In Finland there are more of them than there are cars on the road, almost three million, enough to satisfy the needs of every Finn at once.
Some use it as a cure, some as a moment of relaxation and mental cleansing: everyone (99 percent) takes a hot and steam bath at least once a week: taking advantage of the heat cleanses the body of toxins, relaxes the muscles, and stimulates the immune system and circulation.
The ritual takes place just about everywhere, in the parliament building, in private homes, in offices, in the woods, even in fast food.
Its first in-store sauna, Burger King opened right in Helsinki.
And where else.
Sauna day is celebrated in the capital in March, and an entire region, the central region, has been proclaimed Sauna Region of the World.
In short, at Santa Claus’s house, the ritual of warmth has been a way of life since childhood.
It used to be that in the sauna people gave birth and washed the bodies before the funeral, dried sausages and reindeer meat.
Today steaks no longer hang, but in the sauna one lingers – strictly naked – sitting in a circle, warmed by the heat of burning wood.
A birch branch to stimulate circulation and you socialize with neighbors, fall in love, do business, pilates and yoga.
If Finland teaches, the world learns.
Followers of sweat and steam are growing in the world and in Italy, a liturgy almost.
Like the tea ceremony in Japan, it requires precise steps and strict etiquette: one remains silent, water and ice are poured over the hot stones, essential oils must be pure, and breaks of about fifteen minutes are taken between sessions.
Sessions should be no more than three in a day.
The Finnish Sauna Society suggests doing the following.
- One undresses and wears a towel around the waist
- Takes a shower to remove impurities
- You enter the sauna: the ideal temperature is between 80-90°C
- You humidify the environment by throwing water on the hot stones
- You go out for a cold shower and hydrate with water or herbal tea
- A break of about fifteen minutes is taken
- We indulge in a second round in the sauna with a lower temperature
- You get out again, refresh yourself with a shower or a swim
- Once herbal tea and snacks are coated, then wait until the body is ready to return to outside temperature
At the Monticelli Spa
Inside theWellness Area with thermal pools of more than 4,000 square meters., there is the area of heat and steam baths useful for purifying the body and invigorating the body, offering deep and rejuvenating relaxation that amplifies the effects of the thermal pools.
In particular, in the Matisse pool, the realm of the whirlpool, there is an area dedicated to heat and steam baths with a sauna and tepidarium with natural essences.
The combination of water and heat relaxes the muscles, relieves back pain, improves the quality of sleep, but most importantly, it has been purifying the body and mind for centuries.
In the world
Ritual or design saunas: Löyly in Helsinki is a large public sauna overlooking the sea and designed in pine wood by Finnish firm Avanto Architects according to sustainability criteria(loylyhelsinki.fi).
Designed by architect David Fjågesund on Lake Bandak in Norway, Soria Moria(visitnorway.co.uk) is somewhere between a sauna and an art installation.
The wooden structure resembles the silhouettes of mountains, rests on stilts, and is reached by walking on a footbridge in the middle of nature.
The Sauna Gondola, on the other hand, in the Ylläs ski resort in Lapland is an all-wood cable car cabin that gives off heat and steam in motion(yllas.fi).
Under the banner of upcycling, there is Frihamnen, on Hisingen Island in Gothenburg, a new and redeveloped area of the city.
Special features?
12,000 glass bottles form a wall, while the facade is covered with recycled corrugated iron(goteborg.com/en/the-sauna-in-frihamnen).