It is sacred. It is a strong cultural thing in Finland. It is estimated there is about two million saunas in Finland, for a population of around 5,3 million.
For Finns Sauna has been a place for child birth and a place to heal your hurts, physiological as well as mental. One particular thing about The Sauna has always intrigued me: the meaning and context of “Löyly”. Löyly is a word for the steam that rises from the hot rocks when you pour water over them. It’s also a word for the heat, warmth, moisture or dryness; the overall sauna experience. You can also for example ask: “was the Löyly good?” from a visiting friend that was using your sauna even though the friend didn’t pour any water on the rocks. The answer varies of course since the Löyly is not always good per se: It can be unpleasant too.
Now… The Löyly… It could be perceived as mere physical feature of warmth and moisture but I think it means much more. You could say that Löyly is the Spirit of the Sauna. The Pneuma. The Breath that either hurts you or heals you and it is also affected by the state of mind of the person among it.
One more thing that in my opinion describes Finnish Sauna intriguenly is an “ancient” proverb my dad has taught me:
“There is three things you should not ever say “thank you” for: The Sauna, alcohol and sex”
It has a ton of wisdom in it although it sounds kinda rude and unsophisticated.
Daddy Thinks 
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