I jump-started my summer travel by saying yes to an invitation by the World Sauna Forum to discover Finland through its bathing culture, at the heart of which is the sauna. Meant to be shared, in good company, the country’s sauna ethos is all about steaming, sweating, and dissolving into a wonderful kind of togetherness, among family, friends, and even strangers.
Kotiharjun is Helsinki’s last remaining wood-fired public sauna, open since 1928. Walk through a park of tulips until you see a large “SAUNA” sign glowing in the distance, and a double row of half-dressed people sitting on the outside ledges cooling off. This is the unadorned local, no frills real deal.
Lonna Sauna, located on a former military island, a seven-minute ferry ride from the coast of Helsinki, is an urban retreat. The vibe is relaxed, all-welcoming, local, contemporary. Sip a Fat Lizard local beer while gazing at the sea. Other must-tries: Löyly and Kulttuurisauna. But, top of my list is Furuvik Seaside Sauna, located on a forest beach. Drop into a true piece of Finnish living, explore and linger at your own pace amid the sea air, birch, sausages roasting on the open fire, and laughter, before jumping into the Baltic Sea.
Take a break from the sweat fest and visit the Oodi Library, a striking glass and steel structure, and HAM, the Helsinki Art Museum and home of the Helsinki Biennale. Try Rams Roastersfor pre-sauna coffee and Ravintola Kuurna, a quaint bistro in the Kruununhaka neighborhood, for apres sauna feasting.
Lapland Hotels Bulevardi was my base, wonderfully cozy and Nordic, filled with reindeer and sheep skins — the forest brought indoors — and in-room saunas.
Visit my website and join me on a midsummer Finnish bathing adventure.
-- Patricia Garcia-Gomez is a sensory immersion artist and writer