Sauna Traditions
Although first used in Finland, cultures throughout the world use saunas for a variety of (purposes|uses}, from healthful relaxation, to it’s use as one of the traditional social meeting places. In fact, the US is fairly different by not having an established sauna; ‘culture’.
In fact, the most commonly seen sauna in America is at a fitness center or spa, but in Finland the use of a sauna is so ubiqutous that you will find a private sauna in almost every home in the country. Many other countries consider sauna baths a rather normal and usual event, of no more importance than a long, hot bath. This is why saunas are also so plentiful in many European and Asian countries.
In many areas throughout the world, the sauna experience figures prominently into the social life of most of the countrymen. Eastern European countries such as Estonia, Russia, and Latvia have enjoyed the benefits of saunas for many years. Some also have strict same gender customs regarding the use of saunas, and one of these countries with very firm rules and customs in this regard is Russia.
Many other countries have both single sex and mixed gneder sauna facilities for patrons to enjoy. The countries of Japan and Thailand are two countries that feel a sauna is very beneficial for your health and good for everyone’s health and happiness. Thailand and Japan also have saunas that are both co-ed and single sex in nature.
There are some countries, with colder climates, like Finland where sauna-goers often take rests from the intense heat and humidity of the sauna to go outside and either roll in the snow or take a dunk in icy lake waters. The general mood in a sauna in any of these countries can be raucous, with loud joking and socializing by all the participants.
The countries of Germany and Austria have a different style and the people consider the sauna to be a place of healing and quiet. There is a strict social etiquette that dictates quiet and no clothing at all times while in the sauna. German saunas often have ‘Aufguss’ sessions in which a worker will use a large towel to help circulate hot air throughout the sauna. Guests may not enter or leave once a session starts, because this would release some of the heat to out of the suana and it would be distracting. The majority of sauna-goers in these countries are adults, although in Switzerland, one is very likely to encounter families with young children.
All of the European sauna traditions include a cooling-down time that immediately follows a soothing sauna visit. This cool down is considered healthy and can be accomplished with a dunk in a lake, a cold shower or bath, or even a vigorous run outside through the snow.
A Latin American version of the sauna, called a temazcal is very much loved throughout much of Central America. In these countries, individual families will own a sauna, and it is considered an individual, rather than a group, activity. Tradition says that a person should use the sauna only in the evening so they can enjoy the cool air at night when they leave the restriction of the sauna.
Asian cultures often have public saunas, which in many cases serve essentially as public bathhouses for the population as a whole. In Japan, sauna (sento) use has declined, as more and more people are able to purchase homes with large private baths or saunas.
In the United States, one does not see any kind of strict sauna culture. Health clubs, recreational facilities, or hotels may have a sauna and this is usually limited to members of the same sex. Swimsuits are most commonly seen, but the use of the sauna in America really has no particular etiquette associated with it.
