All about Sauna

Extra! Extra! Two posts in one day madness!

I've just had my first Sauna since coming here this year, and it was *amazing*... It's time this blog had something approaching content, so I'm going to tell you all about Sauna.

Sauna, pronounced "Sow-naa" (or exactly like "Samhna" in Mí na Samhna, if you're Irish) was invented in Finland (ignore contradictions from Swedes - it's impossible to tell who really invented it, and my partisan point of view lies with the Finns, and it's my blog!).

Sauna is an integral part of Finnish culture, it is estimated there is one Sauna to every 3 people here. It is unthinkable for a house to not have a Sauna. Many new apartments even have them, or else there will be one in the basement for the whole block to share, on a rotation basis (as is the case with my place).

First it is important to note that Sauna is done naked. No swimming trunks, no underwear, no, it must be done in the nip. In the more touristy places (such as hotels) it is common to see little signs, exactly like "no-smoking" icons, except with an iconic pair of y-fronts behind the big red slash. The first time I saw one of these it completely cracked me up! Anyway, when you think about it, sweating a lot into your garments is probably unhygenic, and heating your underwear, well that's just bacterial incubation. And that's bad.

Sauna is a ritual. First you must immerse yourself in cold water - the colder the better. Ideally your Sauna house will be located next to some natural water source, like a lake or river (and when these freeze in winter, holes are cut so that you can still make the plunge!). In winter it is also acceptable to roll in snow I believe. Failing this, a really cold shower will have to do!

Now you're nice and cold, in to the Sauna with you! Saunas are heated with burners. The heat doesn't primarily come from the burner, it's only there to evaporate water - it's the steam that raises the room temperature. Again there are ideal scenarios: it's best if you have a traditional wood-burning stove. This imbellishes the ritual, as now you have to manually prepare and stoke the fire, and wait for it to heat (anticipation makes things better, talk to Guinness drinkers about this). Wood stoves also produce a delicious, smoky aroma that combines with the steam into a blanket of atmosphere that wraps itself around you. Of course, these things are a lot of hassle, so it's far more common to find an electric burner.

Now you have a hot burner, you're ready to ladle water on it, and I'm not just being lyrically colourful - in to the sauna you will bring a small bucket of water, and a ladle. Spread the water as widely as possible (ensuring more rapid evaporation and minimising local cooling of the storve). Finns do this with a deft flick of the wrist. Keep on going until a) you pass out, or b) room temperature reaches a balmy 80 degrees or so :) I recommend you stop when you have to close your eyes and cover your burning ears!

Sit. Relax. Sweat like a pig. You won't be able to do anything else. Marvel at how hot your hair is. Discover you're having slight difficulty breathing. Now you're ready to...

Repeat the immersing in freezing water part. The first time you do this you may get really dizzy. After a while this stops becoming torture and becomes really enjoyable, trust me!

Keep doing this as long as you feel like. Feel free to drink some cold beverages during the process. It can also be really good to splash cold water on yourself when in the sauna. During spring and summer it is common to have a leafy branch of birch, which you dip in water and lightly flagellate yourself with (it increases blood circulation to the skin).

As with all things, there are caveats. DO NOT under any circumstances wear anything metallic in to the sauna - bracelets, watches, rings, anything. Metal is a pretty good conductor baby, and 80 degrees when conducted well burns.

Be careful if the sauna is hot when you go in for the first time: sit down with reckless abandon and both your cheeks will be red! There are special mats you can get to sit on. If there are none of these around, throw some water on the bench and hope for the best.

Try not to have your first sauna with a Finn - they are the "some" in "some like it hot". You'll forever associate saunas with lucifer.

Reading is all well and good, but believe me, it just has to be tried to be believed. Any of you that make it over here can have a try :)