While there is a new focus on the sauna in the past few years (specifically infrared saunas), the practice of taking a sauna is age old and an important cultural and healthy activity. The sauna has been called many things in many far flung areas of the world and has many different traditions surrounding it. It would be difficult to examine each culture’s relationship with their version of the sauna, but here are a number of famous examples.
Finland is often associated most commonly with the sauna in North-America, after all the name sauna comes from the Finnish language. Saunas in this country trace their history back to pits dug into a slope and used as dwellings during the cold Finnish winter months. Traditionally the heat came from stones headed from an open wood fire that would burn within the sauna. Once the fire died out and no smoke was being produced water was poured on the stones creating warm steam for 12 hours. Over time the people began using electric stoves as technology allowed for it. During this time the Baltic nations held a similar relationship with saunas. The spread of saunas to many other European nations happened in WWII when other soldiers had noticed how the Finnish soldiers built saunas even in the bunkers, and brought the traditions back to their own nations. In Finland saunas were a central place in traditional hygiene, religion, and socializing. Saunas are where many Finns were traditionally born as well since it was a comforting environment for the mother in labor. Superstitions held that each sauna had its own spirit or elf who would protect the sauna.
In Turkey saunas are called hammams and are associated with religious purification. Unlike the Finnish saunas these were huge ornate buildings often next to mosques where the public would undergo a five stage purification ritual of cleansing. These similar buildings exist in many places in the Islamic world including Morocco (where I would regularly enjoy the hammam experience during my year there). Mohammed himself supposedly endorsed sweat baths like hammams. If you find yourself able to visit one it is highly recommended, the older the better.
While there is a new focus on the sauna in the past few years (specifically infrared saunas), the practice of taking a sauna is age old and an important cultural and healthy activity. The sauna has been called many things in many far flung areas of the world and has many different traditions surrounding it. It would be difficult to examine each culture’s relationship with their version of the sauna, but here are a number of famous examples.
Sauna culture in Japan was originally focused around the hot-springs dotting the country called onsens. The focus in Japan is reflection and asthetics. “Sentos” are larger bath houses containing sauna rooms.
Saunas are very popular in South Korea. Usually attached to Jimjilbangs or on their own. Korean saunas feature ornate rooms with walls encrusted in special stones as well as more traditional wooden walls.