The Finnish Sauna

The Five Star Sauna

With modern module saunas, just about everybody can enjoy the pleasures of a sauna at home. At their best these module saunas can be very satisfying, but for a sauna to be really good, it needs to be properly planned and built. This guide is meant for the accomplished sauna bather, but anybody building or buying their first sauna will benefit by taking a look at these hints. Also, it is more oriented to building saunas in personal homes, not in appartments.

Finnish architect and enthousiastic sauna bather Pekka Tommila has defined a classification for Finnish saunas. It is scaled from one to five vihtas, one vihta being for a mere sweatbox and five vihtas for the perfect, twin-kiuas (heater) sauna system.

Here are 20 theses that, according to Pekka Tommila are needed for the perfect sauna. While a full 20 out of these points is difficult to accomplish, by following 17 to 18 of these points, it is possible to obtain a near-perfect experience. Two necessities are above all others: a good kiuas (heater) and good ventilation. Without these, no sauna can give satisfaction.

1. Facing west

The sauna should be built facing west to give it a view on the setting sun. It should have a calm surrounding area to provide a peaceful setting for cooling down after the sauna. Relaxation after the sauna is an important part of the full sauna experience.

2. A Separate Building or Wing

Placement of the sauna should be carefully considered. Remember, using the sauna should not disturb those living in the house, but neither should the living disturb the sauna-goers. A separate building is the best choice for the sauna, but it can also be built in its own wing of the house. It is best not to build it underground or in upper floors. See number 3.

3. Entrance

If the sauna is separated from the rest of the house, it is easy to provide it with its own entrance. Finns often go for a swim or rolling in the snow while having a sauna. This requires the sauna to have easy access outside. It is not pleasant if the bathers have to go through the main house to get outside.

4. Size Matters

The sauna itself, the heated steam room, should be big enough. Its volume should be at least some 10 m^3 (approx. 350 cubic feet), giving a minimum floor area of 4 to 5 m^2 (45 to 55 sqft). Saunas smaller than this are not real saunas, but mere heat rooms! The bathroom has to be separate, somewhat bigger than the sauna. The dressing room should be at least twice the size of the sauna.

5. The Benches

While the most common setup of the benches in Finland is a straight line on the rear wall, it is by far not the best. A corner bench is already better, as it provides room to lie down for two people and permits easier conversation. The best setup for conversation is to have two opposite benches, or a U-shaped bench, but these are used only in big saunas.
The bench should be at least 600 mm (2 ft) broad for comfortable sitting and lying down. The benches can be made of several kinds of wood. For the total Finnish touch, use Finnish spruce or aspen. Some people like the look and feel of abachi, but the use of this expensive wood is not necessary.

6. Two Showers

Two showers in the bathroom is not necessarily a luxury. If there is enough room, two showers enable two bathers to continue the conversation begun in the sauna. The second shower is also convenient to have for the childrens' use.

7. The Dressing room

The dressing room of a perfect sauna should be relatively large, to allow the guests sufficient room to dress and undress. It should also have room for cooling down, and possibly a bar or even a small kitchenette for a snack after the sauna.

8. The WC

The WC should be separated from the sauna by two doors, so the various noises do not disturb the conversation in the sauna.

9. Windows

Having a window in all the rooms of the bathroom is pleasant, if the house can be so built. The sauna at least should have a small window, and the door to the bathroom can also have a window.

10. Two Heaters

The heart of a good sauna is as big a kiuas as possible. For the supersauna, we need two heaters. One electrical for everyday use and the other a real wood kiuas for holidays and the ritual sauna of the weekends. There are over 30 types of heaters for saunas. Altogether they make for some 150 different electrical and over 50 different wood heaters commercially available.

11. The Stones

The steam of a healthy löyly comes only from the stones, not from the contactof water with metal parts of the kiuas (heater). The type of stones also is important, ask your dealer for recommended types. Still, whatever means of heating is chosen, the amount of stones is crucial. The supersauna will have at least 50 kg of stones, smaller amounts cannot generate enough steam for the big sauna. The kiuas must be capable of heating the stones fast, but not necessarily very hot, since 75 to 80 degrees Celsius is easily hot enough for good löyly.

12. Height

Modern saunas are often too low. Because the heat goes up from the kiuas (heater), the bathers should be completely above the its top.

13. Ventilation

With an electric kiuas (heater), it is now considered best to bring fresh air into the sauna 50 cm above the kiuas. With a wood kiuas, the best way is still to have incoming ventilation under or to either side of the heater. Two ventilators are used for exiting air, one under the benches and another, close the ceiling, that should be closed during bathing.

14. Good Air

For the it to be comfortable, the air in the sauna has to be rich in oxygen. The ventilation has to be well done because most electrical heaters burn some of the oxygen from the air and the sweat and carbon dioxide must be efficiently removed. If the air contains many negative ions, it will give the bather a better feeling. Soapstone for example provides a good steam if it is heated properly. In a wood heated sauna, the faint scent of smoke can be pleasant, as is the scent of the vihta. To avoid unwanted smells, the sauna has to be well ventilated both in use and between uses.

15. Water

The water used for the löyly can also matter. For the best steam, use normal, clear drinking water. Rain water is often too flat, and salty seawater causes literally acid rain in the sauna. Natural spring water may well be the perfect water for the sauna.

16. Light

As the atmosphere in the sauna tends to be moody, the lights should not obstruct this feeling. No direct lights should be used, but only bulbs behind wooden panels. The light is only needed when coming or exiting the sauna. It might be a good idea to extend the mood to the dressing room with adjustable lighting.

17. Wood

Solid wood logs are still the best material for the walls of a sauna building. The logs should be at least 100 mm (4in) thick and well ventilated. If there is a stone wall construction, some extra insulation is necessary. First 50 mm of insulation covered by a hardboard, then a layer of aluminum plastic cardboard to prevent the humidity from getting into the wall. On top of it all, make a thin lathwork and cover it with spruce panelling.

18. Details

To protect the wood, the benches and other wooden surfaces should be built so they are easy to wash and can dry fast. The wooden legs of the benches should not be in contact with the floor, but a plastic stud should separate them from the water on the floor. When constructing the benches, try to avoid nails or screws on the sitting surfaces: any metal will be painfully hot when the sauna is heated.

19. Using the Vihta

In old times the vihta was an important part of bathing in a sauna. Although its use is not so common these days, it still gives the sauna that finishing touch. See the Sauna Lexicon for details on making a vihta.

20. Traditions

Throughout the centuries, the sauna has been a place of cleanliness and peace. Though nowadays it is mostly a place for relaxation and a stress reliever, remember to respect the peaceful atmosphere. Also, keep in mind that there is a Sauna-elf and a Spirit of the Löyly in every sauna, and if you treat them properly, they will guarantee you a pleasant sauna.

Created by and copyright © Mihael Cankar. Art by Danny Eden.
All rights reserved. Latest retouch June 27, 2002 .