So, last week I had an amazing authentic Finnish experience: smoke sauna followed by ice swimming. We went to a place called Kuusijarvi. You can check it out at www.saunamafia.fi/node/163
We took the 4:30pm bus from Helsinki and it was about 40 minutes to the site. By the time we got there, it was dark (Arctic winters and all) and the first thing I saw was saw in the sky. It was beautiful. I love Helsinki but it was very nice to be out among trees and stars at night.
After we checked in, we walked to the sauna area. Since it is a co-ed sauna, people wear bathing suits. We changed into our suits and went in the sauna.
This one was different than the one in my apartment building, which is electric. In this one, the heat is generated by an actual fire. I don't know what kind of wood they burn, maybe birch, but it smelled wonderful. I also learned that sauna heating in this way is considered an art form and people undergo very specialized training to do this.
This sauna was hotter than the one in my building. Although it is called a smoke sauna, there is no smoke in the actual sauna room. The heat source is a large pit and people pour water over the stones to create steam. There are different levels within the sauna to sit and it is hotter the higher up you go. I stayed on the lowers levels at first but then got braver as the evening went on.
We sat in the sauna for about 15 minutes. There is something really peaceful and relaxing about sitting in a sauna, dripping wet with sweat, breathing in warm steam, sitting in your bathing suit, with about 23 Finns who are doing the same.
Finally, it was time to go outside! I must confess, there was something very strange about standing outside, in freezing temps, in my bathing suit and flipflops. It was cold but not the way you would think. After being in the hot sauna, it felt quite good to be outside.
But, we weren't done! Next, you walk down to the water. There were two places to go in. One was sectioned off from the lake and there was no ice. But, there were ducks swimming there! The other spot was not sectioned off, and a hole had been cut in the ice.
When you get t o the water, you take off your shoes and walk down the ladder into the freezing cold water up to your shoulders. You don't out your head under water because that would be crazy and that will make you sick, according to the Finns.
I won't lie: that freezing water hurt like hell at first! Suddenly, after being hot in the sauna, cooled off outside, my skin was screaming from the water. It was a shock! People had told me that sometimes it feels like you are going to have a heart attack, but you don't (!). I didn't have that experience, but I didn't stay in for too long.
As I got out, I expected to start shivering from cold. But it wasn't like that at all. Instead, my body just began to readjust to the air. After everyone had had a dip, we headed back to the sauna for round two.
I went in the water four times. The last time I went in, I went in through the ice hole at the behest of some Finns who may have dared me to do it. There was a ladder just like the other part, but this was definitely different. As you lower yourself into a hole that has been cut in the ice, you think to yourself, "Who thought this was a good idea?"
Nonetheless, as I got out, I felt great. Each iteration of hot then cold was easier than the last. By the time I left (after a shower and changing back into warm clothes), I felt rejuvenated, body and soul. It is hard to explain but my body felt both relaxed and energized at the same time. My mind was quiet and at peace.
It was truly an amazing experience and I am so glad I did it. I suspect I will do it again!
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