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| Dry Facts about the Sauna | Saunas have become deeply intertwined in the national culture of Finland. In the old days for the period of the long winters when there was no flowing hot water, sauna was the most practical place to wash. To this very day you can stumble on people in Finland who were born in the sauna. Not at the time of heating, of course, however it was a sterile place with hot water on hand.
As will readily be observed there are either stoves with a chimney or stoves with no chimney in traditional saunas which are heated by wood. A smoke sauna, the latter one - is the original sauna and passed for the best among the most of Finns. When the wood has burned down (and a large amount of the smoke has escaped) the door is closed, and residual cinders heat the sauna to the apt temperature, giving off a smell of wood at the same time.
Truth to say, basic etiquette in the sauna is fairly simple. First you get completely undressed - something you shouldn’t to be embarrassed about. Taking a douche before going in is considered well-mannered evidence. There are few rules in everything else. Return to the hot room several times if you wish and stay in as long as you feel comfy.
Jump into an ice-hole, or roll in the snow when you walk out for a little while, to get a breath of fresh air. Or simply take a shower which mainly will be a fair offer for the foreign visitors. But if you’ll give preference to rolling in the snow, make sure it is fresh and powdery: old, icy snow can affect your skin like sandpaper.
In summertime, you may also be provided with a "vihta" - a bunch of birch branches which you dip in water and generously switch yourself with it subsequently. This is not as queer as it sounds - it improves the bloodstream and exhales fresh aroma.
The tradition of the washing-lady, who takes care of washing you, still persists in some hotel saunas - don't be bashful.
It is all in the day's work to receive an invitation to sauna from professional contacts you have never met before. If you want to take the initiative yourself, nearly all hotels have good saunas, although heated with electrical energy as a rule.
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