Sauna

Enter the sauna after taking a shower. In Finland and Germany you should generally enter nude or, if you feel shy, using a towel. In Sweden it is common to use swimwear, which most Finns see as a faux pas (and if you swam in chlorinated water, it is not healthy).

The temperature is regulated by throwing water onto the stove (kiuas): the resulting rush of heat, known as löyly, is considered the key to the sauna experience. Some sauna-goers also like to flagellate themselves with leafy branches of birch (vihta in western Finland, vasta in eastern Finland), which creates an enjoyable aroma and improves blood circulation. (If you bring vihtas yourself, make sure you clean up any leaves from the benches and the floor afterwards.)

The lower benches are cooler, the corner farthest away from the stove is usually the hottest place. If the heat is too much, cup your hands in front of your mouth and bow down, or move down to a lower level to catch your breath.

The person sitting by the stove and water bucket is responsible for throwing water at an amount and frequency keeping suitable heat. Do not take that seat by accident, as others will hesitate to question your judgement and only when the sauna is cooling down try to diplomatically ask whether it might be time to throw some more. When throwing water, beware of the hot steam, which will cause severe burns if you leave your hand or face in its way.

Keep a distance from the stove and be careful if people are entering and leaving at the same time. The water to be thrown on the stones should be hot but, as a precaution, it should not be burning hot.

After you've had your fill, you can cool off by heading outside, just to sit at the veranda, for a roll in the snow (in winter) or for a dip in the lake (any time of the year, beach sandals or the like can be practical in winter) — and then head back in for another round. Repeat this a few times, then cork open a cold beer, roast a sausage over a fire, and enjoy total relaxation Finnish style.

According to an oft-quoted statistic, this nation of 5 million has no less than 2 million saunas, in apartments, offices, summer cottages and even Parliament; many agreements in business and politics are reached informally after a sauna bath.

In ancient times, saunas (being the cleanest places around) were the place to give birth and heal the sick, and the first building constructed when setting up a new household — and today Finnish peace-keeping forces build a sauna wherever they are sent. The old Finnish saying; "If it is not cured by sauna, tar and liquor, then it is for life" maybe crystallises the Finnish honour for the holy room.

The sauna is a place for relaxation and maybe quiet conversation. They are not associated with romance or sex. Outside the family, men and women usually bathe separately. In some companies (such as university students) men and women bathing together is common, but this should be regarded as if the family were extended – and a relaxed view on nudity – not as related to promiscuity.

In places with a single sauna, there are usually separate shifts for men and women, and possibly a mixed-gender shift, sometimes shifts for each family. Children under the age of 7 can usually participate in any shift. In private saunas the host usually organises the bathing turns along similar lines.

Often there is an adjacent room with a fireplace, where participants gather after the sauna, especially in places where there are separate women's and men's saunas – a common way to end the evening of a company getaway, a business visit or the like. This is where you drink the sauna beer and roast and eat your sausages.

While titles and formalities are not important in the Finnish society, in the sauna they play no role whatsoever. In the sauna all are equals: students and teachers, employer and employees, boss and subordinates.

The best way to experience a sauna, unless you are invited to one, is to find one of the few dedicated public saunas or to join a shared shift at a beach, campsite, marina or similar, or perhaps at a gym.

If invited to visit a Finnish home or cottage, you may be invited to bathe in the sauna as well — this is an honour and should be treated as such, although Finns do understand that foreigners may not be keen about the idea. Enter the sauna nude after taking a shower, as wearing a bathing suit or any other clothing is considered a bit of a faux pas, although if you are feeling shy, you can wrap yourself in a bath towel. It is common to sit on a sheet of cloth, foam rubber or thick paper to keep the bench clean and hygienic.

Earlier there used to be public saunas in cities, but as private saunas have become common also in apartments, there are only a few left to be found. On the other hand, there will be one at any swimming hall and at many other facilities. The experience is not the same though, as many will use the sauna more or less just for cleaning and warmth, not for the whole ritual. If you rent a cottage, it will probably have a sauna, and many wilderness huts and similar also have one.

Most marinas, campsites and hotels have a sauna, which may be heated each night or weekly, with shifts for men and women and a possibility to book it at other times. The shared shifts may have a fee of perhaps €5–10/person, the cost of booking a separate shift may be €50, but prices vary widely. Sometimes, especially at cottages with their own saunas, the sauna is available for heating when you like to, just ask for instructions.

In many "public" saunas (hotels, gyms and the like), it is customary to sit on a paper towel (don't forget to take it out when leaving). Some people use a towel of their own for this purpose e.g. at swimming halls. The environment is rather hostile towards germs, so there is no need to really worry about catching a disease from the sweaty wooden bench.

In Sweden, some people wear a swimsuit in the sauna. This is frowned upon by many of the more orthodox Finnish sauna bathers, and is usually forbidden in saunas of swimming halls where the water is treated with chlorine.

Traditional saunas may have only one room, but nowadays it is common to have three: one for undressing (sometimes also for socialising, with a fireplace, sometimes also for lodging), one for washing oneself, and the sauna proper.

These days the most common type of sauna features an electrically heated stove, which is easy to control and maintain. In the countryside wood-fired saunas are still common, but purists prefer the (now very rare) traditional chimneyless smoke saunas (savusauna), where a large pile of stones is heated and the sauna then ventilated well before entering. In those, and in older types of other wood fired saunas, the temperature may start quite hot and gradually cool down over the hours.

Where there are electrically heated stoves, there are usually showers also. Otherwise water is typically carried from the well or lake while heating the sauna. Sometimes rainwater is collected for the purpose. Sea water should not be used on the stove (salt water will destroy it by corrosion). There is either a container for hot water at the stove or a separately heated hot water container. The latter will not require much firewood to get hot. When you want to wash, mix hot and cold water in a washbowl. Mix a new set or two for rinsing. The used bowls should be rinsed afterwards.

At cottages and wilderness huts, which may not have electricity (and where chopping firewood may anyway be part of the vacation experience), wood heated saunas are common. People using the cottage are supposed to know how to heat it, what water to use and how to get it dry afterwards. If you intend to use such saunas, you might want to get some advice. The usual modern type will get hot in 20–60 minutes and will require adding firewood every now and then (older ones may – like the smoke sauna – be heated before only, for a longer time). Leaving the sauna for the other sex or other party with a stove without a fire, or after having used all firewood or water, is rude. Tell them to wait a moment instead, for you to get more cold water. Hopefully you did leave enough hot water, an issue especially with showers with an electric warm water container, where the scarcity is less obvious.

The sauna should be dried afterwards, often by leaving the window and door open (be careful if it will get windy), but better with only moderate ventilation, to keep the heat inside until everything is dry. Close the door and window properly in the morning at latest. If there is still warm water, it can be used for laundry if you have such needs (wash any used washbowls well afterwards). If nobody else will come soon, you should usually empty all water containers before you leave, especially if there may be freezing temperatures.