The awesome history of the sauna in Helsinki

Sauna Marie-Bad entrance on Mariankatu street in 1913
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The story of the Finnish sauna is strongly intertwined with the history of the sauna in Helsinki. In the old days, public saunas were commonplace in Helsinki, as many locals did not have the opportunity to wash at home. Then, for a while, public saunas became unfashionable, but now they are making a comeback.

What do these two things have in common: a hole that has been dug in the ground and a new trendy bar in Helsinki that serves artisan beers and fashionable food?

Answer: They are both saunas.

Greascale image of an old smoke sauna built into the ground, fence on top of the sauna
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Saunas have existed in Finland for at least 10,000 years. The earliest saunas were literally holes dug in the ground, and above-ground saunas appeared in the 500s. Since then, the development of saunas has been influenced by changing tastes, technological advances and urbanisation, for example, says Ida Suolahti, Senior Researcher at the City of Helsinki.

The sauna has always been connected to mythology in Finland, but above all it has been of practical importance: as a place to cleanse oneself.

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A place to catch your breath amid the hustle and bustle

When Helsinki was a young town of wooden houses, sauna buildings could be found in many yards. The local population began to grow with industrialisation in the mid-1800s, and space began to run out. As a result, not all working-class people had the chance to take a sauna in their own back yards.

Bathrooms and hot water were uncommon, so public saunas began to be built where people could wash.

“These were inexpensive saunas where locals could wash at the end of the working day or week,” Suolahti says.

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People’s lives were full of things to do: those who did not go to work did house chores and other useful activities, like knitting.

“The sauna was just about the only place where you could just be. People would also go to the sauna for cupping and massages. The sauna was a washing, relaxing and wellbeing centre.”

Cupping is an ancient healing therapy in which suction cups are placed over cuts on the skin to remove what was believed to be bad or unhealthy blood.

The golden age of public saunas coincided with the period when there was the biggest scarcity of housing: after the Second World War in the late 1940s.

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From a sign of poverty to a trendy phenomenon

In the 1950s and 1960s, suburbs were developed with apartments that had their own bathrooms. Many apartment buildings had an electric sauna for use by their residents. In more recent years, apartments with their own private saunas have become more commonplace.

Electricity, or rather electric lighting, has had the most interesting influence on sauna culture.

“In the 1800s and early 1900s, it was common for men and women to sauna together. One reason was that saunas were commonly dark. The arrival of electric lighting transformed the sauna experience, making it much lighter.”

As the demand for public saunas decreased, they fell out of fashion. In fact, visiting a public sauna could be interpreted as a sign that you could not afford your own bathroom.

These days, public saunas are still quite rare in Finland, but the culture survives particularly in Helsinki thanks to a few long-standing neighbourhood saunas.

According to Ida Suolahti, the early 2000s saw a small renaissance in public saunas. The culture of neighbourhood saunas was again fashionable, and the concept of social sauna-going became popular. This phenomenon is once again on the rise.

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In 2011, work began on designing what would become Helsinki’s most famous public sauna, Löyly, which was completed in 2015.

Around the same time, in 2010, a new annual event was introduced: Helsinki Sauna Day. The idea was for all willing participants, from ordinary residents to hotels and restaurants, to open the doors of their saunas to members of the public for one day.

Suolahti herself sees the popularity of public saunas in part as a yearning for the past.

“Perhaps the renaissance in public saunas has been a form of nostalgia, a return to one’s childhood and a time when everyone took saunas together, and bottles of soda were shared among siblings.”

According to Suolahti, the sauna is at the same time an ancient and modern relaxation method, as well as a pleasant way to maintain social relations.

“Unlike bars and cafés, saunas are quiet and calming. In fact, many locals take a sauna before going out to the bar. Taking a sauna is a much more all-encompassing way of resetting yourself.”

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The story of the Finnish sauna is strongly intertwined with the history of the sauna in Helsinki.