There may be very good reasons why you should own a real Finnish sauna.

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Contents:

• When is a Sauna not a Sauna?
• War Saunas "naked warriors"
• Air Exchange
• Löyly and Vihta
• RV Sauna
• Sauna Heaters on Line
• Sauna Book Section, English and Finnish
• Sauna Tales from the Finland Woods
• Antioxidant effects of sauna (page 2)
• Log home Book Section

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Sauna definition

The sauna is a specially built insulated room or cabin which is heated to 71 - 100 degrees Celsius (160 - 212 Fahrenheit) by means of rocks heated by preferably wood, but also by electricity and gas. It is used for bathing nude in the hot air, and periodic wafts of steam from water thrown on the rocks, which stimulates circulation and deep cleans the skin by opening the pores, resulting in mental and physical relaxation and well-being. It is a place to purify the body and soul. But there is more to it than that.

When is a Sauna not a Sauna?

What is a Finnish Sauna? A "sauna" by definition is a Finnish Sauna because the word sauna is from Finland. What kind of saunas then are from Finland? There are two kinds of saunas: 1)the smoke sauna, 2)and the regular kind. So anything different is something else. Just because a room is built to look like a Finnish Sauna, it does not automatically make it so. Excluded from being a Finnish Sauna under this definition, are such rooms as infra-red "saunas." They are called "saunas" because nobody has coined another word for them, yet. Now, there may be a place for these "saunas" and even steam rooms, in the market, but they should not be confused with the proper Finnish Sauna. If you prefer either of these other types of rooms, you are welcome to them, but we would like to show you what the difference is, and how you can benefit from a real, proper Finnish Sauna, instead of the competing forms. Finnish saunas try to limit all forms of radiation, especially direct, including electromagnetic, light and infra-red. Infra-red (heat) in the traditional Finnish sauna is soft, more diffuse, emanating from all sources including the walls, ceiling, stove, and especially the air itself. A direct source of unshielded electric heat is also a direct source of electromagnetic pollution, which we must avoid at all cost as pointed out by Dr. Robert O. Becker in his book Perils of Electropollution. "We are literally living in an electromagnetic stew, which is all the more insidious because it is invisible. We can't see it, but it is everywhere, and by no means altogether benign." Probably the most frightening and appalling part of Becker's story is the ongoing pattern of deceit and cover-up on the part of the industrial, governmental and military entities which produce, traffic in, or regulate electromagnetic products and services. It is very important that electric heaters must be designed, through proper shielding of the heating elements and wiring, to avoid electromagnetic radiation.EMF (not connected to company, but they have some good info) Here is a video clip of the oldest public sauna in Finland.

Why do we have to go to this trouble to define a real sauna? That is because anyone using a type of "health" heat apparatus (usually electrical) is using the term. There are hundreds of products using the Finnish word "sauna," all of them misnomers, diluting the true meaning. Finnish saunas use the old system that has kept the Finnish people going in the frozen north for millennia.

Saunagoing is a form of escapism as well. We escape everything our modern environment does to us with the knowledge that we are undoing certain effects in the sanctity of the sauna room. Therefore there is no point in bringing those things in with you. It is a secret known to every Finnish hockey player, by which they achieve the edge against their competition. Just ask the Ruutu brothers. A thin edge of the wedge of endurance, stamina, health, that makes all the difference. Sauna is not something that can be monopolized as a trademark either, such as sauna heater etc. since the word belongs to us all.

A hot sauna is entirely safe and the properly designed and built sauna is a very pleasant experience. Those people who complain that the sauna is uncomfortable and they prefer a hot tub are missing out on a great health benefit and experience. This site will explain why some saunas, except those in Finland, give a bad first impression. In fact some wonder why people would put themselves through such punishment in a hot room that leaves you gasping for air.

Some form of sauna exists in other cultures as well, for example the Russian banya, the native American sweat lodge or inipi, the Turkish hamam, and the Japanese onsen. The Finns have enjoyed the sauna since at least the ice ages in one form or other though traces of ancient saunas are very rare.

According to 2002 statistics, there were 1,212,000 saunas in private apartments in Finland and of course the Finns must have their summer cottages, where together with public swimming pools, you will find another 800,000. A country with 2 million saunas for 5.2 million people? What kind of country is that? A clean, happy one! I didn't leave on my own accord either, I was kidnapped (by my parents). If you are thinking of building a sauna of your own, you will find some ideas and guidelines here.

Finnish Sauna Tradition

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© 1998 - 2008 Osmo Joronen