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Finnish Sauna
Finnish sauna history
Finnish saunas of course hail originally from the country of Finland. It is not known exactly when finnish saunas were invented as the definition of a sauna is quite vague. Does a heated room count, or is it necessary to pour water onto heated rocks to create steam. The original finnish saunas were very similar to the North American indians sweat lodge. It was used in early days by nomadic tribes for having a warm place to bathe. Traditional finnish saunas were heated by a smoke heater. A smoke heater is a fireplace with no chimney. The fire directly heats the rocks while the smoke rises and exits through a small hole in the roof.
Modern finnish saunas
Modern finnish saunas have in most cases forgone the smoke heaters, as they caused a great deal of maintenance and cleaning due to soot from the smoke. Most moern heaters have a metal casing as well as a chimney so smoke is not an issue. Stones are still used to retain the heat.The most modern heaters use electrical power as it is much easier and relatively cheaper than wood.
Popularity of the finnish sauna
For a country with a population of only 5 million, it is an impressive figure to note that there are 2 million finnish saunas in Finland. 1.2 million of these are in private homes, whereas the rest are in swimming pools, health spas, and other public locations.
The finnish sauna has been around for years and is considered by some to be the only true sauna.
A Sauna - For all your Finnish and infrared sauna needs
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