History of genuine Finnish sauna

 

 

Come now God,
grand of the air
to the «löyly»,
into the warmth
 to make a health
to build a peace


Kalevala

You will find saunas over 2000 years in Finnish history. 
Following photos about hundreds of years old «smoke saunas» are
from sauna museum in Saunakylä «Saunavillage», Muurame - Finland.
Over 50 sauna are excellent samples of saunas
 historical evolution in Finland. 
These saunas are moved from various provinces and
locations in Finnish countryside.



Imaging !
Official Finnish statistics informs 
over 1,600,000 saunas in Finland today !

 



There is nothing so inviting 
in Finnish nature 
than the old turf roofed 
«Savusauna».

The door is half open, 
hanging a little bit out of 
it's earlier form. 
You can hear 
the Sauna Spirit whispering 
his welcoming poets 
to his sauna's 
miracles healthy world.


When my father bought a land 
from Finnish country side 
the first thing we built 
was a sauna near 
the lake side bank.

I'm sure it stays there still 
with it's barrel shape stove 
in which we collected hundreds 
of kilos of stones 
from river banks.

The best thing you can have in your life
is a lake or river side sauna.

I had that fortune.

Even those years 
of my life in Finland 
I built a sauna on my great boat
«Olka».


You know that Finnish sauna is the healthiest place on the earth.

80/90°C - 176/194°F
Sauna heath kills all bacteria's.

Early years the babies was born in sauna's healthy environment in Finland.

Heating the savusauna.

«Kiuas» the sauna stove 
has 300 to 800 kg (660 to 1760 lbs)
 of stones which are heated half a day with one meter (3 ft) long logs. 

On the floor you see a large cold water bucket. To get comfortable washing water the water in buckets is heated on the sauna's top benches.

After half a hour, when the fire is distinguished Sauna Master pour the «soot löyly» and welcomes the bathers to sauna - «... hey, sauna is ready»
!


The «Sauna Spirit» in those old smoke saunas honored the sauna master
to wash every bathers back.

It was only him who was allowed to wash even the lady bathers.