Ellen+&+Henry

= **A very Finnish pastime** =

You can’t talk about Finland without mentioning the sauna. Sauna is a room where you can enjoy a heat session alone or with other people. Traditional saunas have stoves with rocks (size around ½ fist) in them. The rocks can be heated by burning wood or by electricity. When water is tossed on hot rocks, it turns into steam. The steam coming out of stove is what causes the nice temperature and humidity. Temperature in sauna is usually between 70°C and 100°C. The heat helps you to relax and gives an excellent opportunity to discuss with other people in a calm environment, although some people just want to enjoy the heat in silence.

Sauna is a sacred place for Finns and it’s important to be polite and follow the common rules when visiting one. The most important rule is that never toss too much water into the stove, as everyone might not like extremely hot temperatures. Also, you should never run around in a sauna or make too much noise. Beside the relaxing, sauna has also a cleansing effect as the steam purifies your skin. Sauna can heal you as well. If you have, for instance, a sore throat, a few minutes stay in a sauna can make that symptom disappear. //“If sauna, tar or liquor won´t help, the illness is fatal”// is an old Finnish saying related to this matter. Sauna has been a part of Finnish culture for ages. Even though today you can find such things as infra-red saunas or saunas built in cars, the basic idea is the same: you can clean your mind and body at the same time.

//Henry//