Some like it hot! Sauna and Spa in the Land of the Midnight Sun
by Catherine Beattie -- Finland
The rain has stopped and the light summer night casts a rosy pink glow as we head through the woods to the lakeside cabin. We are in Finland – land of the midnight sun - and about to experience our first authentic Finnish sauna. It has been a long day – flight from London to Helsinki followed by a three-hour drive to Anttolan on the shores of Lake Saimaa. We are spending the night at Anttolan Hovi Manor House Hotel – the smaller of Anttolanhovi's two hotels and the former home of a Russian princess. With its extensive old gardens, carefully restored interiors, décor and speciality Russian cuisine, we could be back in the 19th century! My room is spotless but small with a single bed, wooden floors, simple furnishings and an ensuite shower room. After dinner – mushroom dumplings with sour cream and adjika sauce, borscht soup, Chicken Kiev, Russian brewed tea and pastries – our congenial hosts insist we join them in the sauna (pronounced sow-na in Finland).
As inhibited Brits, stripping off and going ‘au natural' in the sauna's fierce dry heat is the last thing we feel like doing, but it would be rude to disappoint our hosts. To our surprise (and relief), because we are a mixed group we are asked to bring swimsuits.
| "As spa aficionados will be aware, the concept of sweating for health, cleanliness and pleasure plays a part in many other ancient cleansing rituals around the world including the Turkish hammam, the Russian bania, the Mexican temescal and the sweat lodges of North America." |
The lakeside cabin sauna is hot but just about tolerable when punctuated every so often with a short break and a cooling shower. Soon, we are dripping with sweat as we slap ourselves with the traditional leafy birch twigs (vasta) dipped in warmed honey. After about an hour, we cool off in true Finnish style - by jumping into the icy cold lake! Afterwards, showered (again), dried and feeling unbelievably clean and invigorated, we sip freshly brewed coffee and feast on pancakes cooked over an open fire before falling into our beds in the still light early hours of the morning. Welcome to summer in Finland!
One of Europe's lesser-known destinations, Finland is a fascinating little country that enjoys a high standard of living and a terrain that includes thousands of lakes, islands and forests. Sandwiched between larger neighbours Sweden and Russia, Finland stretches from the Baltic Sea to north of the Arctic Circle. With a population of around 5 million people and nearly two million saunas, it doesn't take long to discover the Finns' passion for their most famous invention and their enthusiasm to share it with visitors. Many saunas are situated beside Finland's lakes, so sessions can finish with a healthy cold plunge. During the long, cold winter, some brave folk jump through holes into icy lakes and roll in the snow before returning to the heat of the sauna.
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Anttolanhovi Manor Hotel
Birches beside Lake Kallavesi
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After breakfast, we visit Hovineito, the spa center next to the larger Anttolanhovi Hotel, where I have a simple massage followed by a peat bath. Facilities are clean and warm but not luxurious. Treatments include spa baths, massages and beauty services and should be booked in advance due to the restricted opening times. The pretty Anttolan area offers a wide range of winter and summer sporting and leisure amenities including boat cruises, jogging and ski trails, canoes, snowshoes, fishing, cross-country skiing, tennis, mini golf and even beach volley on the shore of Lake Saimaa. For culture buffs, every summer Anttolan hosts the HoviArt exhibition, where leading Finnish and international artists display their work in the old yard buildings of the manor house. The old cowshed, stables, pigsty, smithy forge, hayloft and dairy create stunning and unusual backdrops for the contemporary art.
We wave goodbye to our friendly hosts at Anttolan and drive by countless lakes fringed with graceful birch trees and banks of stunning blue lupins on our way to Leppavirta and the Spa Hotel Vesileppis in the Finnish Lake district. The austere-looking hotel offers outstanding health and leisure facilities including the world's first underground skiing arena, built 100 feet under the hotel with natural snow all year round. There is also a tropical (90ºF) spa complex with six pools, separate saunas, gym, ice hockey stadium, sports store and health centre offering spa and beauty treatments and physiotherapy. No sooner have we checked in, than we are supplied with Nordic Walking sticks so we can try this popular fitness fad on one of the nature trails. By the time I've mastered the wide arm swing, it is raining heavily, so the walk has to be abandoned and we head to the tropical spa area for a swim and a sauna instead. This time the guys have their own sauna, so after daubing myself all over with the therapeutic black mud provided, I experience my first naked sauna and very pleasant it is, too!
Even in the high tech 21st century, the sauna remains an integral part of the Finnish identity and a national institution with its beneficial effects rooted in traditional Finnish-Karelian folk medicine. Years ago, Finns used the sauna as a place to treat illnesses and to cleanse mind and body during all the stages of human life, from birth to washing the dead. Women often gave birth to their children in the sauna, as in rural communities it was often the warmest and most hygienic place. The tradition of a weeklong confinement in the sauna, followed by the newborn being ceremoniously carried into the house, continued until the early part of the 20th century.
As spa aficionados will be aware, the concept of sweating for health, cleanliness and pleasure plays a part in many other ancient cleansing rituals around the world including the Turkish hammam, the Russian bania, the Mexican temescal and the sweat lodges of North America. While sauna bathing does not prevent or cure long-term illnesses, because it raises the body temperature, the immune system is stimulated to increase production of antibodies and natural interferon (a cancer-fighting protein). A good healthy sweat is also an excellent detoxificant, warding off colds and flu, relieving respiratory and sinus problems and easing joint pain and muscle stiffness. The sauna also speeds up the heartbeat, stimulates circulation and metabolism and may (temporarily) lower blood pressure. Despite its benefits, sauna bathing is not suitable for everyone and should be avoided by pregnant women and those with low blood pressure, who may feel faint in the heat.
On our busy last day (and night) in Finland, we visit the city of Kuopio and sample some of its many visitor attractions. These range from the fun and excitement of the new Family Play Park Hoksopoli to the fascinating Old Kuopio Museum with its 19th century wooden homes traditionally furnished and surrounded by flowerbeds and herb gardens. Refreshments and Finnish delicacies are served to us in the museum's tea room before Kaija, our charming Kuopio host, surprises us with the news that she has tickets to the final night of an international dance festival at the City Theatre. It is a memorable performance with a packed theatre and sensational dance acts varying from classical ballet to contemporary dance, hip-hop and flamenco.
After the excitement of the theatre, we drive to Kuopio's most famous landmark, the Puijo Tower, which soars 725 feet above the Lake Kallavesi and has fantastic panoramic views of the lakes and islands of this lovely area. Finland's long light summer nights allow for so many extra activities. We have dinner on a small ship cruising Lake Kallavesi's wooded shores and islets and it is still light when we disembark a couple of hours later and join the crowds enjoying late night drinks on the quayside. It is almost dawn by the time we return to the Holiday Centre at Rauhalahti and our cosy wooden cabins overlooking the lake.
Next morning, before we leave for the airport, we enjoy the novelty of rowing the short distance across the lake in a traditional ‘church boat' for a delicious brunch at Jätkänkämppä Lumberjacks' Lodge restaurant. This former lumberjacks' home boasts the world's largest smoke sauna, a traditional wood-heated chimneyless smoke sauna accommodating up to 70 people at a time. How these hardworking men must have appreciated its warmth in the chill of the long dark Finnish winter! Jätkänkämppä offers separate changing and washrooms for men and women and a shared steam room. Towels and sauna bench cloths are provided and there is a spacious veranda for cooling off. We can't leave Finland without experiencing this historic smoke sauna and find it darker and more atmospheric than other saunas we have tried, with a gentle heat and a pleasant smoky aroma.
Vesileppis Hotel Pool | |
Looking back on my short trip to Finland, none of the hotels I visited had dedicated or luxurious spas – a situation that is changing fast. According to the tourist office, spas and treatments in Finland are currently undergoing a renaissance. New spas based in modern hotels have the latest facilities and specialized equipment, and are staffed by trained doctors and nurses. Slimming, fasting, relaxation, beauty and rehabilitation treatment packages are available with prices ranging from 67 to 151 Euros per person for a weekend package with half board to 252 to 590 Euros per person for a week package, depending on the number and type of treatments included.
While the luxury spa market may be growing in Finland, for most Finns, the traditional sauna will always be an integral part of their lives as well as their favorite treatment!
Visit:
Hovi Manor House Hotel www.anttolanhovi.fi
Spa Hotel Vesileppis www.vesileppis.fi
Holiday Centre at Rauhalahti and Lumberjacks' Lodge www.rauhalahti.fi/en/ravintola_ja_tanssi/jatkankamppa_saunaillat.php
Kuopio Dance Festival www.kuopiodancefestival.fi
Further details on Finnish spas www.visitfinland.com
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