Join the Finns in the Sauna

If you want to understand Finland and its people, getting familiar with sauna is a good starting point.

Sauna is such a big part of Finnish culture it can’t be compared to anything else. For Finns, it is a must at regular intervals, and if they go too long without sauna, they’ll start feeling incomplete. For centuries, it has been a place for physical and spiritual cleansing, for getting bare in all senses of the word, and entering the core of humanity. Sauna is a way of life in Finland – toddlers take their first turns in sauna at only a few months old, and from then on, never stop.

Sharing a sauna with someone is about bonding, about discussing real issues – no small talk. In Finland, major decisions get made in saunas, not boardrooms. Throughout history, there has been no Finland without sauna. Have a look at the slideshow above to see how sauna is present in modern Finnish life.