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History of the sauna
For the Finns the sauna has always been important. It has a long
history, going back at least a thousand years. There are today an
estimated 1.5 million saunas in Finland, which is rather a lot for a population
of 5 million. It has evolved from being purely for cleaning to being a
relaxing, pleasurable social activity.
The sauna is a very Finnish tradition and Finns are passionate about
it. Visitors to Finland should try the experience. As a central part
of Finnish culture, sauna is present in much of the literature.
Originally, the sauna was a place to bathe, but as it was the only available
clean place with abundant water, it has also been a place where the Finns have
been brought into this world and healed.
A short swim in a lake complete the perfect sauna experience. Finland
has cold winters and the lakes freeze over for several months. But this
doesn't stop the Finns. A hole in the ice tends to create a private pool!
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