The chilly Nordic country of Finland is known for its deeply-rooted sauna culture. Dating back to as early as the 16th century, saunas became a popular way to beat the dangerously frigid winter temperatures. In a country with around 5.5 million inhabitants, there are more than 2 million saunas scattered about the land — that’s an average of one sauna per household. In Finland, these heated refuges are not thought of as a luxury, but rather, a necessity to protect people against the cold. Before modern healthcare, most Finnish mothers even gave birth in saunas, as the warm rooms were thought to have hygienic, purifying qualities. The range of Finnish saunas varies in size and form, from a simple wood burning stove, to modern mobile tents that provide a place to warm up, and are most often located within homes or on lakeside shores. However, a group of Finnish friends decided to take the comforts of steam to the water by building a floating, multi-level sauna — combining the leisure of water sports with an age-old form of relaxation. Built out of recycled wood, ...
The chilly Nordic country of Finland is known for its deeply-rooted sauna culture. Dating back to as early as the 16th century, saunas became a popular way to beat the dangerously frigid winter temperatures. In a country with around 5.5 million inhabitants, there are more than 2 million saunas scattered about the land — that’s an average of one sauna per household. In Finland, these heated refuges are not thought of as a luxury, but rather, a necessity to protect people against the cold. Before modern healthcare, most Finnish mothers even gave birth in saunas, as the warm rooms were thought to have hygienic, purifying qualities. The range of Finnish saunas varies in size and form, from a simple wood burning stove, to modern mobile tents that provide a place to warm up, and are most often located within homes or on lakeside shores. However, a group of Finnish friends decided to take the comforts of steam to the water by building a floating, multi-level sauna — combining the leisure of water sports with an age-old form of relaxation. Built out of recycled wood, ...