Most Finns have their own sauna stories to tell. Here are some of mine.

As someone born in Finland, I see the sauna as much more than just a place to sweat. It’s a space for relaxation, reflection, and rootedness— a tradition passed down through generations.

Sauna is where babies were born, the sick were cared for, and where people came to reconnect — with nature, with each other, and with themselves. Sauna doesn’t care where you come from, how you look, or what you do. It welcomes everyone equally.

There are estimated 3.2 million saunas for 5.6 million people in Finland — roughly one sauna for every two people! Even our one-bedroom apartment in the center of Helsinki had a sauna, just big enough to fit our family of three.

Like a Friend, Sauna Should Always Be There for You

After living outside Finland for 14 years, I miss sauna. When we visit Finland, my kids start on the lower benches in the sauna, and by the end of the trip, they’re sitting on the upper benches, where it’s hottest. I can’t help but feel joy for them.

“In Sauna people connect with nature, to each other, and to themselves.“

Yes, there are saunas elsewhere too, but they rarely offer the peace and connection to nature that I crave. Often, they can also be costly and booked up, making them exclusive and inaccessible. That goes against the fundamental idea that saunas should be open to all, not reserved for those who can afford luxury.

Yet, there can be surprises. For instance, during our few years in Australia, even two of the apartment buildings we lived in had proper saunas.

Some saunas I’ve found in Switzerland: a barrel sauna in Spiez and a Sauna boat in Zurich.

“Saunas should be open to all, not reserved for those who can afford luxury.”

Sauna offers us an opportunity to slow down in our hectic world. When you step into the sauna, you don’t just shed your clothes, but also your roles and responsibilities.

For me, saunas are definitely not about colorful lights, music, artificial scents, or other distractions you might find in spa-like settings. Instead, they serve multiple meanings:

Sometimes it’s just you, the heat, the stillness, and your thoughts. Sauna is a space where the mind can wander freely, yet paradoxically, also become completely still.

Sometimes it’s simply an escape from the cold, a place to be greeted by warmth.

Sometimes, it’s about being there with your partner or family, sharing a moment together before washing up.

Other times, the sauna becomes a more social experience with friends — cracking a few jokes or exchanging words slowly, like droplets of sweat rolling down your back.

“The sauna is a space where the mind can wander freely, yet paradoxically, also become completely still.“

Almost anywhere you go in Finland, you’ll see saunas.

Whispers from My Sauna Memories

As a kid

After a freezing winter day, feeling my body warming up in the heat. The silence broken only by the sounds of the stove.

Pouring cold water on my toes slowly with a ladle, feeling it refresh me in the heat.

On the tiered wooden benches, in the dim light and warmth, talking with my older and wiser family members.

Thinking: “Always be careful around the stove (kiuas) —it’s extremely hot.”

The black knob on the door of the firebox, needing to be raised slightly for it to open.

Picking up the wooden log carrier from the sauna floor, running through the wet grass to get more firewood.

A summer day. Sitting and laughing in the sauna with my sisters and friends. Hair dripping with lake water.

The metal dial on the wooden thermometer reading 90 degrees.

Moving from the heat of the sauna to the coolness of the lake. Some of us jumping. Diving, standing on our hands upside down, doing somersaults underwater.
Swim — sauna — swim — sauna, for hours.

Eventually, being wrapped in a big towel. Feeling fresh and safe.

As an adult

In the calm summer evening, I walk barefoot through the sand, down to the shore and the sauna.

I place the logs one by one, tuck in some newspaper, and strike a few matches. The fire catches.

“The sauna’s ready! Who wants to go first?” someone calls. The kids and I sling towels over our shoulders. On the way to the shore, I pick some redcurrants along the path. They taste like summer.

In the sauna, I check the fire, maybe add another log.

From the bench (laude), I do my signature move: I dip the ladle into the wooden water bucket, flip it back, and catapult the water onto the stones — soon hearing that splash and hiss.

“Vielä yhdet löylyt ja sitten meen uimaan.” = “One more throw of the water on the hot stones and then I go for a swim.”

The steam surges, sending some of us outside for fresh air. That relieving, cooling feeling when you step out of the sauna—the ease of breathing.

Soon I’m in the water, immersed in nature. Feeling alive.

If it rains, it doesn’t matter—you’ll get wet in the lake anyway. If it’s sunny, we take breaks from the sauna on the dock: talking, resting, maybe fishing.

And that quiet moment when everyone else leaves, and I stay behind — listening to the crackle of wood while gazing out the window at birches, pines and shimmering water…

I close the sauna door behind me. Outside, the gentle summer evening embraces me, and I hear someone ask the classic question that’s always asked after the sauna: “Oliko hyvät löylyt?” =Did you have good sauna/steams?

“When you step into the sauna, you don’t just shed your clothes, but also your roles and responsibilities. “

Here are a few pictures from my camera roll related to the sauna. I was actually glad to find there weren’t many — because there’s one more thing that doesn’t belong in a sauna: a digital device.

Text & Photos © by Helena J. / Abroadland

The writer, just a stone’s throw away from the nearest sauna

SAUNA GLOSSARY

Sauna – The Finnish word (and now global term) for the “steam room”, central part of Finnish culture.

Löyly – The steam and heat created when water is thrown on the hot stones, also used to describe the overall feeling of warmth in the sauna.

Kiuas – The sauna stove or heater, which holds the hot stones.

Saunakivet – The stones on the stove that store heat and create steam when water is poured on them.

Lauteet – The tiered wooden benches inside the sauna where people sit.

Vihta / Vasta – A bundle of fresh birch twigs used to gently whip the skin; stimulates circulation and adds a fresh scent (called vihta in western Finland, vasta in the east).

Pesuvesi – Washing water, usually in a tub or bucket, used for rinsing.

Löylykauha – The ladle used to throw water on the hot stones.

Kiulu – The bucket used to hold the water for steam.

Kuuppa – the ladle used to scoop water to wash yourself.

Laudeliina – A cloth on the sauna bench, usually made of linen or cotton

Pefletti – A seat mat, personal and often disposable

Tulipesä – Firepit / firebox

Klapi, halko – Log, sauna wood

Saunakalja – A beer many enjoy after the sauna, or during a break between sessions, usually outside on the porch or by the lake.

Saunatonttu – The “sauna elf” or spirit of the sauna in old folklore, traditionally treated with respect.

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