Things We Love Telling People About Saunas

Saunas have been around for a very long time - long enough to collect rituals, traditions, odd inventions, and more than a few unexpected facts along the way.

Most people arrive expecting heat, steam, and a chance to switch off for an hour.

What they don’t expect is that sauna culture turns out to be surprisingly interesting.

Here are a few of our favourites.

Finland Has Almost as Many Saunas as People (And More Than Cars)

If there’s one place that takes sauna seriously, it’s Finland.

There are around 3.3 million saunas for a population of roughly 5.5 million people - and, famously, more saunas than passenger cars.

Which starts to make sense once you realise saunas aren’t treated as a luxury there.

They’re in homes, apartment buildings, office blocks, summer cottages, and public spaces.

For many Finns, using a sauna is less of a special occasion and more like making a cup of tea - just hotter.

Safe to say, sauna culture runs pretty deep.

Saunas Used to Be the Most Important Room in the House

Long before spa menus and eucalyptus oils, saunas were practical spaces.

Traditional Finnish smoke saunas, known as savusauna, date back more than 2,000 years. They were heated by burning wood inside the room, then airing the smoke before bathing.

Historically, people didn’t just wash there.

Saunas were used for healing, childbirth, and important moments of everyday life because they were often considered the cleanest and warmest place in the home.

Quite a lot of responsibility for one wooden room.

“Sauna” Is One of the Few Finnish Words Everyone Knows

The word sauna comes directly from Finnish and travelled remarkably well.

Unlike many borrowed words, almost nobody translated it.

Apparently when something works this well, people leave the name alone.

Sauna Culture Is Officially Protected

In 2020, Finnish sauna culture was recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Which is a very official way of saying: this isn’t just about getting warm.

Sauna has long been connected to community, routines, rest, and spending time together.

Hot. Cold. Repeat.

One of the most recognisable parts of Nordic sauna culture isn’t actually the heat.

It’s leaving the heat.

Traditionally, sauna sessions are often followed by cold air, lakes, snow, or cold water immersion before returning to the warmth again.

People describe the contrast differently - refreshing, invigorating, oddly addictive - but most agree there’s something satisfying about moving between the two.

(We recommend easing into the cold rather than launching yourself heroically.)

Saunas Have Always Been Surprisingly Social

There’s an old idea in Finnish culture that everyone becomes a bit more equal in a sauna.

No uniforms. No titles. No particularly impressive emails.

Historically, saunas have hosted everything from everyday conversations to business meetings.

Turns out warm people tend to be relaxed people.

You Can Actually Ride a Sauna

And finally - because every good sauna fact file should end with something slightly ridiculous -

In Finnish Lapland, there’s a sauna gondola attached to a ski lift.

You sit in a heated cabin, travel up the mountain, and continue the experience at the summit.

Which feels like exactly the kind of idea someone came up with while sitting in a sauna.

Bringing a Little Sauna Tradition to Dorset

You don’t need to travel to Finland to experience the ritual.

At The Forest Sauna, we love the parts of sauna culture that feel timeless: heat, fresh air, slowing down, and stepping outside everyday routines for a while.

No ski lift required.

Just trees, warmth, and an hour that tends to feel longer than it is.