sauna
If there is one activity which encapsulates the Finnish experience most, it’s the sauna. The sauna is deep rooted in Finland’s culture and heritage, and now after experiencing it in true Finnish style, we can see why.
sauna culture in finland
The sauna is deep rooted in the Finland’s history. In the past, Finn’s could eat, clean, and even give birth in the sauna. Because of it’s history, saunas are everywhere. There are an estimated 2 million saunas in Finland, which for a population of 5.3million people is astounding. Because of this, saunas can be found in beaches, parliament buildings, burger kings, and even 1,400m below the earth in Pyhäsalmi Mine.
Sauna has stuck for so long because it’s relaxing, fun, and has numerous health benefits such as increased metabolism, weight loss, and increased blood circulation. When the sauna is combined with a freezing cold plunge in the ocean – as it usually is – it has even more health benefits.
our experience
In our short time in Finland we got to try out many different saunas and may have gotten addicted to the sauna-into-ocean combo. Here is some of our best sauna experiences:
Villa Järvelä Oy
This sauna quickly became an exchange student favourite and a personal favourite for obvious reasons. This sauna was about an hour journey away from Turku and was situated at the side of Littoistenjärvi (Littoisten Lake). We have nothing bad to say about this sauna apart from we wish we found it earlier. It’s a small complex of cottages which is covered with fairy lights and a tonne of atmosphere. This place had four saunas: An outdoor tent sauna, two smaller saunas, and the large sauna benevolently named ‘the incinerator’ by exchange students. Once we finished in the sauna, we jumped into the nearby lake which could get as cold 1oC! Then, to finish the session we had a long sit in the hot tub and then cooked some sausages on an open fire.
Ispoinen Beach
This where we had our first Finnish sauna experience when we arrived. In the summertime a jetty was laid out to allow quick access to the water post-sauna. While the beach didn’t have much else in terms of entertainment, we didn’t really need much more than a sauna and a jetty.
Saaronniemi Beach, Ruissalo
This is another beach sauna which was great even in the winter as it had a permanent jetty in place. After our sauna there was options to have a BBQ, play volleyball, or even have a shot in the playpark if we wished. And if none of that sounded good, it’s was a 10/10 stargazing spot at night.
Caravanparken Slettnes, Norway
This is the sauna which we visited on a trip to Lapland with the ERASMUS Student Network. As if being next to the arctic ocean wasn’t enough, this place even had a party sauna with speakers inside! This was maybe a bit far away for a weekend sauna session however…