Saunas

People around the world love the sauna, no matter their name for it

The sauna is widely known as a Finnish innovation, but versions of it have been found around the world. Native Americans, Japanese, Romans, and Turks, for example, developed their own variations of this concept, showing that there must be something in our human nature about sweating in soothing heat.

The word sauna has come to denote a hot, steamy setting. (On the TV show Seinfeld, Kramer once blurted out, "It's like a sauna in here!" while sitting in a sauna.) In fact, however, it means an enclosed area in which people are surrounded by wet or dry heat either for medicinal purposes or simply to relax.

Saunas in cultures around the world

The sauna is a universal phenomenon. Cultures around the world independently arrived at similar concepts, as if the sauna were part of our DNA. The warmth of the Finnish sauna helped the people of Northern Europe relax in through the cold winters. Native Americans used sweat lodges for both therapeutic and religious purposes. In Portugal, the steam sauna predates the coming of the Romans who were also known for their public steam and sweat baths. The ancient Mayans of pre-Columbian Mexico and Guatemala had their own version of the sauna, the tamazcal.

Jewish culture has the shvitz. In Africa, the sifutu. Everyone has heard of the Turkish bath. Saunas show up in Korea, Japan, other parts of Asia, and all over Eastern Europe.

Wood fires

In every culture, the first saunas were fueled by burning wood. Some sauna aficionados maintain that this is the best and most authentic sauna experience: with the sound of a crackling fire and the aroma of fragrant wood, you can close your eyes and know firsthand why around the world our ancestors insisted on the sauna.