Life & societySauna

Why are saunas so dear to people in Finland?

Almost every building in Finland has a sauna. Two sauna enthusiasts tell what makes their favourite sauna so special.

For many sauna lovers in Finland, lighting the fire is part of the ritual. Creating steam, or löyly, by hand deepens the connection to the space.

Nea Mänty, 24, student, 1950s cottage sauna on Lake Myllylampi, Vihti 

“​At the cottage we use the sauna every day. It’s an essential part of our family’s cottage life. The sauna is small but effective. It heats up in half an hour and fits five people.

In the city I try to go to sauna at least once a week. Electric saunas are OK, but nothing beats wood-heated ones like this. When you light the fire and feed it yourself, you feel a different kind of ownership for löyly (sauna steam). My best friend is also a sauna enthusiast. When she’s visiting, she always builds a fire under the washing water tank while I take care of the fire under the kiuas (stove). It’s turned into a little routine that just flows.

Not everybody likes sauna scents, but my mother and I use them, especially when days get darker towards the winter. A drop of tar or eucalyptus in the löyly water creates a lovely atmosphere.

I like to throw water on the hot stones so that I can really feel it in my back. Then I go for a swim in the lake and repeat this about five times. Swimming is great for winding down if I’m stressed.

For me this is a sacred place. When I was a kid, my mother told us a story about a sauna-elf to make us behave in sauna. If you didn’t, you would upset the elf. As a young adult it’s no longer about the elf, but if I ever happen to slip a swearword when talking with my friends in sauna, I scold myself immediately. It’s important to maintain everyone’s sauna peace.”

In the foreground, green grass stalks are in focus, while in the blurry background, a woman climbs a ladder from a lake onto a dock.

“When you light the fire and feed it yourself, you feel a different kind of ownership for löyly (sauna steam).”

Four photos arranged together: View from inside a wooden sauna toward an open window, where summer greenery glows softly in the warm light. A woman in a yellow raincoat leans over, blowing into a wood-fired sauna stove with a stack of smooth grey stones on top. A forested path leads down to a lake between tall pines, with a white boathouse visible. Inside a sauna, a wooden water bucket is in focus, with a hand lifting a dripping ladle.

Ari Johansson, 68, retired, Rajaportti sauna, Tampere (the oldest public sauna in Finland)

“​I’ve been going to Rajaportti for 68 years now. When I was a baby, my mum would take me to the women’s side, and when I got a bit older I joined my dad and went to the men’s side. I’ve never gone to any other public sauna, except when Rajaportti has been closed for renovation.

In those days people in the surrounding area, Pispala, lived in very small flats and didn’t have their own washing facilities, so a public sauna was a necessity for them. Now it’s become a place where people go to relax. Rajaportti’s secret is that it has this perfect balance of humidity and heat.

In 1989 the city was planning to replace the sauna with a parking lot. As a response the sauna-goers set up Rajaportti Sauna Association and told the authorities they would like to start running the sauna on their own. They were laughed at but given permission to play with it for a year. Nowadays Rajaportti is a big tourist attraction with visitors from all around the world.

Public saunas like Rajaportti are very much about community: you don’t just wash your body, your mind gets purified too. At Rajaportti men and women have separate steam rooms and have their own chats there. Outside there is a shared area for cooling down between löyly. That’s where another set of talks takes place. Topics usually include sports and current events. We try to avoid discussing politics, because no-one should get their feelings hurt in sauna.”

Four photos arranged together: Inside a large sauna, a row of plastic buckets and ladles rest on a wooden bench. Smoke stains mark the surface around a small metal door in a brick stove. Outside a sauna, men and women sit on benches, wrapped in towels, conversing in the open air. Inside a sauna changing room, a green-painted wooden bench runs beneath a rack of hooks where a towel is hanging.

Text by Ninni Lehtniemi, photos by Heli Blåfield

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