Irish reaction to Finland's SAVUSAUNA | SMOKE SAUNA
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ค. 2024
- #finland #culture #vlog
This past week I released a video about how I have falling in love with Finland's Sauna Culture! And a lot of my subscribers told me to react to a savusauna! So here it is!
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Savusauna is the OG of saunas. A rarity nowadays. A well-heated savusauna next to a lake is an earthly paradise.
I have no idea how it is in Finland, But in Estonia savvusunas have also practical use, homesteaders usually smoke meat there and meat smoked in Savvusauna is so much more special than usual smoked meat you can buy that meat of fair sometimes and it is expensive but it is experience. I remeber my childhood when we made meat there and sometimes a fish.
It's the same but don't know about the practicality since you can buy saunapalvi meat from almost every store that sells meat.
@@asjaosaline5987 after savusauna i smell like smoked meat and would like to eat myself :D
Savusauna is completely another level of experience compared to normal wood burning sauna. The steam is just way too smooth. As it takes the whole day to heat it perfectly, it is rarity to see one, even more rare to get perfectly heated one.
Apparently there's one open to public in Löyly Helsinki?
It is smoother because there is no more fire involved in boiling the water, so it takes longer for the water to vaporize. And since there are only a ton or two of hot stones producing heat, the heat radiation is different in a smoke sauna than in other saunas. The steam is therefore somewhat cooler and lasts longer than in constantly warming saunas. At one time, these same saunas were also used to smoke and preserve meat for the winter. So it's a kind of bathing in a smokehouse.
The vihta, or vasta depending where you are in Finland gets your blood running, it helps with the bug bites itching during the summer, and it's an ancient way to smell good and clean yourself. You don't only hit yourself with it, you also rub it against your skin like using a brush or a sponge on a shower, so it also peals of the dead skin.
The birch has some terpenes and oils in it. They also used to put one juniper branch on the vasta to really get the itch of, and to give some good smell. It used to be like soap, now it's more like luxury item and an experience.
There is saying in Finland. "The older the sauna, more cleaner you'll become." And many of traditional savusaunas are +200 years old. I've been in savusauna several times and even after many weeks you can still smell the smoke in your hair and feel the cleansing power in you. Also the heating process is sort of ritual. It needs time and care to prepare the savusauna but it's all worth it.
P.S. As someone already commented, the whisk is for blood circulation, but it also relieves itching of insect bites. It also detach dead and dry skincells. Birch leaves contains saponin, wich is sort of natures own soap and helps removing dirt and grease from the skin. The smell comes from essential oil from the leaves and it relieve pain and prevents inflammation.
That's a great saying! Love it
@@IrishinFinland There's also the Finnish saying, "if sauna, booze and tar won't help, an illness is fatal"
If you haven't already, you need to try the whisk. The best time is before Midsummer, because then you get fresh, not dried leaves. They are traditionally made from young birch branches in early summer. The leaves have a cleansing effect because the cells of the leaf are broken when whisked. It is also very relaxing for the body. Before whisking, the skin must be warmed up and the whisk is dipped in warm water and touched quickly on the stove stones so that the branches soften. The sauna is filled with the wonderful smell of birch. There is nothing better in the summer.
The heat is so wholesome and mellow in a smoke sauna that you can't beat it. Another big plus is that a smoke sauna feels archaic. Sitting there, in the dim light, it will feel pretty much the same for you as it did feel for the folks a thousand or two thousand years ago.
It takes time and eats a lot of wood, but just like in a huge gas-guzzling American car, the ride is smooth and superb.
I'm actually very excited now to try it!
That's why it's usually used by many groups in one warming. Then the amount of wood used per person is more manageable 🙂
I've had the priviledge of enjoying a savusauna for about ten years now. It is amazing, so different. First spending all that time on preparations and certain important routines (we only use aspen, by the way, the local beaver's favorite, too). After many hours, a true slow-sauna experience, is really rewarding. And the heat ... you can even still enjoy it the next morning, a silent moment in a soft and slow heat that is preserved throughout the night. Still have to wait about 2,5 weeks for this season's first session. Ah, it'll be great.
I'm Finnish but can only tolerate savusauna. The classic wood sauna and the electric sauna almost always give me a splitting headache (it's not because of water loss, I have tried to always be well hydrated before going to sauna). I don't know why but savusaunas heat feels somehow smoother and I have never gotten this headache from it. However, since they are not so common even in Finland and the heating up properly takes a long time I don't get to experience it as often as I would like. While I do enjoy it for me it's not worth it to travel around Finland just for the savusauna experience. You should definitely try it, it is for sure a different experience than a regular sauna!
Some tips for it: There will be a smoky smell inside which should be expected. This does not mean that the air inside is dangerous to breathe it's just the smell that accumulates to the sauna because of the heating. Other than that, you can enjoy it like a regular sauna. It is a more primal, almost a shamanistic way to enjoy a sauna, atleast that is my experience. And it is very smooth and very pleasant heat. And like you said, you need to experience it to understand it for yourself :)
See my longer comment about a single-heated sauna with a chimney for another possible solution. Both that and savusauna have lower room temperatures, more moisture and it feels like more oxygen in the air than in other Finnish sauna types.
Oh I really enjoyed your description and take on Savusauna. I also get migraine headaches really easily, so this sounds like a very good alternative 😊
@@mlissa3232 This video really brought me back fond memories of it and I am missing to experience it again now. If you are a foreigner in Finland I would say it is definitely worth it to travel in Finland to a place where you can experience it. Also I would recommend if the sauna master is there to ask about the heating process since it takes all day. That also brings a sense of gratefulness to the experience, it is like someone cooked you a wonderful meal all day.
My dad used to work at a mine where they had a savusauna for the employees. Once there was this guy warming up the savusauna and he managed to burn it down completely. Apparently he was shitfaced drunk. He managed to take some cool pictures of the burning sauna and when they built a new savusauna, they framed those pictures and put them up on the dressing room wall.
I've heard you can't get a fire insurance for a savusauna, as the risk is too big... anyway, it is such a different sauna, that the risk of fire is actually relevant if you don't know the right procedures (even if you're sober).
An old saying: "There are only 2 types of smoke saunas. Ones that have burned already and those that will burn eventually."
Just talked to my dad and he said the new savusauna also burned down a few years ago. I don't know if they took any new pictures this time. :D
@@improbus100 Damn. That's sad. And at the same time ...well, hilarious (sorry). I will infom you if our savusauna burns down this summer.
The smell of birch whisk is such a great addition to sauna smells. Very soothing.
Savusauna has more pleasant "löyly" compared to elecric sauna. Sure it can be hot steam, but it comes with longer delay and have very pleasant smell (compared to elecric sauna. Firewood affects to smell). Savusauna can be also used for smoking meat (can have many other uses as well). In ancient times savusauna was the most sterile room in household, so it was used for child birth.
Wow what a wonderful resource to have for childbirth back then, it really does help cleanse the whole environment.
There is also a cool rather rare type of sauna: Single-heated sauna with a chimney (See: Aitokiuas). It's a big, closed-off, oil barrel -looking kiuas full of stones that you heat up, but instead of ventilating through holes in the walls like in a smoke sauna, you have a chimney. It has many of the benefits of a smoke sauna, tho it lacks the smell, the sooty interior, and the tendency to burn the sauna down.
You heat up that hefty mass of stones inside the kiuas for 3-6 hours, let the fire die down, and here's the trick: When there's no more flames, you close the chimney, trapping the heat inside the stones. When the embers have died down, you throw the ashes out, throw water on the rocks with the window open to clear residue out of the the kiuas and the air.
Then you enjoy a sauna with no active fire going. There's a lid on the kiuas which is opened in order to throw the water on the stones. If you leave it open, the room gets hotter. If you keep it closed, the energy in the stones lasts for longer.
Since there's no active fire and all the energy is stored in the stones inside the closed-off kiuas, the sauna room temperature tends to be pretty low, which is great for long sauna sessions. You can get the best steam/löyly at around 60C room temperature (which goes up by 10C once you open the lid).
If you heat the kiuas up to the limit (100C in my sauna), the stones will glow red in the dark and the löyly will bite like a beast, which is badass. When you throw water on the stones, the top ones get cooler than the ones below, which lead to a smoother and smoother löyly until all of the stones run out of energy.
Hi again. When I was a little boy, we're visiting my cousins summer place called "Kenttä". Remote Eastern Lapland villige, only few old houses. There was an old savusauna, made by my father after Lapland War. I had a privilege to have some löyly in that old savusauna with elders and my cousins. Oh I miss those days. Greetings from Lapland.
Sounds amazing, great memories 💪🏻
❤
Anyone near Oulu area: please invite this man to your savu sauna! I know that they exist at that area 🙌
Please! 🤟🏻🤣 I'll buy us beer
@@IrishinFinland Don't offer sauna-beer publicity :D Old commercial about why not: th-cam.com/video/K3Eht5nNCnU/w-d-xo.html
Definitely try it. It's a unique experience.
We had a smoke sauna at my home when I still lived with my parents. A wise tip in a form of fun memory: I was 15, and my confirmation party was coming so my godparents were staying with us for a few days before that as they lived in Sweden. Ofcourse, a day before my father warmed the smoke sauna and he and my uncle took their time in the sauna for old times sake. I guess there was some Koskenkorva involved, as my uncle came back in the night, black soot all over as my father said he was too drunk to wash up in the steam room 😂 So, don't drink too much in the sauna, and never ever lean on the walls 😅
Last juhannus we rented a savusauna on trailer and took it with us on kesämökki. The smoke sauna experience is amazing once you heat it for half a day (takes a lot of wood and beer btw). The sauna stays warm for many hours after that until the morning hours.
Excellent 😎😎
The whisk is great for surface level blood circulation since you asked 😎
We had smoke sauna at our confirmation school, literally the best thing we had access to, it made the whole Jesus camp worth the painful indoctrination haha
😂😂
Found Jesus in a Smoke Sauna and it was the Löyly
😂
It's either "Vihta" or "Vasta" depends on if you're from east or west Finland
Throwing the water to the hot stove in order to drive away the CO, before using the sauna used to have a mystical element:
First löyly is meant as an offering for the sauna-spirit (saunatonttu) to enjoy by himself, so he would give you a good sauna-experience.
I expect people kept passing out and figured that the spirit was angry. The offering was supposed to be thrown from the porch without anybody inside the sauna, which meant that the door was open making the CO easier to escape.
I absolutely love savusauna, too bad it's just so rare treat for most Finns even. It takes ages to warm up and to make sure all carbon monoxide is gone - it should be an art form itself. Also, my grandpa was actually born in a savusauna, somewhere that's now in Russia.
the best thing about savusauna are that the smell of tar, and the feeling how the smoke refreshes everything from the inside of the body. like if you eat some mentos or other eucalyptus "candies" they refresh the breath in your mouth.
Savusauna is also the true original ASRM experience.
Since most savusaunas are made of thick timber and the inside is covered in soot, it's almost completely echoless and well insulated from the outside. As there is no fire burning or electricity buzzing during bathing, the only thing you hear inside is yourself and the water sizzling on the stones.
Ohhhh sounds amazing!
When you've managed to build a great sauna, you will be using it for multiple generations, aka forever, or until something happens to it (lightning)..
It's not about the looks, it's about the löyly ❤
I have been lucky to enjoy a savusauna couple of times during my life and all of them have been memorable. It truly is the gourmet slowfood sauna experience that one needs to check on their bucket list a saunaphile.
Oh, it's has so soft löyly, and the smell is so heavenly - its the polar opposite of these electric saunas that you have in the cities. Which admittedly are much better than none at all. Having saunas all over the place is such a luxury in this country compared to basically all other nations... Some make certain efforts like Sweden and Russia, but still.
Savu sanua is amazing. Last time i went it was over 10 years ago and still i remeber it.
When i was a child it was smoke or wood.
I have often bathed in a smoke sauna. Once we went to a smoke sauna with friends and the only option was to wash in the lake. It was already the end of October and the lake was already frozen, but it didn't matter, we washed there. That sauna has remained in my mind, even though it has been 50 years. Bath whisk (vihta or vasta). You must learn to do you own vasta. TH-cam: How to make a traditional Finnish 'vihta' for sauna
I'll definitely check it out!
I think I've been in savusauna once but I don't remember much. It might have been smoother. Some regular saunas have stoves that are heated once and then stay hot for a long time, and they feel smoother too. There's probably a lot of science behind the sauna that I'm not even aware of, but different saunas do feel different. My cousin has a sauna at his cabin where the walls don't quite reach the floor and the löyly was amazing in there. I think it's because of the increased airflow.
Sauna elder, a very apt description. The Irish and Finns both have oral traditions, no wonder you’re good at turning a phrase.
This is true! 💪🏻
Using the sauna whisk (vihta OR vasta, depending on where in finland you are) has multiple layers of benefits. As the leaves are warmed, wet and struck against skin, birch releases saponins and essential oils - natural compounds that break down skin oils and dirt, lessen inflammation and irritation, and even serve as mild painkillers. The act of using the whisk also serves as a mild - or heavier, if you really put effor into it - massage and together with the heat helps with blood circulation, eases sore muscles and generally maintains good metabolism.
Sauna whisks are generally made fully from either white birch or silver birch - you'll likely find more silver birch whisks ready-made since they're more durable and don't lose leaves as easily, which makes them more suitable for drying or freezing for storage, and they're well liked by people who like to hit harder. White birch whisks release oils and saponin more easily and are softer, so they tend to be a more pleasant experience for those starting out. Sometimes a silver birch whisk has a few twigs of white birch mixed in to enhance the scent but generally you end up picking one.
Personally, I'm a bit of a whisk-heathen since I prefer the slavic style oak leaf whisk which is amazing when dealing with greasy skin and acne. More traditional unusual sauna whisks that i haven't quite worked up the nerve to try yet are silver birch with juniper mixed in, which allegedly is the best thing ever for anyone with weak circulation, and the dreaded singing nettle sauna whisk. At least that last one was mainly meant to ease rheumatic pain, so I'm in no hurry to need it myself.
A finnish old fella here in north queensland had a wood heated sauna. There was a young torrest strait guy staying with him for a while and he got that keen on sauna that he wanted to fire it up every day
I guess they mean by smoother experience is that the hot steam (löyly) doesn't "punch" you but the löyly comes in gradually and the hotness doesn't hit you but slowly embraces you so it doesn't feel as harsh as it might in other saunas.
Of course everything depends on how much and the way you toss the water on stones but i mean it genrally speaking.
There's also great smell (if you usse right kind of wood) of smoke that's a big part of savusauna experience.
Savusauna will give you the same experience as when you went from electric sauna to wood burning sauna - now that you've experienced the difference between the two.
My understanding about why the whisk is made particularly of birch (and not other types of wood) is that its leaves contain oils which work like shampoo/soap.
If you have tried an old sauna in Finland that has the original Aito kiuas or similar that needs to be heated multiple hours prior to use. The experience is pretty similar tho I think that a savusauna is even smoother ever so slightly.
Oh thank you for bringing my attention to this! I really am curious to see what Savusauna is like, you should totally go and vlog your experience! ☺️
I definitely will!
@Irish in Finland Oh yey, I'm super excited for it!
Vihta or vasta = the birch whisk. Depending who you ask. For me it's vasta. The benefits - > blood sirculation etc.
"Ensin käytiin saunassa, ja sitten syötiin vasta."
@@kaljami3061 näinpä.
I read recently that some researchers think the origins of savusauna culture existed all over Eurasia and North America a long time ago, but just certain cultures maintain the tradition today. Some scholars even think the stone circles in Europe like Stone Henge could have supported poles and animal skins to create giant ceremonial savusauna tents. I believe sauna probably existed all over the world as a stone-age survival tool to get warm quickly, especially for people who are sick or for mothers birthing children. I live in the US and I made a kind of savusauna tent while camping a couple times. It felt very primal.
I have to look more into the history! I'm starting to think it's a lost history aswell!
One awesome thing is when you throw water in stove, put littlebit beer in that water! That smells awesome! Like a fresh bread!🤤🤤👍👍 try it! But ask allow before saunas owner!😊
It's fantastic 👌🏻👌🏻
Using saunawhisk ( VASTA or VIHTA) in connection with sauna is an ancient custom. It was already used when the sauna was more of a place to relax than to wash. In the beginning, sauna was more about sweating and not soaking. Water in the sauna started to be used later, when the sauna became a place to wash.
Nowadays, whisk are almost always made from birch, but in the past, were also made from blackcurrant, marsh tea, oak,juniper, linden and rowan. It can also be made from nettles. Nowadays you can also buy Eucalyptys-wisk in the store.
Birch leaves contain saponins, which act as a mild soap and help in cleansing. In addition, wisking removes dead skin cells, invigorates surface blood circulation and promotes metabolism.
I love sauna wiht whisk. ❤
Ok, this can be long comment even not going too deep into thermo dynamics of sauna. Savusauna kiuas usually contains stones from 500kg to even 2000kg. Depending of the size of the sauna itself and how big the owner wanted it to be basically... Smoke sauna's temperature is lower than modern saunas when you enter, but because there is so much hot stones, you simply warm it by throwing water. So, there is more room to adjust the heat by throwing "löyly". You get bigger and longer ones in there. And what comes to modern saunas, it is always beneficial to have as much stones in kiuas as possible for the same reason. Then you don't have to heat sauna to 100C to get löyly without the fear of throwin the kiuas cold as soon as you enter.
I wish you will get your savusauna this summer. Is there sauna club "saunaseura", in your neighborhood? That could be one place to ask... Cheers!
Fantastic comment! Loads of information 💪🏻 thank you, Yeah I'm gonna start asking and looking around now for ones nearby!
Instructions unclear apartment burned to the ground
Probably learn to read 👌🏻
Dont talk like a book.
One of the reasons a savusauna is so rare nowadays is, the savusauna buildings tend to burn at times, for obvious reasons :D
My grandfather had savusauna in his summer cottage when I was a child. One time my cousin went there with some friends for the weekend when she was 18 or so. They burned the savusauna down when trying to heat it.
I'm a 54 y.o. Finn and my last time in a smoke sauna was maybe in 1980s. But yeah, that's really good. I'm quite happy with my own sauna anyway because it's operated with firewood, not electricity. But that's a typical in-house sauna with a chimney etc.
Yes, one needs a little bit of experience heating up a ’savusauna’ and there is also a good amount of luck involved as well. They can catch fire easily due to hot air blowing through the cracks in the wooden wall and ceiling.
In the late 80s/early 90s, there were only couple of thousand savusaunas in Finland. Nowadays there are at least 25 000 of them. So, they have become increasingly popular in the last 30 years. If I remember correctly savusaunas might have even been near-extinct maybe somewhere between the 60s and the 80s (don't remember exactly when). It's easy to burn a savusauna down if you don't know what you're doing and many savusaunas have suffered that fate. So, that might have been one reason for their decline in the past.
I like to go alone to a pitch dark smoke sauna and kind of meditate. It's eery for the brain because there's no sound and no light inside. There's not even that wood burning sound which constant-heated wood saunas have. It's the best thing I can imagine on this planet.
That does sound amazing and peaceful 👌🏻
Saunas are like whiskeys, there are some crude ones, then there are many enjoyable ones and then there are the aged and smooth quality whiskeys. Savusauna is like those quality whiskeys compared to regular saunas.
What about yleinen sauna? There are great public saunas in Helsinki and I believe in many other cities as well in Finland. They have great atmosphere and you get to meet random people and having sometimes deep conversations with them.
Last summer we visited a savusauna in a cave on Kemiönsaari, part of the Turku archipelago. There was a stream running through the cave , with a big (presumably carved out) pool for bathing in the sauna cave, or you could take a dip in the stream outside the cave. It was expensive but worth it for the unique experience if you are ever in that neck of the woods.
That sounds amazing
You get the softest, most dreamiest löyly from these things.
I have been to Finland many times and to sauna (wood burning, by lake, with vasta) but never got to try the savusauna. I would love to. I hope to return to Finland in wintertime soon (yes, deliberately 😀) Anyone near Jyväskylä or Saarijärvi with savusauna to share? 😏🇫🇮
I'm lucky enough to have grown up with a smoke sauna, though we used the regular sauna more, its just a lot more efficient. And the smoke sauna was a seperate building.
The heat and steam definitely feel smoother in smoke saunas.
Hi! Truly love your channel, thank you! 😊 I'm addicted to sauna bathing and usually use a sauna 3-4 times a week(always after a long run) That is all around the year and as it is at home it is an electric sauna. A completely different thing is when it is summer and I am in the archipelago on an island where my family comes from, where we have a small wooden sauna. There for me it really (!!) is a ritual thing, I prefer to do it all by myself if possible. Carrying the wood and water, hopping around the pebble beach where the dry aspen tree twigs are carefully selected, with them I light up the fire and the pine wood vedclubs. The dry aspen is like gasoline, there is no way not to succeed in getting the fire burning at first try 😃 If I am alone, I stay in the sauna immediately, lying down reading a book while the sauna warms up. When it is hot enough starts the joy of enjoying the heat, running to the beach and diving into our beautiful sea. And repeat xxx times. Maybe enjoying a few ciders 😇 Same thing with friends or family ofcourse, but it is a different experience ofcourse. I especially enjoy if it's windy, the bigger the storm and the waves, the better. Fortunately most of my family and friends don't mind at all if I prepare the sauna, maybe they know how important it is for me... I have had the opportunity to enjoy savusauna a few times and liked it a lot too. They were very big saunas ( in one you even climbed up the stairs to the "second floor" and it is very dark inside (maybe someone can answer if it is always like that, that there are no windows??) and a lot of people fit in, like 20 or 30 persons. The air and löyly is softer and more linguering.The darkness made the feeling more mystical. I think I've been in three different savusaunas, the first time I visited ( the one with stairs) was very hot, too hot for me 😅
Lastly about the vihta/vasta, if I could choose I would use it every time I got the chance, the smell, the feeling is exhilirating! Unfortunately in the archipelago where our cottage inte nature is very dry so birch trees are not so common to find. I don't mind as pine tree is "my tree" and I enjoy their presence there 😊 But if I get to visit by a lake sauna, I always dream of getting a vihta 😄 Enjoy your sauna experiences, and now when summer is at the doorstep I hope you get to visit savusauna and a lot of different saunas. 😊😊😊
It is something I have not experienced and I try hard not to sound sarcastic or worse when I have come to the conclusion that they then came to think of adding a chimney and keep the fire going while in the sauna.
There's always an argument about whether it's vihta or vasta. But first it's vihta and when it's dipped in water it's vasta
You’re right, some experience is needed when heating a smoke sauna. There are as many rules as there are smoke saunas…that’s my own perception. However some facts are that there is a danger of carbon monoxide, since there is no flue(?). The sauna needs to be aired before bathing. There is also a danger of overheating due to inexperience or other error. Smoke saunas have some rules of how the air circulation should be designed to handle the fumes from the kiuas. Overheating as in burning the sauna down…I have managed only to burn one roof, the rest was saved😅
To me the heat and moisture feel more relaxing in savusauna than a normal one. But it might also have to do with the temperature as I don't like my sauna to be extra extra hot. It's not supposed to be a competition on who burns themselves the worst.
Good point!
The stoves of Savusaunas are usually bigger, so they can reserve a larger amount of heat. They are also made of stone or brick, which has a lower heat-conductivity than steel. This means that the löyly will no punch you as hard.
Smoke sauna is the best!
I know what you meant by saying you have tried every kind of sauna. 😃
Still I can't resist the urge to ask that surely you must have then tried Finnish classic tent sauna? Or ice sauna (they do 100% ice saunas, well expect the heater, at least to the yard of one of my citys public saunas during winter)? Or themed sauna experiences like peat sauna (I think that's most classic one out of them all)? How about saunaboat?
At least I as a Finn, I feel like I have still a lot to explore in the realm of different sauna experiences 😄
Nice to hear sauna pronauced correctly *kippis*
I experienced a savusauna only once
it was at the "sauna museum" I mentioned
in your last video
It was definitely a smooth experience
though you do come out smelling of coal-tar soap LOL
The savusauna was definitely one of the biggest saunas
designed for a group more than a single family.
One of the overlooked benefits of using the vihta/vasta is that it helps with the itching from mosquito bites, which are a real menace in most parts of Finland. The natural oils in the birch whisk have a mild antiobiotic effect.
I think that the nearest savusana for you can be found at the Maikkulan kartano, by the river Oulu.
Cheers for the info! I'll check it out 😎😎
Today, electric saunas are also good because there are a lot of stones in their stoves. The more stones, the better.
We had a smoke sauna innmy childhood. It was built after the war and it had the craziest löylys. You could not wear any jewellery or it would burn your skin. Also you would leave the sauna with black coal all over you. Nevertheless an enjoyable experience i keep in my heart. The sauna burnt down 5 years ago during Easter, but thanks to insurance we built a wooden sauna in its place.
Probably for the best you built the wood sauna!
@@IrishinFinland yeah honestly i dont know why you get such a good insurance on smoke sauna, they tend to, well, burn.
It's been a long time since I've been to a wood burning sauna, and I have to admit that I'm yet to try a smoke sauna. Actually I went to the sauna for the first time this year on the Walpurgis night. It was one of the best electric saunas I've been to, it had good ventilation.
The night was quite chilly after sunset and I had the responsibility of burning rubbish in a small bonfire in the backyard of our party house, and to see that all the embers go out before leaving the fire pit alone. The sauna felt great after that, restoring the lost body heat and diminished circulation in my extremities.
One of the pros of wood burning saunas is that the stove ventilates the room. I've been to a few electric saunas where I got quite so lethargic and uncomfortable that I had to leave very soon.
I'm over fifty year old Finn and I've been once to smoke sauna. It is different. Much recommended.
The very old smoke saunas are usually in some kind of museum areas, as the the ones in frequent use tend to burn at some point.
The known Finnish saying, "Sauna palaa!", is for a reason...
Yes, you most definately must try savusauna, i think that i was in one about 40 years ago, so not very often, and vihta is made to juhannussauna, it feel so good to whip yourself with it, but it is a pain to clean the sauna after using a vihta, so that is why it is not used much anymore.
What a great video! I love your enthusiasm. I was so lucky to have the savu sauna on a friends farm in southern Estonia. It was something that I dreamed of doing and when I was invited south I could not believe my luck. We did not have the idyllic lake outside, only a large open field, and the sky was clear and cloudless, which made it magical. I think that the sacred aspect of this tradition is simply the fact that it strips away all of the hard edges and straight lines of materialism and modernity - and there you are naked in the cold night air contemplating the sheer magnificence of the universe and being so alive in it. I have no doubt that you will love it! ]BTW, I made an error in my comment on your vid about the wood fired sauna, when I mentioned the bubbling water, it was meant to be a comment about the quality of the steam.] Am looking forward to your savu sauna video.
Wow! Your savusauna experience sounds incredible!
Savusauna is a rarity even by Finnish standards. Many have not ever tried it. It's like the oldest type of sauna I suppose and it needs special care and preparation
I heard the pile of round stones in the middle was the original "pyra-mid"...fire in the middle.
Savusauna is to regular sauna, like Islay whisky is to regular whisky (hmmmm, maybe the dram of Ardbeg in my hand is influencing my comment…). My point is that while on a certain level is more intense than a regular sauna, due to the smokiness it imparts on the wooden structures, yet it is smoother and softer, due to the slower and more even heat distribution (particularly from the löyly). As you say, no point talking about, just have to experience it. If you can try to experience it fully, including the heating of it, can be very meditative to go through the entire ritual. The rewards from the sauna are greater after having invested your time, care and love in preparing for it. Let us know how it goes and hope you enjoy the experience.
If you are not offered any opportunities, you can find a smoke sauna at Holiday Club Katinkulta in Sotkamo 200km eastward. One can bathe there with a spa ticket there (and swim of course also).
You will smell of smoke afterwards for several days, or I guess several washes. But it is pretty special regardless. =)
I'm living in Oulu. I believe I can arrange you the savusauna experience this summer.
Cos you like Sauna already. You would love this, smoked sauna. Tender heat, smell of it. Just top notch.
All the smoke goes inside from woodburning, so you have to know what youre doing when heating a smokesauna (savusauna). The carbon dioxide must be well aired out before going in. Inside of sauna is full of smut, but you wash it off in the lake (or shower). The smoothness of the LÖYLY, cant tell how great it is, you have to feel it yourself! And it is VASTA, not vihta! 😂 Hit hard yourself (and wife) with it, makes blood circle, cleans you up and makes you smell nice 🥰 Im going next week also to savusauna, have electric sauna home, not bad, but puusauna is the thing...
I gonna travel into Ostrobothnia about couple of weeks, where one my cousin haves an real Savusauna! 😍
Excellent 😎 Enjoy!
Deadly, but the best form of Sauna. i meant deadly if you dont know how to warm that thing right (carbon monoxide). + it's allso your personal smokery for meat/fish etc.
Yeah I can only imagine some disaster stories......
Most finnish haven't tried a real smoke sauna, so if you get a chance to test it do it!
Hey-hey! Gave you your 700'th like. :) And you have earned it. :)
Hei Aaron, could you make a video about Swedish language learning in Finland the so called "pakkoruotsi"/"ruoskaruotsi", and straight up propaganda that is against learning Swedish. I have fallen victim to this propaganda, which makes me unable to understand any other Nordic languages because I was stubborn back in school and didn't want to learn any Swedish. That ended up being one of the many things I regret in life.
Alright! This is interesting! Let me look into it and see what I can do! Also if you have any interesting links/articles hit me up insta or email!
I have smoke sauna at back yard and wood burning stove sauna into house, electric stove isn't proper stove at all.
I would say biggest difference in löyly is that smoke sauna usually has partially open floor meaning a lot fresh air comes to sauna air and usually it's also bigger so löyly is less harsh even you throw a lot water for stove.
I know you probably don't live near Vantaa, but there's a place called Kuusijärvi where you can pay and visit a savusauna. I think its from the municipality.
You should visit my familys summer place... We have good and "modern" smoke sauna, that is outside fed. (There are two types, the ones you need to feed wood on the inside and the ones that have outside fire). There are also in the deepest level two types of smoke sauna in Finland... The ones that have burned down and the others.
Originally You should smoke some fish and meat in the sauna while it's heating up. It's a such an effort to just bathe, that you should do these "additional" tasks. Nowdays you have electrical smokers etc, but what I said before is part of the smoke sauna culture. Ours takes about 6-8 hours to get good and you can bathe there for 14 hours at least.
That sounds amazing! And also yeah you might aswell use it while it's heating up 🤣
Why wait for summer to try a smoke sauna? In winter it is better, especially if you go swimming in avanto.
Heating up a smoke sauna takes several hours and a lot of firewood. BUT the heat in a smoke sauna is enough for a very long time.
Listening to your experiences of life in Northern Finland, including sauna culture, it appears selfevident. You just have to ask around to find someone who has a savusauna at their place.
It would be surprising, if you don't enjoy it. (But one never knows until one has tried.)
Getting on the case as we speak!
Fun fact: you can't get any reasonable insurance on a savusauna because it is almost a tradition that they burn down at some point or another.
As as smoke sauna you will smell and taste smoke and some do not like it and I guarantee that there are many type of smoke saunas so if you can, test at least 3 different saunas! I think you will like it!
Try savusauna once and you`re hooked for life. And don`t tell you have not been warned!
🤣
I love the smell of savusauna.
Just know that a proper savu sauna needs hours and hours to get ready, and then some hours to clear the air to be fully enjoyable or your eyes will not be so happy of the ash and smoke.
A lot of savusaunas has been burned to down by inexperienced people. Because there's no ability to burn anything while using the sauna, you have to heat a lot of stones at once so you have something to throw water on later. Many inexperienced people heat the stones too hot and once the stones are around 350 degree celsius, the nearby wood structures catch fire. And since most saunas are made out of wood, the whole sauna will catch fire and burn rapidly.
Lappajärvi has a pretty known one. Check it out
Remember! If You go to original savusauna You will be black more or less! You will have a wonderful experience if You like normal sauna.
The reason, why you can not go into smoke sauna , before the smoke has cleared, is because there is a danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. It takes a lot of skill to heat up a smoke sauna. Smoke saunas tend catch fire more easily as well. That danger element is a part of the allurement of smoke sauna. Whipping your self with vasta or vihta, depends on what part of Finland you are in which you will call it, helps your blood circulation. Or so they say. It atleast feels nice though and it makes the sauna smell like fresh birch trees.