Finnish alternative musician Pekka Streng once sang (in Finnish): “I found a gateway inside of me.” Musician Ville Malja remembers this song every time he takes a sauna.
“The sauna is modern man’s shortcut to the highs and lows of the mind. It is a legal gateway to an experience that comes close to expanding your consciousness,” he says.
For Ville, taking a sauna involves a dialogue between body and mind that is only strengthened when the change in temperature is extreme.
“It enables a dialogue that one would otherwise not be aware of. That’s why the sauna is such a strong psychophysical experience.”
While some people prefer mild saunas, Ville himself enjoys what he calls punishment saunas. He likes to push himself to the limit, because the hotter the sauna, the better he feels afterwards. In his view, the best thing about the sauna is entering and leaving it.
According to Ville, the best heat comes from wood-heated saunas with natural ventilation. He does not take anything with him into the sauna, because for him the sauna is not a sport that requires equipment.
Part of the historical continuum
Ville takes a sauna four to five times a week in wintertime, usually when he visits the gym. During the warmer seasons, he likes to spend time at his summer cottage, where he gets to take a sauna every evening. He can also swim at the same time, which is always a plus in Ville’s opinion.
“Basically, I like to sauna alone, but social saunas are also nice, as long as the company is good. It’s a bit like eating: good company can take the experience to a new level, while bad company destroys it.”
The sauna represents part of the historical continuity for Ville.
“It hasn't been many generations since saunas were used for giving birth and washing the bodies of the deceased. It was literally the first and last place for many Finns. When you take a sauna, you become part of history, and you can experience the immutability of things in a world where everything changes so fast all the time.”
Name: Ville Malja
Age: 41
Lives in: Lauttasaari, Helsinki
Takes a sauna: Four to five times a week, usually at the gym in wintertime and at his cottage in summertime.
Sauna motto: “The world is more beautiful after a sauna.”
Ville’s top three sauna tips
Stretch: “If you put your left foot on top of your right knee and press on the left knee, it opens some kind of acupoints and veins so well that you can feel it all the way to the back of your head. And after that, do the same with the right leg.”
Take a cold shower: “Turn the tap to make the shower a little colder all the time until it is as cold as possible. When you go from hot to cold, your synapses are so stimulated that you can’t help but giggle.”
Eat and drink: “For some reason, even the most ordinary items – like potato chips, baked potatoes, sparkling water, soft drinks or even salmon on bread – taste so much better after a sauna.”
Text: Jose Riikonen