4.6 Finnish Sauna Q2 What is a Finnish sauna like?
Description
This article is from the Nordic countries FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous contributions by others.
4.6 Finnish Sauna Q2 What is a Finnish sauna like?
The basic parts are the stove ("kiuas"), filled with
fist-sized stones, and the benches or platforms ("lauteet"),
made of wood (anecdotes of metal benches in the saunas of some
Finnish-built Russian warships are told :). There are usually
two benches, one of which is higher (the seat) and the other
one lower (place to rest your feet on, or another seat if you
feel it's too hot). These are what all saunas have. The modern
saunas have the usual shower and dressing rooms too, but the
traditional ones near a lake or sea (usually in the vicinity of
a summer cabin, or built in one) do not require anything but a
stove for heating and a bench to sit down on -- you can do the
cleaning in the lake. The stove is traditionally fuelled by
wood, but electrically heated saunas are common due to their
safe, easy and clean use. The average sauna has room for 3-6
people at a time.
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