First Finnish Sauna

Clive Gunnell towels up for the first public Finnish sauna in the South West. The owner is Reg Bullitt of Yarcombe. The dry heat sauna is well-known for its health benefits and in Finland, it is a part of national culture with many Finns having a sauna fitted as standard in their house. Another tradition is Finnish vihta or vasta, birch branches used to massage and stimulate the skin. The kiuas or stove warms up the sauna and steam or löyly is created by throwing water on the coals.

There is an official Finnish Sauna Society near the country’s capital, Helsinki and even an extreme sport the Sauna World Championship called Sweat. It is considered normal not to wear clothes in the sauna and the experience is a non-sexual one akin to naturism (and has nothing to do with how the word sauna has been exported and misused in pleasure districts around the world). After exiting the sauna, it is possible to throw yourself into a cold bath or in the winter even into a freezing lake to stimulate circulation before returning for a second go. Sessions can take from thirty minutes up to two hours and are a popular after dinner wind-down. A post-sauna shower leaves you feeling squeaky clean and revitalised.