:33

      Aivan, muutama rappu ja olet laiturilla. Ystävien suvun rantasauna on niin vanha, että tuskin on aikoinaan lupia tarvittu. Eikä varmaan tuolle naapuruston pienellä kalliolla nököttävälle erikoisuudellekaan.

      Delete
  2. Down by the sea29 August 2013 at 23:51

    Teresa,
    Those pictures are fantastic and it was so interesting learning more about saunas in Finland. Do you use them most of the year or only when the weather is reasonable?
    Sarah x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Teresa30 August 2013 at 01:47

      Thanks, Sarah. We have about 500,000 summer cottages with a sauna and those are for the most part not used during the winter season although an increasing number is being built in such a way that they can be used in every kind of weather. However, practically every house and most of the new apartments have a built-in electric sauna so most Finns take a sauna bath about once a week. Traditionally that used to be Saturday. BTW sauna is probably the only Finnish word that has been loaned to other languages.

      Delete
  3. Paula2 September 2013 at 10:20

    Beautiful photos of a wonderful place, I especially like that bench on your last photo. It must feel like heaven sitting there and admiring the surrounding landscape.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Teresa2 September 2013 at 21:57

      It is such a quiet and sheltered place that all your worldly worries will be forgotten there. Heavenly indeed.

      Delete
    2. Irfan Akram5 March 2024 at 12:10

      Best steam shower generators

      Delete
  4. Irfan Akram30 September 2023 at 16:53

    I can't wait to share this Dubai sauna steam generator repair service with my friends. It's a hidden gem!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)