A sauna, the most common way to relax in the country of 1000 lakes, brings joy every weekend. I recently moved to another city to be closer to work and in this apartment I have a sauna inside. My great joy.
The sauna can be in various forms, such as the one in the picture above or the one that is incorporated in the bathrooms of many of the inhabitants of the block.
But let’s make a brief introduction to the history of this concept and do this ”by the book”.
The concept of sauna managed to enter the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2020, 15th edition. Because I have not found documents that attest exactly when the concept of the sauna appeared, I will go on what Wikipedia could offer me, namely that the first information about the sauna and bathing houses appeared somewhere around 7000 BC. So this relaxation activity so common here in Finland appeared a long time ago.
The sauna was used for many purposes, providing shelter, being a meeting place, or even being used for births due to the almost sterile environment. Today it is used for relaxation because society has evolved and so has medicine.
From experience, I can say that it is a very pleasant experience to have a sauna and then to go out barefoot in the snow, or even to take a bath in the frozen lake.
The interesting part is that the sauna can be found in several ways. The first kind of sauna is the electric sauna. In Finland, there are very few apartment buildings that do not have a sauna. Otherwise, it can be found in each apartment or in the basement of each block.
The second type of sauna that is also my favorite is the wood sauna. Ever since I was a child, I have liked the smell of burning wood. It creates that feeling of coziness in me.
It is my favorite not only for the memories it awakens in me but also for the pleasant smell of wood.
The mobile sauna. For sauna enthusiasts, this type is perfect to be taken on a caravan trip.
I imagine going to Norway, on those majestic mountains, and from somewhere above to do a sauna and look at all that wonderful pictures when I go out in the cold air.
Of course, there are other types of saunas, but these are among my favorites.
According to Wikipedia ”the temperature in Finnish saunas is 80 to 110 °C (176 to 230 °F), usually 80–90 °C (176–194 °F), and is kept clearly above the dewpoint despite the vaporization of löyly water ( the Finnish term for the steam and heat that rise and spread when you pour water onto the hot rocks on top of the stove) so that visible condensation of steam does not occur as in a Turkish sauna”.
My favorite aroma I put in the sauna water is eucalyptus. Slightly mentholated, this plant has deworming effects, antimicrobial action, and astringent properties.
Now, I may not have a conclusion at the end of this article, but for sure I can’t wait to finish and go straight to the sauna. Is warm, the beer is cold and the weekend is closer. If you like sauna or if you have stories about it, let me know in the comments below.
DEEA OLIVIA
Sources: Wikipedia
A cup of novelty 