I just returned from what might be the best trip of my life (outside of family vacations). Ten friends and I traveled to Finland to experience the motherland of saunas.
Here's the thing about Finland—there are 3.5 million saunas for a country of 5.5 million people. That's more saunas than cars. Sauna culture isn't just a hobby; it's woven into the fabric of Finnish life.
We based ourselves in a region with the freshest air in the world and more reindeer than residents. It borders Russia (I was worried my friend Dev might wander off one night and end up in Moscow. Thankfully, that didn’t happen!)
We even spent a night in an Arctic hotel—basically, an igloo kept at 21 degrees. The guy locked us in and said, "Don't freeze to death." There was a "safe room" with bunk beds and a heater if we couldn't handle it, but nobody used it. We all thought about it, though.
Over the course of seven days, we experienced 27 different saunas - wood-burning, electric, traditional 200-year-old smoke saunas, and saunas perched right on top of frozen lakes where you could jump directly into the Baltic Sea.
Across all of these unique sauna experiences, there was a very strong common thread that Americans often overlook.
There's no clock in Finnish saunas. Every single sauna session was a social event.
It was all about connection. And really, is there a more important health benefit? We always talk about performance gains, expelling toxins, releasing endorphins—all great beneifts of saunas. But what we've overlooked, and the Finnish have mastered—is the art of connection.
This weekend, take some time to turn off the clock and enjoy the moment with the people around you. Thanks for the reminder, Finland!
