The Finnish sauna (pronounce every letter [sa' oona], although english often use something like ' saw na' ) is a substantial part of Finnish culture. There are five million inhabitants and over three million saunas in Finland - an average of one per household. For Finnish people the sauna is a place to relax with friends and family, and a place for physical and mental relaxation as well. Finns think of saunas not as a luxury, but as a necessity. Before the rise of public health care and nursery facilities, almost all Finnish mothers gave birth in saunas.

Origins of the sauna

The sauna in Finland is an old phenomenon and its roots are difficult to trace. Bath houses were recorded in Europe during the same time period, but Finnish bathing habits were poorly documented until the 16th century. Because of the years of habitation and variant rule by Russia and Sweden, it is possible that the sauna custom evolved from them. It was during the Reformation in Scandinavia that the popularity of saunas expanded to other countries because the European bath houses were being destroyed. Hundreds of years ago, when bathing was something to be done only rarely or never at all, Finns were cleaning themselves in saunas at least once a week.