Learning About Finland: Sauna 101

A sauna in Finland greatly differs from the only sauna I've seen in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (Canada) because of one big thing.

You go naked.  You go with friends (typically females stick together and the guys stick together) - or you go with your spouse.
Or you go with your whole family - both guys and gals!  (It's what we do...)

The first time I was invited to someone's sauna after dinner (husband's phD supervisor's place) - the ladies went together and I was 30 weeks pregnant and said bashfully, "I don't have my bathing suit."
Never mind the stretch marks galore!!
The ladies chuckled and said there wasn't one required and I shyly backed out.

After having given birth and visiting the same family again - it was just me and Jessica - the supervisor's wife who happened to be Canadian AND was my doula for my first labour...so I figured if she saw me push a child out of my hoo-ha (she knew the hair colour before I did - let's put it that way) - clearly it's alright to chill (sweat?) naked together in a sauna - right?

So that's what we did.

Sauna basics 101

• Don't wear pure metal jewellery - it'll melt and burn your skin.
• Regular gold and silver is fine.
• Don't wear contacts or eyeglasses - metal frames will get really hot and plastic ones will become very bendy (handy if you need to re-shape your frames - be careful though).
• Don't wear a bathing suit - everyone has the same bits and bobs.  Get over the nudity thing!!  You're not there to stare at the other people...you're there to converse, relax, try the sauna (and hopefully enjoy it) - it just so happens you're doing it naked.
• Bring your shower stuff and a towel.
• You can rinse in the shower (or bucket if a shower isn't available) before entering and typically you take a shower afterwards.  You can also rinse in between when you need a break from the heat!
• It's recommended children as young as 1-year old can go in sauna, usually in a bath tub on the bottom floor where it's really cool there still.  Some parents let their babies in earlier than that - it really helps them sleep well!
• Sit on a bench - the higher up you are (and closer to the stove) - the hotter it will be when someone splashes the water on.
• *If you have asthma (or faint easily or you're pregnant and it's your first time - be cautious with how long you stay in the sauna!) - bring your medicine with you and leave it in the changing area just in case.  My first time I went into sauna and the water was splashed on - I had a mild asthma attack.  True story.
• Ladies - if you're on your period - you can still do sauna.  Use a tampon or lady cup - and just in case, you can buy these sheets to sit on (like plastic coated paper towel) - or sit on a towel.
• You can buy sauna towels - they look a lot like long dish towels and can be found in the sauna section of the department stores.
• You can also add scented essential oils to the water bucket and splash that on the stove. 
• Saunavihta or Vasta are bundles of birch tree branches (found in the frozen section year round in grocery stores) and are commonly used around Midsummer and Christmas time.  
• You thaw them out (if not using fresh ones), soak them in water in the sauna, toast them above the stove then SLAP YOURSELF SILLY.  Seriously.  Keep reading for my first time with those branches... 
• Typically should be used freshly cut and the frozen ones used only in winter time when the leaves are gone otherwise for the season!
•  When you're finished your turn in the sauna - ensure the bucket of water is full and scoop some onto the bench area that you sat/laid down on. 
• Because it's so hot and you lose quite a bit of water via sweating - ensure you have a bottle of water in the changing room or another beverage of choice!

Other funny things about Finnish sauna:

• For a population of approximately 5.3 million, there are about  2 million saunas.  They can be found in the basement of a home or apartment building, in an apartment,  in a separate building at a cottage or household.
• There are electric ones (typical of apartment buildings) and wood-stove style ones. The wood stove ones are favoured because when the water is splashed on - the heat isn't as intense.
• There are sauna championships in Finland.  And yes, someone has died from it.  But I won't post that video!  A group of men and a group of women see who can last the longest in the sauna without leaving and while the temperature regularly gets hotter...
• It's perfectly acceptable, if at the cottage, to take a break from the heat of the sauna and go for a swim.  Even in the winter.  Someone will have cut a hole out in the lake and there's usually some handle bars and a ladder to enter and exit.  It's good for the blood circulation and if you can handle it - go back and forth!
• Or you can roll in the snow...
• "Sex, Sauna, Siivous" - the 3 S's in Finnish (sex, sauna and cleaning) are recommended for encouraging the labour of a pregnant woman to start. :)
• Way back when - Finnish women would give birth in their sauna.  Due to the high temperatures - it was one of the most hygienic places to give birth and the heat helped with the contractions etc.
• There are such things as co-ed saunas (bathing suits are usually involved unless the whole crew is trashed/drunk...)!!

Now back to that crazy birch branches story...

While pregnant with A-Man...I suppose this is 2010 or 2011- I went with our family to go visit some friends at their farm-house cottage...it was huge - hence the farm house part.
And we went to sauna - my pregnant self, my friend T (also pregnant - we were 3 weeks apart) and M (not pregnant but Finnish like T).
M noticed there was a bucket with pretty dark leaves and asked T if they were recently used and T said not yet but we were more than welcome to use them.

I honestly thought it was a decoration for the sauna...a bunch of greenery...
I had a clueless look on my face and the ladies smiled and asked if I had ever used these branches.  I confirmed their suspicions and they giddily dragged me into sauna.

"What do you do with them?"
"Oh, they're best if you soak them in some water first then toast them above the stove...then you do this... *CRACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCK!"
And so began the beating of each other with a bunch of birch branches...
My jaw dropped and my bladder was ready to explode from laughing so hard.  And all I heard was "crack, smack, crack, crack" and the ladies saying to each other how lovely it felt and I should really try it.
Because I'm so 50-shades and into beating myself and my friends with sticks...
I didn't hit myself hard enough apparently but they said that the birch oils are released and really help to moisturize and condition your skin and the slapping encourages blood circulation and good blood flow...

Last night, I went to sauna (wood stove) at a friend's cottage...it was awesome.  Then they asked me to go swim and I figured, why not?  M-Girl was asleep so I went.
I creeped into the water by squatting and shuffling forward...it was cold!!! 
Well, my Finnish friends were entertained - they just jumped in...and I just couldn't....so I creeped in until my butt was hovering on the water and kept warm (I honestly looked like I was pooping I'm sure)...and then immersed myself slowly...like the crazy Canadian that I am!

And because I think it's funny - one of my husband's first times in the sauna - with the supervisor's family - their son is bilingual and was learning all about the body parts.
I asked how it was after and he told me at home that the kid was trying to tap my husband's man bits and loudly cheered, "PENIS!" while pointing out everyone's junk in the sauna.
Just imagine - a 2-year old-ish kid...playing a bunch of guys' like bongo drums....

Welcome to Finland.
BIMU