The Sauna Experience: why it’s more than just heat

A full bench at Kuuma sauna, Tampere

Debunking the biggest misconception about sauna: it’s not just about getting hot

The biggest misconception is that sauna is just about getting hot! And this is often what you hear when you ask people if they like sauna, ‘no, I don't like being hot!’ But sauna is way, way, waaaaaay more than that. 

Sauna is called as such because we do not have a word for the concept of sweat bathing as they do in other Nordic cultures. Over there you will hear the word pronounced sow-na, over here we say saw-na but this Finnish word encompasses so much more than simply ‘getting hot’. In fact the word itself, sauna, refers to the heated room that one goes into to engage in sweat bathing and even our syntactical use of the word is subtly different suggesting that us Brits really don't quite comprehend the sacred entity that is sauna. You will not hear Finns talking about ‘having a sauna’ or ‘taking a sauna’ and absolutely not ‘we were saunaing’ - sauna is not a thing to be taken, it is not a verb to be carried out, it is simply the place where one goes for bathing. Bathing in what you might say? In sweat. Sweat bathing is actually the activity that is being carried out in the hot-room. If you have the pleasure of finding yourself in Finland with a native, they will most likely say ‘now we go to the sauna’. The difference is subtle. Let me explain what the difference illuminates. 

The idea that saunaing is the activity being carried out may suggest that the means to the end is getting really really hot - and yes, whilst one is in the sauna, this is happening - it implies a primary focus on only that, the object being to ‘get hot’ - but actually the primary objective when going to sauna is to 1) stimulate the nervous system/cardio-vascular system/respiratory system/lympthatic system - basically inhibit a powerful physical bodily response 2) to connect with others in a shared space where everybody is both equal and stripped of their various societal accolades 3) to connect with nature and the elements. Of course going to sauna in very cold climates was also about getting lovely and toastie too which we’ll cover over in a different post (history of sauna) but it’s far more complex than just ‘getting hot’. Which is why it’s always such a huge shame when you hear people denouncing sauna on this basis. 

In reality, going to the sauna is just as much about getting cold as it is about getting hot. It’s about heating the body, then cooling down again, and then taking a little rest before beginning the cycle all over again. More modernly, it’s now being referred to as the Nordic cycle, hot and cold bathing or even contrast therapy - but in a nutshell the combination of both getting very hot and very cold is all encompassed in the idea of going to the sauna! 

So let’s break it down a little more, what is it really all about?

As briefly outlined we can think of it in terms of the physical, the psychological, the social and the elemental. This covers a lot of the bases when we think about what going to the sauna is all about. 

The physical - where does one even begin when we approach the topic of what is going on a physical level during the sauna process? Whilst you can find this topic discussed in great detail in the ‘contrast bathing post’ I will try to keep it concise here. As we heat the body, we activate a thermal-regulation response, cue heart working harder to pump blood to the service of the skin, vaso-dilation - the vascular system opening up to allow more blood through the veins, flooding the body with rich oxygenated blood, pores open and sweat glands produce sweat as a cooling-response. When we follow this with a cooling process - sitting out in the cold air, or even better submerging the body in cold water…or ice water, the reverse occurs, warm blood is pulled back to the core, blood vessels snap shut, the body begins to preserve heat, in order to regulate its internal temperature. Extreme heat and cold also activates the body’s heat and cold shock proteins aiding cell regeneration, supporting the immune system, improving stress resilience and also protecting the brain. Working the body and internal systems in this way is very powerful for overall health and has been scientifically proven to drastically reduce disease and inflammation in the body (see Give Me The Science! If you want to know more here) 

The sauna process also instigates a neurological response, with the brain releasing various neurochemicals namely the neurotransmitter dopamine and beta-endorphin, a neuropeptide responsible for stress-relief and general feelings of euphoria. It is a mood-boosting natural high, which explains many of the associated psychological benefits that sauna-goers experience. Essentially the cocktail of hormones released by the brain bring on a sense of calm, they make us feel relaxed, they help us to escape the stresses of the day, the worries of the mind, problems may seem a million miles away when one is inside the sauna which may also be one of the reasons going to the sauna can aid a better night’s sleep, with sauna having being proven to reduce insomnia, it just makes us feel better!  

In fact, these feelings of ease, of relaxation, of lowering one’s guard, may well then enable us to connect more easily with others, which is a powerful tool for improved mental health in itself. Many sauna-goers report having more authentic connections and conversations inside the sauna, be it the relaxed state of mind, the removal of certain barriers, the fact that inside the sauna everyone is the same, it seems that the warm and cosy retreat that the sauna provides allows people to be more vulnerable, to listen and to share in a way that is more heart-led. It’s a safe space where everyone is accepted, where everyone is welcome to sit back and relax, maybe even with closed eyes, to listen and to share where appropriate, the sauna is a place to be together, even if this means just sitting silently with strangers sharing löyly and luxuriating (see history of sauna).

The power of connection also goes beyond that of the Other. Sauna connects us with Self, with nature and with the elements. Some might even say all of these things are in fact one. Sauna invites us to come home to ourselves, to sit with our breath, with our sweat, with our beating heart, perhaps even bringing heart and mind together. It connects us with the elements outside of us as well as our own inner elements. Our inner Air, our vayus, the constant movement and flow within us, mirrored by the movement of warm air around us; our inner Water, be it sweat, or tears, salty like the Sea, our bodies consisting of mostly water, connecting with the water that we toss lovingly onto the rocks producing that delicious löyly that envelops us; our inner Fire, residing deep within us, that empowers us to make our stamp on the world, to achieve our dreams, and to protect what matters to us and that dances wildy inside the stove heating the rocks; and our inner Earth, from the iron-rich blood to the marrow in our bones, connecting us deeply with the trees that also give themselves over to the sauna, from the wood we feed to the stove to the whisks of birch, or maple or oak that enrich the sauna experience so deeply. It is an elemental practice. A sacred practice. A holistic full-body practice that is deeply soothing, deeply healing, deeply connective. This. Is. Sauna. 

You can read in more detail about what is happening on a physical level in the body when one engages in hot and cold therapy here - ‘what is contrast bathing’ or if this has piqued your interest and you want to know how to get the most out of your session - head over to Hot - Cold -Rest -Repeat. If it is the spiritual, the elemental, the ceremonial that gets your juices flowing be sure to check out ‘the art of sauna ceremony’.