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Finnish Sauna Etiquette
Finnish Sauna Etiquette
Sauna bathing is part of every Finn’s identity. If you ever
vacation in that country, make sure to learn about the proper Finnish
sauna etiquette so you know what to expect in advance. If you ever
visited a sauna in North America, it was probably not an authentic Finnish
design featuring a wood-burning heater and nude sauna bathing was most
likely forbidden.
In Finland, proper etiquette requires bathers to wear their birthday suits.
Sweating makes wearing a bathing suit or swimming trunks uncomfortable and
in any case, nudity is not frowned upon as in North America. Not every Finn
goes to the sauna in the nude, especially in mixed company or with
strangers, but the attitudes toward nudity are very open compared to North
American standards.
Sauna etiquette requires Finns to take a compulsory shower in the nude
before entering public saunas and it is considered unhygienic to shower with
your swimming trunks on. And of course, the sauna bath is always taken in
the nude when you’re with friends or family, sometimes even in public
saunas, sometimes even in mixed company.
First-time sauna bathers from abroad often find it difficult taking their
clothes off. The casual intimacy of following the Finnish sauna bathing
etiquette is uncomfortable to them – to the point that some try to avoid the
sauna altogether. While this might not offend your host you are encouraged
to give it a try; you will soon find that your self-consciousness about
nudity will be dispelled by the camaraderie of the
sauna steam room bath.
In addition to the sauna etiquette of bathing in the nude, the traditional
Finnish sauna experience requires the use of a wood-burning heater topped
with rocks. Bathers then throw water over the heater to create steam,
followed by cooling off in an icy lake or river before heading in for a
repeat session.
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