There is nothing more Finnish than sauna, and many Finns think you can not grasp Finland or its culture without bathing in a sauna. However, Finns understand that foreigners have certain inhibitions and concerns when it comes to stepping in a heated box with no clothes on. Have a look at our tips below and you need to worry no more. Full of interesting contrasts, such as the four seasons, the Midnight Sun and winter darkness, urban and rural, East and West. Sauna is good for everybody. Only newborn babies and people with serious conditions like open wounds or heart problems should avoid sauna. Finnish sauna has nothing to do with sex, and suggesting it will not score points with Finns. It is a place for physical and mental cleansing, and many suggest one should behave in a sauna as they would in church. Getting invited to a sauna is an honour. If you have a reason for declining, fair enough, but it better be a good one!
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People 42 comments. The Finnish sauna etiquette may feel like a mystery before your first visit to Finland. T here might be several questions on your mind!
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A visit to a nude spa helped Ginger finally feel comfortable in her own skin. Could it work for you? A whole new world. Image: iStock Source:Whimn. In life there are always those moments when you unexpectedly come face to face with yourself and you hope to show courage. Be your best self. Battle those demons. Back in the European autumn of , I went to Finland to visit my good friend Laura.
Steam hisses from hot coals in the corner of the sauna, almost in chorus with the deep exhales of 10 naked women lounging around me. I've never met these women before, and I can't even talk to them in their native tongue, but here we are without even a towel to cover ourselves, laughing, panting, and chatting in broken English in a 19th-century locally run sauna in Helsinki, Finland. If I'd completely understood what the night would entail when I agreed on a whim to visit Kaurilan Sauna with a fellow travel writer, I probably wouldn't have gone. After all, the prospect of getting completely naked with strangers in a small, remote cabin in Finland sounds more like the makings of a horror story than a memorable travel tale. But to unbeknownst to me at the time, that random night would teach me more about nudity, female friendship, and body confidence than any experience I've had since puberty. When our taxi driver turned off the highway and onto a dirt road that wound erratically through dense forest, I should've known this wasn't a typical tourist experience. I was visiting Finland as a guest of Finnair , the country's flag carrier that's ramping up direct flights to European hot spots and internally to Lapland, but this experience was strictly off-itinerary.
