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Conference turris::scandia

Title:	All about Scandinavia

Moderator:	TLE::SAVAGE

Created:	Wed Dec 11 1985
Last Modified:	Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	603
Total number of notes:	4325

58.0. "Sauna anyone?" by BLITZN::PALO (Rik @(oo)@ Palo) Sun Feb 23 1986 21:03

	Excerpt from the book SUOMI [FINLAND][FINNLAND]...

	[quote]

	The Finnish sauna is a custom and tradition which is still very much
	alive today.  When our ancestors first arrived at the site of their
	new home and started to build, they began with the sauna, and there 
	they at first lived.  Nowadays there are saunas in many townhouses, 
	but it is absolutely essential to have one at the summer cottage too.

	The best location for a sauna is on the lake or sea-shore, and ideally,
	it should be built of logs.  Smoke saunas which have no chimney produce
	the best heat, but there are only a few of these left.

	Preparing for sauna begins with chopping the wood, carrying it to the
	sauna and kindling a fire.  Then, water is carried to the boiler, and
	it is lit so as to heat the water for washing.

	As soon as the fire is drawing well, it is time to go into the woods
	and break off sufficient birch twigs to make a sauna whisk.  Whilst
	tending the fire, these twigs are tied together into a whisk which will
	bring a wonderful aroma into the sauna and set the blood flowing more
	quickly when it is used to beat the skin.  Birch leaves are full of
	vitamins, and these are absorbed by the skin to enhance the body.

	The sauna bath should be commenced lazily, and the water thrown 
	carefully at first.  After a brisk spell in the stream, one can relax
	and cool off, first on the verandah of the sauna and then in the lake.

	At the end of a good sauna one feels blissful and completely happy. The
	sauna purifies both mind and body.

	[end quote]


	my personal comments on this is that I'm not sure about the vitamin
	part, but if you don't have birch,  Sage works very well in the West
	if you can find it.  Also,  I notice they don't mention that sauna
	does wonders for one's sex drive...  seems most old finnish families
	were 10..12 children.  (I never fight tradition, just prefer birth 
	control -> but that's for the SEX notesfile!)

	On my aunt's farm when I was growing up we had a sauna like the one 
	describe above, Don't know whether I agree about the chimney-less
	saunas - ours didn't have one, and I hated it when I was little.  The
	grownups used to always say that the sauna was just getting "good" when
	us kids split for the creek!

		regards..

		terveisin

			\rik  (risto)

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
58.1	one more thing...	BLITZN::PALO	Rik @(oo)@ Palo	`Sun Feb 23 1986 21:07`	6
	Another note on sex drive in the Finnish tradition - If ya ain't got a sauna, try powdered raindeer horn! An old Lap custom. Goes great in tea. \rik
58.2		BRAHMS::DARCY	George Darcy	`Sun Feb 23 1986 23:14`	5
	Indeed, a sauna was found in the remains of the Viking settlement, "L'anse au Meadows" in Newfoundland - a settlement which goes back almost 1000 years! George
58.3		GYCSC1::ORA	This space intentionally not left blank	`Mon Feb 24 1986 05:10`	5
	re .1: Haven't needed the reindeer horn yet - but at least the Japanese believe in it, they export tons of it to Japan!! (Good business, what else would you do with reindeer horns after having eaten the meat?).
58.4	Folk remedies	AJAX::JJOHNSON	Jim Johnson	`Tue Mar 18 1986 20:55`	6
	There is also an old Finnish proverb that says that if sauna, tar and booze don't help, the disease you have will be the death of you. I have also heard a version saying 'if sauna, tar and booze don't help, omit the sauna and the tar'... stj :-)
58.5		MUN02::ORA	This space intentionally left nonblank	`Fri Mar 21 1986 11:02`	4
	Hmmm... I doubt your second version. Maybe tar sin't so popular anymore, but lots of 'preventive maintenance' is being done using the other two... a real good hangover makes any disease feel like nothing.
58.6	SAUNA ANYONE	CYGNUS::OLSEN		`Mon Nov 24 1986 12:15`	9
	WE BUILT OUR SAUNA AT LEAST 10 YEARS AGO AS DID MANY OF MY FINNISH FRIENDS.MY PARENTS WHERE HERE FROM FINLAND AND COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT WE EVER FELT CLEAN WITHOUT A SAUNA.WELL THAT WAS THE START. OURS IS EL.HEATED BUT WORKS FINE,ALTHOUGH NOT QUITE THE SAME AS OUR WOOD HEATED "BASTU" IN FINLAND. WHEN WE HAVE NICE FRESH SNOW WE ALSO RUN OUT IN IT AFTER A HOT SPELL THEN QUICKLY BACK IN AGAIN. LETS HOPE WE HAVE A "REAL" WINTER THIS YEAR WITH LOTS OF SNOW. GLAD TO HAVE FOUND "THE NOTES FILE" CHARLOTTA
58.7	Lisaa loylya !!!!	HSKSA1::TILLANEN		`Tue Jun 02 1987 04:35`	37
	Hi! As beein a Finn I just MUST take part to this sauna conversation. Sauna really does good to both body and mind and having a "snowswim", as Charlotte mentioned, makes it even greater. By the way, in case your cottage or house happends to be near (clean) water why wouldn't you try swimming in a hole made in ice ? No kidding, really! I haven't tried it myself but I've spoken with those who have and they claim it pures both body and soul. And has also the simultanious sideeffect of making your body more immune to diseases, so, tougher in a way. (Possible AIDS - drug ??) But back to the sauna; Charlotte, you mentioned that you have el. heated sauna in your home but the one in here Finland heats with wood. Have you noticed any diffence between these two ? I've been in both and just gotta say that this one we have now, which warms up with wood, brightens mind after being in there while the previous el. heated one made a little tired afterwards. I've read that the relaxing and tiring effect comes from positive iones which the el. heated "warmer" ("kiuas" in finnish, I don't know the respective word in english, help me) emits. "Wood - warming" emits negative iones, of course, which stimulates. Please don't take this as insult; it isn't ment to be one. Just an observation. So, I'm asking: Have you noticed any difference ? As defence to the el. heated I must say that it is much cleaner and simplier to snap it on than plying with wood. Eero Tillanen FNO Helsinki (Finland) Sales Communications Co - ordinator alias SAUNAmaniac
58.8	See Note 378	MLTVAX::SAVAGE	Neil @ Spit Brook	`Mon Jan 15 1990 10:05`	2
	Discussion of the medical aspects of the sauna tradition continues in Note 378.
58.9	Heating the Sauna	PKENT::KENT	Peter Kent - SASE, 223-1933	`Sat Feb 03 1990 12:57`	6
	The Saunas that I have been in are heated with either wood or electricity. The best ('course) are heated with wood. I'd like to build a sauna and was wondering if there are any other methods of heating the stones (kivet)? How about propane or some other fuel? Peter
58.10		BHAJEE::JAERVINEN	I pink, therefore I spam	`Mon Feb 05 1990 09:12`	13
	I guess you could theoretically use about any fuel (how about a mini-nuclear-reactor 8-) ? I don't think it's easy to find a commercially made 'kiuas' for anything else than electricity or wood. I've once seen one which used oil (self built) but it's virtually impossible to avoid smell of oil which isn't very nice. Natural or liquid gas might work fine, however I wouldn't recommend building gas appliances yourself and finding one on the market is unlikely.