Sauna Culture Around the World

Typically a small room, sauna is designed to be a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions. Sauna bathing is a well-loved ritual throughout the world, and its many variances have evolved over time and in different cultures… and we have Finland, the sauna country, to thank.

Sauna culture in Finland

Did you know that Finland has 5.3 million people and 3.3 million saunas? That’s almost one for every two people. In Finland, sauna is a part of the daily life, and they’ve been used in the Finnish culture for several thousand years. Sauna is seen as not only a bathhouse or winter dwelling in Finland, but also as a place for birth, death, and taking care of the sick — some call it a “poorman’s pharmacy”. It is said that if you don’t experience sauna, then you don’t experience Finland.

The oldest type of Finnish sauna are smoke saunas (no chimneys), which take about five to six hours to heat up. These types of saunas use a stove, where the smoke escapes through a hole in the ceiling. Smoke saunas produce a soot that covers the wood walls and leave a smokey aroma. Nowadays, the most common ones are electric and wooden saunas, which typically use a stove known as a ‘kiuas’ to heat the space. Löyly is the heat and steam that surrounds you in the sauna as water is poured on the hot rocks.

In Finland, it’s typical to warm up in the sauna and then jump in the sea/lake or roll around in snow in the winter to cool off… or even enjoy a chilled beer afterwards. The Finns also like to include a practice called ‘vasta’—or ‘vihta’—where a bundle of birch branches are whipped on the skin. It’s said to increase circulation and soothe sore muscles.

Sauna culture in Turkey /the Middle East

Called a Hammam, this type of treatment is considered a form of public bathing, cleansing, and relaxation. Traditionally, you begin in a room to warm the body. Then, a second room to wash a cleanse the body. Thirdly is a room for cooling down the body since it is set at a lower temperature. After completing the bathing procedure, one can then go to a masseur.

Sauna culture in Mexico/Central America

Held in a stone, igloo-like structure, Temazcal, is a traditional Mexican sweat lodge. This type of steam bath is designed to clear your mind and body of negativities and impurities. While the body benefits from detoxification through sweating, the spirit is also renewed through a ritual and spiritual practice. Traditionally, hot river rocks are on a wood fire then brought inside the lodge. Today, more modern structures are heated with gas. Inside the Temazcal, people are encouraged to participate in a ceremony, rub their bodies with aloe, or hit themselves with herbs. As a post-ritual cool-down, you might be invited to take a dip in the ocean or a pool, or take a cold shower.

Sauna culture in Laos

An herbal steam sauna—‘hom yaa’— is very popular in Laos, especially with women. Various mixtures, such as yogurt and ground coffee, are applied on the skin as a beauty treatment. The sauna is heated by wood fire, and herbs can be added directly to the boiling water or as part of the steam. A steam can be infused with fresh herbs and spices, such as lemongrass, basil, mint, rosemary and eucalyptus. It’s typical that Bael fruit tea—muktam—is served.

Sauna culture in Russia

A Banya is a Russian steam bath with a wood stove, where sauna rocks are used to warm the space. In Russia, public saunas are strictly single-sex. Similar to Finland, Russians use bath brooms—‘venik’—made from a collection of soft tree branches to gently beat and clean the body. The Banya is a special place where people come together to have more conversations about life and share their ideas or beliefs with one another. It’s typical to take a break from the heat and relax by sipping on an aromatic or herbal tea before heading back in.

What are some benefits of regular sauna use?
+ Enhances mood and combats SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
+ Detoxification — drainage and elimination of toxins/waste products
+ Promotes a healthy immune system
+ Assists in fat loss and increases metabolism
+ Promotes heart health
+ Provides chronic joint and muscle pain relief and speeds injury recovery
+ Promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and improves sleep

References:

Barbezat, Suzanne. “Temazcal: Traditional Mexican Sweat Lodge". Retrieved from https://www.tripsavvy.com/temazcal-traditional-mexican-sweat-lodge-1588898

“Finish sauna culture”. Retrieved from https://taigatimes.com/blog/finnish-sauna-culture/.

“Löyly Sauna”. Retrieved from https://www.kinfolk.com/loyly-sauna/.

“Top Countries Using Saunas and Exploring the Cultural Traditions From All Over the World.” Retireved from http://steam-sauna.com/blog/top-countries-using-saunas-and-exploring-the-cultural-traditions-from-all-over-the-world.html.

Why Sleep is Important

In Matt Walker’s informative Ted Talk, he dives into the science behind why sleep is our superpower, and the effects of getting too little sleep versus getting enough. The amount of sleep we get each night has profound effects on our brain and body.

You may already be aware of research showing that our most productive learning happens when we take in new information and then get enough quality sleep for our brains to process the learning while we snooze. Essentially, sleep is like a “save” button for the memories and new ideas our brain just took in. Additionally, the amount of sleep we get prior to learning dictates how prepared our brain will be as we seek to learn new information. Matt Walker explains that “without sleep, the memory circuits of the brain essentially become waterlogged, and you can’t absorb new memories.” As we age, our sleep quality starts to decline and it becomes more difficult to achieve deep sleep. As sleep quality declines, so does our memory and cognitive functioning. Over time, lack of restorative sleep can lead to cognitive issues like Alzheimer’s disease.

When you catch a cold or are feeling under the weather, do you notice any links with the amount or quality of sleep you’ve been getting? Our immune system is notably impacted by our sleep patterns. Our immune system is made up of Natural Killer Cells which attack dangerous, unwanted elements like cancer cells, bacteria, and viruses, and eliminate them. Without adequate sleep, Natural Killer Cells are not able to activate, leading to a drop in immune functioning. Risk for colon cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer increases as quality sleep is hindered.

The good news is that we can use this knowledge to intervene and make changes in our sleep patterns to improve our brain and physical functioning. Caffeine and alcohol consumption both impact our sleep, and making changes in your intake of these could be a great place to start. Another way to start making positive changes is to reassess your sleep conditions. If you take naps and notice it difficult to fall asleep at night, reconsider your napping habits. Setting a consistent bedtime and wake-up time are two of the most beneficial things you can do to get your body into a healthier sleep routine. This means going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time each day--even on the weekends or days off. Finally, our bodies need to drop in temperature by a few degrees to fall asleep and stay asleep, so adjust your thermostat to around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Most of this is probably not very new to you, and yet it can be so difficult to adopt better sleep habits! Our society prioritizes productivity and staying busy over truly listening to what our bodies need. In order to make the necessary changes to our sleep, we must let go of the idea that sleeping too much is lazy, or that other pieces of life are more important than sleep. We must decide that we deserve to get quality sleep. What are a few small steps you can take to start getting deeper, more restorative sleep tonight?

References

Walker, M. (2019). Sleep is your superpower. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_sleep_is_your_superpower?language=en