Book review: The Sauna Is - revised and expanded

July 21, 2007

I have bought quite a few sauna books over time. So when I came across the sauna book "The Sauna Is: Revised and Expanded" (Amazon), I was quite turned off by the single negative review that it had, but somehow managed to press buy nevertheless.

The book consists of articles, each a few pages long. The talks about his sauna background and goes into the history. You will find answers to questions such as "Why did the sauna come to be? How and where did it develop? What are the different types of saunas and their characteristics?"

It goes through the Greek, Roman, Turkish, Native American, Russian, other steambaths and their usage and reputation throughout history. When he reaches the Finnish sauna, he goes into more detail. His explanation spans sauna customs and usual usage patterns. Did you know that Finns and the neighbouring people do not only use the sauna for cleansing? Saunas used to be very versatile in their usage, especially in the middle ages. It was used for curing and drying farm produces, used as a house to live in while the main house was being built, for brides preparing their vows and so far. 

It also touches upon the World Sauna Championship subject (which is due soon for this year again, as we said covered at our Sauna Championship article) as part of a guest article by David Maki. 

The table of contents:

• Dedication
• About the Author and Contributors
• A Part of My Heritage
• A Bath That's Different
• A Bathhouse with a History
• A Gift from the Finns
• A Bath That's Enjoyable
• A Means of Rejuvenation
• A Spot of Relaxation
• A Setting for Prioriety
• An Aid to Grooming
• A Room for Heating
• A Project for Do-It-Yourselfers
• A Variety of Designs
• A Bridge Between Cultures
• A Heated Competition
• Sauna 101
• Postscript 

The book at Amazon for online buying: