The sauna bath is spreading from the Nordic countries, where it is a deep-rooted tradition, to all parts of the world. The opening of public saunas in many countries, in addition to the traditional Nordic ones, is a trend that grows year after year. These public places are in wide demand, so there are simple and rustic ones and also others that are large, luxurious and high-tech.
The origin of the sauna bath
Perhaps the most popular Finnish word in the world is precisely “sauna”. And it is because the today popular bathroom had Finland as one of its origins. To trace these origins we must go back about 10 thousand years. The first and primitive forms were that of a hole in the ground and with rocks heated in a bonfire.
According to Finnish folklore researcher Dalva Lamminmäki, who works at the University of Eastern Finland, the method and forms evolved over the centuries. From the first “sweat houses” found buried in the United Kingdom and Ireland, dating back to the Bronze Age, to the modern and technological ones known today.
The sauna is also a custom spread throughout the ancient world. From the ancient Islamic world, to the indigenous civilizations of Mexico and North America, which had their own “sweat houses.” According to studies from Harvard University, in indigenous culture it had ritual and ceremonial reasons.
The “sweat bath in other cultures”
In Japan, it is also a very old custom. Natural caves were used for these purposes, which were later transformed into baths inside the temples, as described by Emma O’kelly in her book “Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat.”
Of course, each culture had its own special way of “sweating baths.” Islamic culture with the Ottoman haman or more commonly called “Turkish bath”. The Mayans called it Temazcal and the Russians called it Banya. The truth is that it is a heat therapy that has survived the passage of centuries and is irrefutably valid today.
The sauna bath is related to health and relaxation
One of the reasons for being a trend today is because of its properties for good health. With the hustle and bustle that daily life imposes on people in the 21st century, it is the best way to relax.
However, in other times, they were not spaces only for family or personal relaxation. They also had other purposes, such as drying flax or rye, cooking, washing clothes, making soap, washing the dead before burial or giving birth. Even on some occasions, it was the perfect place for a secret romantic date.
However, for both the Finnish culture and the Native Americans, the sauna had to bring together all four elements. Water, earth, fire and air. Spiritually, it was a microcosm where the elements of the Universe were in communion. The heavenly world; the Earth, as the middle kingdom, and the underworld, as the place of the dead. Therefore, the sauna was a point located between this world and the afterlife.
