Like I mentioned, there are saunas everywhere in Finland and they’re an important and popular part of daily culture.
There are saunas in:
- Every apartment (typically in each individual unit but if not, then a shared sauna in the basement)
- A Burger King
- A coal mine
- A Ferris wheel car (can you see it in the image below?)
- The universities
- The Prime Minister’s office and other government buildings
In public saunas swimsuits are mandated, but in most saunas everyone is nude.
We also learned about a Finnish wedding tradition where future brides, grooms, and both sets of parents sauna together nude. By stripping off their clothes, they’re more vulnerable and get to know each other better. (Personally, I’m so glad this isn’t an American custom 😉).
While we were in Helsinki, we went to Löyly sauna, where we all jumped in the freezing Baltic Sea after we got hot enough. Then we sat by the fire and had local Karhu beers (a pale lager), which is traditionally accompanied by a roasted sausage, per Finnish sauna customs.
It was a lot of fun.
The Jo Show 