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A Special International Report Prepared by
The Washington Times Advertising Department - Published on April 23, 1999
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Sauna: More than just a tradition
A Finn takes the sauna for granted, as indispensable as food and drink. Beyond merely cleansing the body, it generates a feeling of well-being and overall relaxation that are both physical and mental. It is shared with others, who are invited for a sauna and refreshments, much as we invite our friends to dinner. The sauna is an ancient form of bath, unlike any other in the world. Based on the principle of inducing cleansing perspiration by immersion in high-temperature dry heat instead of hot water or steam, it has been a typically Finnish institution for over a thousand years. Always the first building to be erected by a Finnish settler, the cabin was home until the main house was built. Many a newborn first saw the light of day there. Today every Finnish farm or country homes has a sauna, the city homeowner has one in his back yard or in the basement, and the apartment dweller generally uses a cooperative or public establishment. Rooftop saunas are commonplace in modern office buildings, hotels and apartment buildings. The businessman frequently adjourns to the sauna with his associates or clients, as a form of business entertainment, to discuss current projects. International agreements and thorny political questions have been discussed - and resolved - in the sauna, with every participant, from the President of the Republic to visiting Prime Ministers and other dignitaries, reaching an agreement in the soothing heat. The sauna has retained a ritualistic quality. Some equate it with a religious experience. Entering the dim hot room, the only illumination provided by the setting sun through small window, there is silence and a peaceful environment for quiet reflection and relaxation. The author, V. S. Choslowsky, is Executive Director of the Sauna Society of America. |
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Table of Contents (1) Pointing Europe's compass North |
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The Finns are known for their "sisu" - a special kind of energy, both physical and mental which made them endure and prosper over the centuries under adverse conditions of warfare and climate, a combination of rugged determination, thoroughness and perseverance. Much of this "sisu", along with their remarkable health, vigor and longevity, is attributed to the sauna.