SaunaScape

Photo of some brave souls swimming in the ice by Lauri Väin on Flickr

Here in the Northeast US, spring is here and this year spring temperatures along with it, but in Finland, the weather is still decidedly winter.  The Helsinki Times recently published an article on ice swimming in Vantaa, a 30-minute bus ride from downtown Helsinki.

Kuusijärvi provides all you might expect from a swim-and-sauna combination. Electric saunas at different temperature levels and a traditional smoke sauna nicely complement the chilly plunges, although roughly one-third of the swimmers choose to skip the hot room altogether and simply resort to the heated or even cold locker-rooms available. To work up a sweat beforehand, you can also opt for a snowshoe hike in the surrounding woods or a walk on the beaten trail network criss-crossing them, depending on the season. Swimsuit or trunks and towel can be rented.

The Kuusijärvi outdoor centre has electric saunas available for € 6 and a smoke sauna available for € 12. Basic information is available on their website.

[Helsinki Times]

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Photo of some brave souls swimming in the ice by Lauri Väin on Flickr"][/caption] Here in the Northeast US, spring is here and this year spring temperatures along with it, but in Finland, the weather is still decidedly winter.  The Helsinki Times recently published an article on ice swimming in Vantaa, a 30-minute bus ride from downtown Helsinki. Kuusijärvi provides all you might expect from a swim-and-sauna combination. Electric saunas at different temperature levels and a traditional smoke sauna nicely complement the chilly plunges, although roughly one-third of the swimmers choose to skip the hot room altogether and simply resort to the heated or even cold locker-rooms available. To work up a sweat beforehand, you can also opt for a snowshoe hike in the surrounding woods or a walk on the beaten trail network criss-crossing them, depending on the season. Swimsuit or trunks and towel can be rented. The Kuusijärvi outdoor centre has electric saunas available for € 6 and a smoke sauna available for € 12. Basic information is available on their website. [Helsinki Times]

NOT a spitoon. Photo by fooishbar on Flickr

The Chicago Tribune’s hip social news outfit, Red Eye Royalty has a post, 5 simple sauna rules. They are rules we can all live by:

1. Don’t SPIT on the sauna rocks!
2. Get permission before you turn up the heat!
3. Hurry up and close the door!
4. Don’t wear street shoes!
5. Never sit bare bottom! (“What makes you think someone wants to sit in a puddle of your booty juice?”)

A commenter adds a 6th: When conversing, be mindful of others there who don’t want to hear about how “Tysheena’s baby daddy’s cousin came in her house a slept with Jerome in her bed.”

[Red Eye Royalty]

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="400" caption="NOT a spitoon. Photo by fooishbar on Flickr"][/caption] The Chicago Tribune's hip social news outfit, Red Eye Royalty has a post, 5 simple sauna rules. They are rules we can all live by: Don't SPIT on the sauna rocks! Get permission before you turn up the heat! Hurry up and close the door! Don't wear street shoes! Never sit bare bottom! ("What makes you think someone wants to sit in a puddle of your booty juice?") A commenter adds a 6th: When conversing, be mindful of others there who don't want to hear about how "Tysheena's baby daddy's cousin came in her house a slept with Jerome in her bed." [Red Eye Royalty]

Finnish Embassy in Washington DC. Photo by NCinDC on Flickr

The Washington Post today published a piece on the monthly Power Schvitz by the Diplomatic Finnish Sauna Society of D.C. held in the basement of the Finnish Embassy. The Diplomatic Finnish Sauna Society, according to the article is more than 150 members strong, and includes many Washington insiders and the reporters that cover them.

The embassy began the sessions two years ago to compensate for Finland’s predictable reputation and low international profile. The organizer is Kari Mokko, the embassy’s press secretary.The reporter goes on to describe the sauna:

At first blush, the sauna does not feel so blistering. (“It’s got proper airflow so you don’t feel like somebody is putting a blowtorch in your face,” said Erik “Erkki” Lindstrom, who built the embassy sauna in 1994.) Its walls are built from Virginia pine logs, and its benches are made from boards of African obechi wood. (“It’s cool to sit on,” Lindstrom explained in a phone interview.) An electric heater in the corner warms 200 pounds of igneous rocks and, according to a thermometer on the wall, raises the room’s temperature to about 190 degrees.

The sauna is used in two separate sessions. One for the women, one for the men.

Most interesting is the reference to the Swede’s sauna.

[The Washington Post]

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Finnish Embassy in Washington DC. Photo by NCinDC on Flickr"][/caption] The Washington Post today published a piece on the monthly Power Schvitz by the Diplomatic Finnish Sauna Society of D.C. held in the basement of the Finnish Embassy. The Diplomatic Finnish Sauna Society, according to the article is more than 150 members strong, and includes many Washington insiders and the reporters that cover them. The embassy began the sessions two years ago to compensate for Finland's predictable reputation and low international profile. The organizer is Kari Mokko, the embassy's press secretary.The reporter goes on to describe the sauna: At first blush, the sauna does not feel so blistering. ("It's got proper airflow so you don't feel like somebody is putting a blowtorch in your face," said Erik "Erkki" Lindstrom, who built the embassy sauna in 1994.) Its walls are built from Virginia pine logs, and its benches are made from boards of African obechi wood. ("It's cool to sit on," Lindstrom explained in a phone interview.) An electric heater in the corner warms 200 pounds of igneous rocks and, according to a thermometer on the wall, raises the room's temperature to about 190 degrees. The sauna is used in two separate sessions. One for the women, one for the men. Most interesting is the reference to the Swede's sauna. [The Washington Post]