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How Finns go to the bath. Finnish sauna is a national treasure

Many peoples have their own bathing traditions, which may seem strange to others, and sometimes indecent. Not in every country, going to the local bath, the Russian will feel at home.

Three in a Japanese barrel

Traditional Japanese baths may seem the most “shameless” to a Russian person. A furaco bath is a large wooden barrel filled with water. Often this water was taken from hot thermal springs. In order not to change the water every time after washing one person, washing with soap and a washcloth is done in advance.
The whole family or just a few people can sit in the furako, if the barrel is located in a public bath, for this there are benches on the sides of the barrel.
In public Japanese baths in the old days there were servant girls who provided visitors with intimate services. Some places of entertainment in Japan continue this tradition today. Are they called "soap country"? and clients are washed in them, and then they are “entertained”.
However, not all bathhouse attendants are lung girls behavior. Sometimes girls are preferred to be hired because it would be uncomfortable for women to use the services of male bath attendants. At the same time, there may not be an intimate component - the attendants will show how to use the bath, make sure that visitors do not get sick in a barrel of hot water, add aromatic oils to the water, and give a massage.
Now most public baths in Japan (sento) are divided into male and female halves, although this was not always the case: over the centuries, the relevant laws were either approved or repealed. Sento may have large heated pools.
Many sento baths are forbidden to people with tattoos, as they may be suspected of belonging to the mafia. There are also separate establishments where foreigners are not welcome.

bath equality

In many European baths there is no division into male and female zones - everyone sits in the same room or splashes in the same pool.
In Germany, many baths are located in areas with thermal waters. Usually they are divided into two halves: one contains pools and water attractions, the other contains saunas and steam rooms. Swimwear and swimming trunks are only allowed in the pool area. And to come to the bath in a bathing suit is nonsense. On the doors of the room where it is customary to sit naked, the letters FFK - Freikörperkultur - "Free Body Culture" are usually written.
The most shy can wrap themselves in a cotton towel - the Germans do not approve of synthetics, believing that it negates the healing effect of the bath. But usually no one looks at anyone - everyone is equal in the bathhouse. Rather, they will look at the guest wrapped in a towel.
The whole family goes to the German baths, so teenagers, their parents, and very young children can be in the same steam room. Sometimes, however, they arrange " women's days”, when men are not allowed into the bath complex.
make noise in German baths you can’t - it interferes with relaxing other guests.
It is worth saying that in the XV-XVII centuries. in Rus', baths also practiced joint washing of men and women, and the imperial decree forbidding everyone to wash together was issued only under Catherine II in 1782. Prior to this, the decree of the Governing Senate of 1741 was not successful. Finally, this custom came to naught only in the era of Alexander I.

To the bath - for important contracts

In Finland, it is not customary to refuse an invitation to a sauna. There, as in Germany, they sit “in what the mother gave birth to”, and the status of a neighbor is not taken into account. There is even a sauna in the parliament building. It is said that until the 1980s, parliamentary meetings were held there on Thursdays. All consulates and embassies of Finland abroad have their own saunas.
So if there is a goal to sign an important contract with a Finn or discuss any problem, you will have to go to the sauna with him. It is there that the Finns, who are usually closed and not very fond of making contact, are liberated and willingly conduct complex negotiations. Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari liked to discuss the most serious issues with foreign politicians right in the sauna. All ministers and presidents sat at the same time, as expected, naked. And Nikita Khrushchev in 1960 had to steam in the sauna of the Finnish embassy for five hours until he and President Urho Kekkonen came to an agreement on important issues.
Families go to the sauna together, and in public saunas, men and women bathe separately. Many Finns are offended when they talk about intimate relationships in saunas, believing that this opinion came in the 70s from Germany.
There are even floating saunas in Finland, which are not recommended for people who are sensitive to rocking.

Gay saunas

In Sweden for a long time there were special sauna-clubs for people with non-traditional orientation. In 1987 they were banned by the government, citing the spread of HIV infection, but in 2001 the ban was lifted. The authorities considered that during the ban there was no sharp increase morbidity rates, nor their sharp decline. Another argument in favor of the permit was that promiscuity in random places carries a much greater risk.
In the USA, similar baths also existed and were banned in the mid-80s in New York (1985) and San Francisco (1984). In the UK, gay saunas are still functioning: the largest network is located in London and is called Chariots. They have swimming pools, steam rooms, massage rooms. Saunas of this network are open around the clock.
Similar establishments exist in many countries around the world. A few years ago, the BBC reported that in Rome, a famous gay sauna and a department of the Vatican side by side in a historic palazzo.

sergeydolya in What not to do in the Finnish sauna

In 4 days in Finland, we saw as many saunas as we have probably never seen in our lives. Even in hotel rooms, along with a bath and shower, there were small saunas, to say nothing about hotel cottages.

The Finnish sauna is a dry heat bath, when the air in the room has low humidity (10-25%) and a high temperature in the range of 90-110 ° C. Finns visit the sauna every other day and this is in the order of things. The popularity of Finnish saunas has reached us, however, we copied only the form, forgetting about the content. Today I want to explain the main rules and explain why Natasha in the title photo is steaming incorrectly...

First, a few examples of saunas. Here is a roomy hotel option for general use:

Compact option for a family:

Today, the Finns are wildly popular black sauna - black saunas. This is something similar to a Russian bath:

Shared sauna in the hotel. Usually people go to the sauna either purely for men, or purely women's groups. Although, according to hotel staff, often friendly companies steam all together:

Private sauna in the cottage:

Private saunas usually have outdoor jacuzzis. Unlike the Russian tradition of throwing yourself into an ice hole, the Finns prefer a lukewarm bath:

So, important rule Finnish sauna: in no case should you enter the sauna in dressings, a swimsuit or a towel. Under no circumstances. For the Finns, this is bad manners, rudeness and violation of traditional values:

The only thing that is allowed is to take a special piece of paper to lay under the ass:

10.

This is what a person in a Finnish sauna should look like!

It is also important to sit with your feet on a bench (ideally lying down) so that the body heats up evenly. Before visiting the steam room, you can lightly wash yourself in the shower, but be sure to wipe yourself dry. You can't splash water on the stove. If it is very dry, it is allowed to carefully water the wooden walls of the steam room:

11.

How do you feel about the sauna? Do you like to steam?

P.S. I want to announce new section in my author's application "Traveldoll - Travels in the footsteps of Sergey Doli". Now the program has a guide to the Crimea, compiled on the basis of my many travels around the peninsula.

Crowded pools, unisex baths, bathing in the ice-hole and skilled masseurs... Maria TARANENKO joined the natural and cheerful spa culture of Finland.

I pictured a typical Finnish spa as ascetic, not crowded, with short, concise procedures and slow staff. Everything turned out differently.

SELF SPA

Spa vacation for our northern neighbors is first of all a bath. In the broadest sense of the word: from a classic sauna to a rustic smoke sauna. Hammam, baths, Russian steam room - any room with hot air causes respect and reverence among the Finns. No wonder that when I got to the spa area of the Holiday Club hotel, I was taken aback. Instead of quiet offices and stalking craftsmen, a noisy crowd of all ages fell upon me. Frightened, I ducked through the first door I came across. Behind it was a sauna, where naked ladies sat in a row, generously splashing water on hot stones. One of them turned to me with a reproachful speech. I quickly retreated. And again she found herself among the Finnish masses. Deciding to follow everyone, I got to the pool.

FULL IMMERSION

Palm trees! I least expected to see them. Tropical rampage on the sides looked completely un-Finnish. True, Scandinavian restraint was also alien to people splashing in the "tropical paradise". A huge pool with many niches, cascades and fountains disposed to unbridled fun. After swimming, I decided to re-enter the sauna. And, cautiously approaching the familiar door, I understood the reason for the discontent of the Finnish aunt. On the wall hung a picture of a crossed-out swimsuit and an inscription in several languages (including Russian): “Swimsuits evaporate dangerous toxins at high temperatures. Enter the bath naked." I felt ashamed both for my inattention and for the unintentional attempt on the life of my neighbors.

BANK IN BLACK

Having got rid of my swimsuit, I decided to try another Finnish spa find. Namely, a black bath. A small house on the shore of a small lake contrasted with the modern look of the hotel and resembled the hut of Baba Yaga. Inside - absolute darkness and clouds of smoke. It was smoke, not steam: a third of the room was occupied by an open hearth with smoldering firewood. Representatives of both sexes perched on benches along the wall. Absolutely naked men and women, without hesitation, exchanged words, threw water and helped each other find a free place. I tried to cover myself with a towel, but I realized that few people were interested in my beauty in this child. Unforgettable minutes in the "black bath" made me so akin to the Finnish people that I dived with everyone into the cold lake water. Delight!

NUDISM LAWS

It turned out that almost all sauna establishments in Finland live according to the law of “naked unisex”. Nobody is shy here. At the end of my stay, I no longer flinched from the fact that one of the men went into the women's locker room or changed clothes in front of everyone. Finnish spa nudism turned out to be very touching and conceptual. Walking naked in the name of preventing toxic choking is a great mission!

SLEEPING AREA

The hotel's professional spa area deserves special mention. True, there are no special design solutions, meditation cabins, fitness bars and other newfangled elements. The emphasis is not on the surroundings, but on the procedures. More precisely, on their result. The craftsmen working in the Holiday Club Katin- kulta are meticulous and diligent in a non-European way. Even a regular massage is performed honestly, without careless strokes and unnecessary movements. In combination with a regular spa vacation in the baths, the effect of beauty procedures is unrealistic.

NORTHERN GUEST

In the coming months, Russia's first Holiday Club hotel will open in St. Petersburg. The huge building promises to accommodate numerous rooms, shops, business centers, restaurants... And, most importantly, a spa area designed in the Finnish tradition. I wonder if there are unisex saunas?

There are 5.1 million inhabitants in Finland, and 1.7 million bathhouses, i.e. one bathhouse for three inhabitants. The sauna is considered to be an original Finnish phenomenon, but it is not a Finnish invention and belongs not only to the Finns. In the second half of the 19th century, on the Old Continent, baths were steamed in a single territory, stretched from Baltic Sea far to Ural mountains. Baths are common among other Finnish peoples of the Baltic region: Estonians, Karelians, Vepsians, Livs. In addition to them, bath lovers traditionally include many Slavic, Baltic (Latvians, Lithuanians), Turkic-Tatar, as well as Eastern Finno-Ugric peoples.

Article: Finnish sauna is a national treasure

Finland is a country of baths, and Finns are a people who love baths. There are 5.1 million inhabitants in Finland, and 1.7 million bathhouses, i.e., one bathhouse for three inhabitants. The sauna is considered to be an original Finnish phenomenon, but it is not a Finnish invention and belongs not only to the Finns. In the second half of the 19th century, on the Old Continent, baths were steamed in a single territory stretching from the Baltic Sea far to the Ural Mountains. Sauna is a common occurrence among other Finnish peoples of the Baltic region: Estonians, Karelians, Vepsians, Livs. In addition to them, bath lovers include many Slavic, Baltic (Latvians, Lithuanians), Turkic-Tatar, as well as Eastern Finno-Ugric peoples. A traditional bath is a wooden building where bathers sit on a shelf, throw water on the hot stones of the heater and take a steam bath with birch brooms.

Of the Finnish words - the most famous in different languages world "sauna" (bath), although according to the Finns it is not always used in the correct meaning. The expression "going to the bathhouse" means both visiting the bathhouse and the entire bathing procedure. It includes the process of sweating from the heat of the heater and the steam of water thrown on the stones, in Finnish “löyul”. (Finnish has two different words, meaning "couples" - höyry - "hyoryu" and löyly - "leyulu". The first is steam in general, for example, from water boiling in a cauldron, the second is the rapidly forming steam from water thrown onto the heated stones of the heater.) So, it is löyly - “leyulu” that is the spirit of the bath. Löyly is a Finno-Ugric word that has been used in Finnish for 7,000 years.

Finns are not the only vapers on the globe. Similar bath buildings and customs are known among many cultures (Roman, Turkish, Celtic bath, Indian "sweat tent", Japanese "furo", Russian "bath", Mexican "temazcal"). The Finns can be considered special bath attendants because they kept the bathing tradition alive and adapted it to modern image life. Due to the fact that the Finns preserved, developed and promoted the sauna, it has spread all over the world under the trademark "Made in Finland".

The history of the construction of the bath

"Sauna" is a Finnish-Sami word. The core of the bath was a heater - a pile of stones that were heated, and around which they could steam under a temporary cover, just as the American Indians did in their steam room hut. It is possible that a steam bath of the “sauna” type was known back in the Stone Age about 6 thousand years ago.

The heater, which is a large pile of stones and was the original bath hearth, continues to be used in modern baths "in a black way". It was well suited for heating homes and baths, but worse for cooking and baking. Therefore, in the 11th century, a furnace-chamber closed from above began to be used for baking, and a semblance of a stove appeared in front of the hearth for cooking. Consequently, there were two different hearths: one was suitable for housing, the other for a bath. The bath gradually turned into a room intended exclusively for washing. But part of the household chores still continued to be done in the bathhouse. At the end of the 18th century, in western Finland, closed brick stoves began to be placed in baths, which were safer in terms of fire than open heaters. There were two or three nests in the closed stoves-heaters: a nest for fire was located below, in the middle there was a stone nest for steam, and on top there was a chimney, from which smoke came out into the room.

There is a chimney in the bath. The heater, which removes smoke to the outside, appeared at the end of the 18th century and meant a turning point in the history of the development of the heater and the bath. The closed heater was also equipped with a chimney: the chimney cap was lengthened, turning into a narrower chimney, equipped with a view and rising above the roof. The chimney stack, built on its own base, and the heater made of bricks separated from it, began to be used in the 19th century.

A stove with a chimney made it possible to build bathhouses even where a “black” bathhouse was out of place, for example, in an urban environment, while cities were still built of wood, and there was a suitable place for a bathhouse in the courtyard of a residential building.

In the 1910s, factory production of standard metal-cased stoves began. The manufacturers were carried away by the "stove business", their new models appeared on the market, and in the 1930s a completely new type heaters: continuous heating stove. In it, firewood burns in a separate chamber, and fire and smoke do not come into contact with stones at all, as happens in a heater with one-time heating. Thanks to this, the fire can be maintained in the hearth even while using the steam room, and the steam is enough while the firewood is burning.

Bath in the city

In the 1930s, new models of stoves helped Finns rediscover the bathhouse after its decline in the first decades of the 20th century, when it seemed that the bathhouse, the custodian of rural traditions, could only be adapted to urban conditions with great difficulty.

Living conditions in Finland only became urban in the 1880s with the gradual introduction of running water, sewerage and electric light, the construction of stone buildings and multi-storey buildings. The bathroom and the novelty of the turn of the century, the bathtub, offered the Finns such a continental glitz that, by comparison, going to the bathhouse seemed an extremely old-fashioned and rustic custom. At least residents of multi-storey buildings would have been left without a bath for decades if there were no paid public baths for them. Public baths had separate sections for women and men, as well as a private section where families could sign up for a bath shift. In the largest bathhouses, in addition to the attendant, there was also a massage therapist, and sometimes even a bloodletter. Since many clients regularly went to the same baths at the same time, regular visitors began to appear at the public baths, who were met by their old acquaintances in a friendly atmosphere where there was no room for excellence, except for sporadic competitions between brave bathers. in who can better withstand the burning steam. The time of the public baths was in many ways a special period in the Finnish bathing tradition, which ended in the 1950s. In Helsinki, for example, at the turn of the 21st century there were only two public baths, while after the Second World War there were almost 150.

The electric heater signified the third stage in the development of the heater and sauna after the black sauna and the heater with a chimney. The prototype of the electric heater was already ready in the late 1930s, but due to wars industrial production unfolded only in the late 1940s. The electric heater is safe and easy to use, you just need to press a button and the electrical resistance will heat the stones of the heater to the required temperature. Since an electric heater does not need a chimney, a sauna can also be built where a wood-burning stove cannot be installed. The bathhouse no longer needs a separate building, it is located in the apartment in a separate room or internal bath, along with other rooms. The electric heater finally solved the problems of the city bath. Starting from the 1950s, in all multi-storey buildings, they began to build house baths in the basement, where residents of the house could sign up. But at present, instead of a bath for the whole house, almost all apartments in multi-storey buildings are building an intra-apartment bath next to the bathroom, which is a feature of the Finnish city apartment. The same small baths began to be built at the bathrooms of hotel rooms. This is a purely Finnish contribution to the international hotel life!

The firebox of the bathhouse and ancient bathing customs

In the old days, the bathhouse was a holy place for the Finns. At first it was in the yard, and only from the beginning of the 20th century on the shore of the lake, following the example of summer residents from the upper classes. They usually went to the bathhouse regularly, once a week. It took a whole day to heat the bath "in a black way" for several shifts of bathers. It was necessary to choose the right firewood, to be able to lay it in the stove and add it in time. It took time to heat the bathhouse and tie the brooms. This slowness when heating a bath and the ability to knit brooms correctly have been studied from generation to generation.

Many customs regulated the behavior of bathers. According to the proverb, “one must be in the bath like in the church,” with reverence. Usually warned that in the bath you can’t make noise, swear, gossip, slander, fart or make noise. Children were also taught these rules and customs.

Finnish ethnographic sources with considerable consistency indicate the fallacy of the existing world view of the Finnish bathing culture as a general baths. In the village community, men and women washed in separate shifts. Only later, families began to go to the bathhouse. Previously, the owner with the workers went to the bathhouse first, after field work, and the hostess with the workers later, after milking the cows.

Finnish literature is replete with colorful bath episodes. One of the most famous is described in the novel "The Seven Brothers" by Alexis Kivi - the brothers took a steam bath at Christmas on straw in a new chicken hut, enjoying Christmas beer until the bathhouse caught fire, and in order not to freeze to death, they had to run through it in their shirts. winter forest to the nearest house! The literature is based on a rich folk tradition. The bathhouse was connected in various ways with the course of the agricultural year. In it, they jointly performed a variety of chores: they processed flax, smoked meat and sausages, mashed and dried malt, germinated seed potatoes, and washed linen. During these annual sessions, old and young members of the clan worked together for several days in a row, passing the time with folk runes and songs. Also, in the rhythm of the work, they sang, for example, erotic songs, told legends and fairy tales, and made riddles.

In the folk calendar, attention was paid to significant days when they were guessing for luck next year in crafts, in marriage. On the Karelian Isthmus in Koivisto, a bathhouse was heated on New Year's Eve in every house very early, before dawn. It was said that "the work during the year will arrive on time if the smoke rose on New Year's morning to the sky to the sun."

The pleasures of the bath

Why do Finns go to the bathhouse? Because - this is an old custom and they are used to it from childhood.

Bath gives purity, health, peace of mind, emotional impressions and many other pleasures.

Purity. IN old days the bath offered the opportunity to wash thoroughly at least once a week, and more often if necessary. Good sanitary equipment of modern apartments replaces the bath in this its main function, but the bath continues to be considered a necessary part of the bathrooms of the apartments. In the bath, the steam room and subsequent water rinse cleans the skin better than people can usually imagine.

Health. The old Finnish proverb “if a bath, vodka and resin do not help, then the disease is fatal” does not mean the simultaneous use of these three effective “medicines”. Health was sought in the bath, when they felt the need to restore tired joints and aching muscles from hard work.

Peace of mind. Finnish writer F. E. Sillanpä, who received Nobel Prize in 1939, told how he, after a long period creative work tired and depressed, went to rest in native home to parents. On the very first evening, steaming in the gloomy silence of a warm bath, he felt how oppression and depression gradually disappeared. After the bath, he, having regained his balance and creative strength, was ready at least immediately to start writing again.

The bath relaxes, calms, restores peace of mind. During the negotiations, the joint steam room more than once discharged the tense atmosphere, and after the bath, the conferees made good and unanimous decisions.

Emotional impressions. For people who are accustomed to the rush and the rapid passage of time, the "sauna effect" allows you to stop to catch your breath, and then cheerfully run on, in step with the times.

The impact of the bath on health

Previously, people went to the bathhouse specifically to treat diseases. In complete peace, traditional healers could concentrate on their work, and the state of mind of the patients was favorable for treatment, because many beliefs were associated with the bathhouse and it aroused a sense of respect in visitors. Belief in the healing power of the bath has not yet disappeared, although people know that the bath does not prevent or cure chronic diseases. But the bath certainly improves the general well-being of the bather and has a positive effect on health, even with some signs of illness. In the bath, the pulse and breathing quicken, blood circulation and metabolism accelerate, body temperature rises, and blood pressure may temporarily decrease. Medicine considers the healing effect of the bath to be significant. The bath tempers the body and calms the soul. Finnish and Karelian folk healers, bloodletters, and bone-setters knew well the health effects of the bath. What is the healing effect of the bath based on? It's about about the know-how of traditional folk healers: "In the bath, a person is steamed. When a person feels that the veins are pulled and it hurts in the side, then the bath heals from this. When the head hurts, you can go to the bath. When you cough, you can’t go to the bath. Here when the cough passes, you can go. If a person is cold and he goes to the bath, then the cold penetrates the heart. You must first warm yourself from the inside and only then go to the bath."

The bath has always been a holy place for the Finns, where they went to cleanse not only the body, but above all the soul at all turning points. human life- from birth to washing the dead. Without exception, all bathing rituals associated with different periods of life were performed by women. Only in the event that the transition from one state to another, according to the community, did not work out for some reason, for example, the child or the patient was very sick, a sorcerer, exorcist, folk healer was called to help. It was about a crisis that needed the strongest religious leader of the area or family, a woman or a man, who would restore order in the community with the help of healing rites.

Before the Second World War, a Finnish woman usually gave birth in a bathhouse. It must be remembered that the bath was a heated, clean room, the most hygienic in rural conditions. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the tradition of women's "bath time" was observed, which could last a whole week until the newborn was solemnly brought into the hut. According to the old folk tradition, the father could only then see his child. According to the ancient, pre-Christian custom of the Nordic countries, the child received a name when the elder of the family poured water on him. Later, dousing replaced Christian baptism.

The essence of the bath

The sauna is part of the Finnish identity and a national treasure that will flourish well into the 21st century. Comparison of the Finnish bath with other similar institutions and customs of other peoples allows you to see your traditions in a new way and better understand the customs and essence of other cultures. By getting to know each other, we get to know ourselves more deeply. Despite the differences, the sweat tent American Indians, or "inip", Japanese furo and Finnish bath have much in common, especially spiritual level. The main purpose of a steam room in a bath, a sweat tent, bathing in hot furo water is not to cleanse the body, but to relax both the body and the soul of a person. Keyword here is "revival". This is exactly what happens in the soul of a person after a hot steam room and a refreshing bath.

To install a bath "in a black way" you need skill, but above all a leisurely approach. This slowness when heating a bath and the ability to knit brooms correctly was studied from generation to generation.

After the bath, there is nowhere to rush. heavenly feeling. The bath relaxes both the body and the soul of a person. The key word here is "revival" - this is exactly what happens in a person's soul after a hot steam room and a refreshing bath.

Birch broom

First, a few examples of saunas. Here is a roomy hotel option for general use:

Compact option for a family:

Today, the Finns are wildly popular black sauna - black saunas. This is something similar to a Russian bath:

Shared sauna in the hotel. Usually, either purely male or purely female groups go to the sauna. Although, according to hotel staff, often friendly companies steam all together:

Private sauna in the cottage:

Private saunas usually have outdoor jacuzzis. Unlike the Russian tradition of throwing yourself into an ice hole, the Finns prefer a lukewarm bath:

So, an important rule of the Finnish sauna: in no case should you enter the sauna in edits, a swimsuit or a towel. Under no circumstances. For the Finns, this is bad manners, rudeness and violation of traditional values:

The only thing that is allowed is to take a special piece of paper to lay under the ass:

10.

This is what a person in a Finnish sauna should look like!

11.

How do you feel about the sauna? Do you like to steam?

P.S. I want to announce a new section in my author's application "

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