Finnish sauna

The Finnish sauna is a descendant from the smoke sauna. The main difference is a chimney. Therefore the smoke never actually circulates in the sauna, but goes out directly. Only the heat remains!

You have already read about the history of the Finnish sauna, how to use one, how pleasurable it is, since this type of sauna is the main focus of the site. You can also read how to build one, how healthy it is, how to contribute to this site.

An impressive, if I dare to say it myself, quantity of data about saunas in general, sauna manufacturers, available books and most importantly of all, interviews with sauna owners and a wide range of photos have been compiled on this site.

While the smoke sauna has a large mass of stones that is heated up and can keep warm for days, the Finnish sauna has a fewer of them. On contrast, it can be heated quickly - in an hour or two depending on the heating stove. The Finnish sauna is the most widespread of sauna types. It has the best of many worlds. It is excellent fun, you can enjoy a viht, it is compact, can be heated quickly and it is pleasant (no smoke). 

Publicity has also benefited the Finnish sauna. Nakedness was a taboo a couple of centuries ago and the sauna itself was not widespread. Travellers to Finland always wrote about the strange cleansing habits of the Finns (back then the smoke sauna was still largely used). During the Olympic games, the success of the Finnish athletes was attributed to be the result of the sauna. During several Olympic games, Finns have actually built a sauna right into the Olympic village.

At wintertime, the temperature in Finland can be tens of degrees below zero (Celsius). That made it even more peculiar to see Finns pouring cold water on top of their heads or going outside to swim... in a lake with a frozen cover and a hole chipped into it.

While Estonians, Latvians, Swedes and other nationalities keep the sauna in high esteem, the Finns are positively sauna-crazy. They have about 2 million saunas for a population of 5.2 million (2002 national statistics). At the same time they have about 2.5 million cars. If that is not impressive, nothing is.