This year, the NHL is kicking off its season in Europe. The Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild will begin it with their first two games in Helsinki. While there native Finn, and forward for the Hurricanes Tuomo Ruutu, will be taking his team to experience the smoke saunas on Sauna Island when they arrive in Helsinki.
Smoke saunas are the original form of the Finnish sauna, and were the only kind available until enclosed stoves were developed in the mid-20th century. In a smoke sauna, an open fire is built beneath the stones to preheat them before the bathers arrive. The smoke from the fire fills the sauna. Typically a mixture of hardwood and softwood logs are used as fuel for the fire, with the softwoods, typically juniper, added at the end to impart some aroma to the heat.
Before the bathers are allowed in the sauna, the fire is allowed to burn out, and the embers are swept out of the sauna to minimize the risks of Carbon Monoxide inhalation. The heat needed for bathing is now stored in the stones of the stove.
Pentti Tuohimaa, chairman of the International Smoke Sauna Club told Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that you should “heat the sauna stove quickly. The idea is that the building itself is not heated, but the temperature inside is controlled by throwing water on the stove.” He estimates that he can prepare his personal smoke sauna with three firebox loads of wood, making it more efficient and environmentally friendly than a continuously heated stove.
At the start of last year’s season, the Florida Panthers paid a visit to Sauna Island when they played a game in Helsinki against the Chicago Black Hawks. The Panthers went on to come in last in their division. Let’s hope things work out better for the ‘Canes this year.
The book is billed as a full-color history of Finnish sauna in the western Great Lakes. The publishers have released a trailer of the book on You Tube (embedded above) and promised two more installments later this fall.
According to the publisher:
As many in the north country can attest, one of life’s great pleasures resides in the tradition of sauna—sitting in 180-plus-degree heat and throwing cool water on oven-hot stones to create a blast of steam (called löyly), followed by a jump in the lake, standing naked in subzero temperatures (or even rolling in the snow), or just relaxing on the cooling porch. To the uninitiated, there is a strange, alluring mystique to the art of Finnish sauna. But to an ever-increasing number of people—from their small urban saunas to backwoods and lakeside retreats—the culture and practice of Finnish sauna are as much a part of northwoods life as campfires and canoe trips.
Beginning with the origins of Finnish sauna and arrival of the practice to North America, and continuing all the way to contemporary design, The Opposite of Cold is an exquisite commemoration of the history, culture, and practice of Finnish sauna in the north woods. With stunning photographs of unique and historic saunas of the region—including the oldest sauna in North America, incredible surviving saunas from immigrant farmsteads, and the gorgeous contemporary saunas from noted architects—Michael Nordskog and Aaron W. Hautala unveil the importance and beauty of sauna culture in modern Midwestern life.
Richly illuminated by Hautala’s photographs of distinctive saunas from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, and Finland, The Opposite of Cold is for people who grew up with Wednesday and Saturday evening saunas (or watched their steaming neighbors running toward the lake) and for those who dream of one day having their own. Through this book we see why Finnish sauna tradition is vital and enduring, from the warmest summer evenings to the coldest winter nights.
In my review of this morning’s Sauna news, I happened upon a review of The Sauna Cookbook: Food for Body and Soul posted on The Culinary Cellar blog. This cookbook, written by Tuula Kaitilia and Edey Saarinen has 130 recipes with color photos and measurements in English and Metric Units.
So what does the sauna have to do with a cookbook , you ask? It is known that sauna bathing depletes the body of fluids and electrolytes, thus making it necessary to replenish them with a refreshing drink and salty snack. The sauna and the ensuing drink and treats together provide food for the body and soul, hence the title of the cookbook. The Finns will cook food inside the sauna as it heats up. Some of the popular items include sausages and fish. Sausages are wrapped in foil and placed directly on the sauna rocks. Others like to have sandwiches or salted salmon ready to eat inside their homes after relaxing in the sauna. The cookbook has chapters on all the traditional sauna foods, along with wonderful bread recipes, desserts, beverages, sauces and condiments, and even Christmas foods. Before all the recipes, the first chapter explains the culture of the sauna itself in Finnish life, which is fascinating. It has been a ritual in Finland for thousands of years, and is an integral part of entertaining and family life. People will build their sauna before they even build the home alongside it.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the sauna used for cooking. At Therme Erding near Munich, they have their “Bakery Sauna” where the sauna stove is used as an oven to bake bread while you’re enjoying the heat.
Do you like your saunas hot? Really friggin’ hot? Then maybe you should consider entering the Sauna World Championships. They’ve been held in Heinloa Finland, a two hour bus ride from Helsinki, every August since 1999.
If you can get yourself to Finland this August 5-7, get a note from your doctor, and pay the € 50 entrance fee, you can add to the 137 men and 20 women from 22 countries who competed in 2008.
How hot is it? It’s 110°C / 230°F in there. If that isn’t hot enough, twice a minute an automatic shower dumps a half liter of water on the rocks of these specially constructed saunas. There’s no high-tech clothing that helps here: The rules allow the competitors to wear only a swimsuit, with strict regulations on the maximum size. The winners have to endure up to 4 qualifying rounds, each requiring the contestants to outlast their other competitors in the heat, taking from 4 to 13 minutes. The 2008 final took 17 minutes to decide the men’s winner.
If you can’t get an idea of what this feels like, American Sports journalist Rick Reilly competed in the 2007 World Sauna Championships, and describes his experience in his new book, Sports from Hell: My Search for the World’s Dumbest Competition. There is an excerpt from it on ESPN.com. In it he describes his experience:
We went in, and it was so instantly, shockingly, insanely hot, my brain just stopped working. It was like walking into a bonfire and pulling up a chair in the middle of it. My strategy was to go in and keep time by the 30-second water splashes, but that plan was scrapped approximately seven seconds in. Thinking literally hurt. I tried to stare at the rocks and not blink, because blinking hurt. I tried to take very few breaths, because breathing hurt. I was sure flames were coming out of my mouth. My back seemed to have ignited. I was convinced my ears were literally on fire, but if I moved even slightly, they hurt more. I tried sitting up higher, but it was even hotter. I tried crouching down more, but then I was nearer to the unforgiving rocks. Then came the hideous, cruel, pitiless splashes of water, each one lasting three seconds. I was just about to bolt into the fresh air when — miraculously — the tall, skinny guy next to me ran out. Amazing! I wasn’t last! I had no idea how much time had elapsed — four minutes? Six? I promised myself: When I get to the point where I can no longer stand it, I’ll count 60 seconds and go.
Four seconds later, I decided I could no longer stand it.
So I started counting. One, two, three … It was the longest minute of my life. At 60 I went barreling out. Watching other heats, I’d wondered why even losers came out grinning and raising their hands in victory, but now I knew. The cool air was so beautiful, so redeeming, so life giving. You could French-kiss Osama bin Laden.
I looked at the clock. 3:10? That was it? When did the first guy bolt? “2:40,” I was told. Which meant I’d counted my 60 seconds in 30.
If you just want to watch the proceedings, admission costs € 15 each day.
For those of you who are enthusiastic about both saunas and philately, Finnland Post has just issued the stamp set for you. Rather than rewrite it, we’ll let their press release do the talking.
“When I chose the pictures for the Sauna booklet, I aimed for Finnishness and the authentic sauna atmosphere,” says the designer of the booklet, Päivi Vainionpää. “The first stamp shows a moment before a sauna. The sun is going down, there’s a fresh birch whisk in the bucket on the jetty, and soft towels await the bathers,” as she describes the scene. The second stamp shows the bathers actually in the sauna, and the third stamp depicts an idyllic shoreline sauna in its natural setting. The fourth and fifth stamps show sauna atmosphere inside and out: a sauna whisk bathes in the sunlight on a log wall, and inside the sauna the sunshine lights up the bathing place through a window.
The Sauna stamps include microscopic scent capsules. When the stamps are rubbed, the capsules burst and spread a pleasing aroma of birch leaves.
Checking their website, the stamps were supposed to have been released on May 6. As of today, we can’t find a link to buy these on their online stamp shop. It looks like the booklet will cost € 4.00 (approx. US$ 5.35)
Nokia Löyly showing the conditions the new Nokia 5800 Sauna Edition is enduring from AllAboutSybian.com
For those of us addicted both to our sauna and our smartphone, Nokia today announced the release of their 5800 Sauna Edition today. AllAboutSybian.com broke the story earlier today. They interviewed Dr. Huhtikuun Ensimmäinen of Nokia’s Consumer Innovations Unit who said:
So, here we have the 5800 Sauna Edition, heat resistant up to 120 degrees celsius and able to work without problems in a typical sauna humidity. We have included a thermometer/hygrometer application so you can follow the progress of your sauna, but the real innovation here is our work on the casing. The Sauna Edition’s casing is coated with a special organically-derived plastic which allows radio signals to move unimpeded but blocks 99.99% of all humidity from entering.
Dr. Ensimmäinen expects the device to be popular in the Nordic regions, central Europe, and Russia. They believe a niche product like this would have a market to sauna enthusiasts worldwide, including us in North America.
AllAboutSybian.com found that the specialized thermo-hygrometer application bundled with the phone, Nokia Löyly reported accurate temperatures, and since most saunas are dimly lit, “a backlit phone-based meter app clearly offer a potential advantage over traditional sauna meters.” They also report that “there are tentative proposals to make a Bluetooth-compatible sauna stove which will adjust its temperature automatically according to your personalised settings on the 5800 SE”
They recorded their full interview with Dr. Ensimmäinen, including a [NSFW] demo of the phone being used in a sauna by young women. It is available here. Enjoy.
Mihael Cankar, a Finn living in Helsinki, has been maintaining his Finnish Sauna site since 1994. He has achieved his mission of bringing information about sauna culture to the internet.
He covers all of the important topics for the potential sauna-goer: How to Use the Sauna, Health Issues, building and maintaining Your Own Sauna, and the History and Traditions of the sauna. He rounds out his own content with judicious links to content by others, including Dr. Weil and a first-time sauna goer.
Pay his site a visit, and you’ll never wonder what Avantouinti means again.
by Michael Nordskog has just been released by the 
In my review of this morning’s Sauna news, I happened upon a review of 
. There is an excerpt from it on 
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