Combined with hot temperatures, extreme moisture, bodily fluids, and bacteria, how does a typical sauna not completely rot or develop mould? Seems like the wood would be turned into mush with all of these factors.
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Hi, a Finn here!
Please allow me to hijack this post to describe the act of going to sauna in general more fully as I’m sure many foreigners are curious about learning the traditional Finnish way of going to sauna and the whole culture of it!
First of all, before entering the sauna, you will wash yourself thoroughly.
While in sauna, you will throw water on to the hot stones with a ladle, and this causes hot, moist air to envelope you. This act is called throwing a _löyly._
You cannot have a sauna without throwing water on to the stove. I have heard many foreigners “go to sauna” without throwing löyly and the thought alone makes me shrudder. The sacrilege!
Anyway, you are also supposed to be naked in a sauna, with no towel. You can be in a sauna with people of the same gender or with opposite gender, but you should be naked. You should have a little cloth under your butt when you sit down in the sauna.
There should be no sexy times at all while in sauna – sauna has long been regarded as a sacred place in a Finnish household, and it’s the place where women gave birth and the dead were washed.
Also the ancient Finns believed that the guardian spirit of the sauna, the sauna elf, resided in the sauna so it was not a good idea to anger it with disrespectful behavior unless you wanted to invite some horrible calamity to your house and family. (According to ancient folklore)
While you’re sitting in the sauna after just having thrown a nice löyly, you can optionally flagellate yourself with a fresh bunch of skinny birch twigs, with the leaves still attached, after dunking the twig bunch into the löyly water basin. This increases blood circulation.
The bunch of leafy birch twigs is called a _vihta_ or _vasta_. Traditionally you go outside to collect fresh birch twigs to make a vihta as you heat your sauna.
While in the sauna, you can also optionally go outside into fresh air to cool off and then go back to sauna for another round of löyly. While sitting in sauna, you can have a relaxing, cold beer.
Sfterwards you go take a shower and you will find yourself well rested and the soreness of your muscles gone.
This is considered the most traditional way of going to sauna.
Sauna has been part of our traditions for nearly ten thousand years, we are very proud to have this tradition and I would love to tell you more about it! 🙂
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