Finnish people know how its done - they have been using saunas since ancient times and to this day, sauna is an important part of everyday life for a vast number of fins. Here are two things habits to adopt if you want a full and authentic finnish sauna experience.
Löyly - for a steamy sauna session
Löyly (pronounced low-lu) is an important part of the traditional sauna experience. Löyly means throwing small amounts of water on the hot sauna stones to create a warm and soothing steam. The steam rapidly increases the heat as well as the humidity of the sauna room, bringing pleasure as well as health benefits.
The whisk - to wake up the body
You know that story about Finnish people hitting each other with birch branches in the sauna? Well, it’s true... And it’s great! The whisk (vihta or vasta in finnish) is made of young birch twigs and used to be an integral part of sauna bathing. The idea is to beat the skin lightly with the whisk in order to stimulate blood circulation and to release the fresh and invigorating birch aroma.
Happy bathing!
