Daniela Pérez-Figueroa was celebrating her friend’s bachelorette party having lived in Finland for a few years already. The activities included a traditional Finnish bridal sauna. At first, Daniela figured she would not participate, as she did not understand the idea of a sauna. She was also somewhat suspicious about the nudity associated with saunas.
“My friends explained to me that the bridal sauna is a Finnish tradition. In the end, I decided that nudity is not a problem for me, so I joined them.”
The sauna was so small that the ten ladies had to sit close to each other. At the start, the bridal sauna felt like shock therapy to Daniela. After a while, however, she began to understand what was so addictive about saunas: the heat felt wonderful.
A pampering moment for mother and daughter
Daniela, who works as a kindergarten teacher, now lives with her family in a detached house that has its own sauna. Their electric sauna is heated whenever needed, but always on Friday evenings.
“The sauna is like a rite of passage from the working week into the weekend.”
Daniela is often kept company in the sauna by her 11-year-old daughter Sofia, who loves saunas like her mother. Their sauna evenings are all about relaxing and pampering, complete with essential oils and care products for skin and hair.
Their sauna rituals also include taking warm showers, but as for going outside and rolling in the snow, as Sofia has suggested, her mother is yet to agree.
“Cooling off outside, taking a dip in freezing water through a hole cut in the ice, rolling in the snow or even just taking a cold shower are not my thing. What I love best about the sauna is precisely the warmth it gives. I don’t want to lose it at any point during the sauna evening.”
Name: Daniela Pérez-Figueroa
Age: 40
Lives in: Mankkaa, Espoo
Takes a sauna: At least once a week
Sauna motto: “It doesn’t matter if you get cold during the daytime if you know you can take a sauna in the evening.”
Daniela’s top three sauna tips
Stay hydrated: “Take a bottle of water with you into the sauna.”
Wash before entering: “I always take a shower before the sauna. I like to wash my hair and leave conditioner in it while I’m in the sauna.”
Turn your sauna into a pampering moment: “You can use sauna scents and essential oils, for example. Make a foot bath and sprinkle some foot salt in it. You can also use various care products and exfoliating creams on your skin while you are in the sauna.”
Text: Tiina Katriina Tikkanen