Did you know that there are around three million saunas in Finland? And given there are only around 5.5million people, that’s an awful lot of Löyly (that’s the steam that is generated when water is poured over hot coals) per head. And nowhere has more steam than the city of Tampere.
Situated slap bang in the middle of two lakes, just over 100 miles north of Helsinki, this compact city is the sauna capital of the world, with around 60 public saunas to choose from. Now, I enjoy a sauna as much as the next woman, but I was curious to discover if sauna culture was really such a big thing in Finland, or if it is just something that the Fins tell tourists. Perhaps a little like the myth that us Scots regularly eat haggis and all enjoy listening to the bagpipes! And what better time to find out than during Tampere’s Soul of Sauna celebrations, a week of festivities devoted to sauna culture.
Arriving in Tampere on a glorious summer evening I’m delighted to be heading directly to . A public sauna where locals have been enjoying saunas since 1957. Located on the beautiful shore of Lake Näsijärvi it is the perfect place to enjoy the typical sauna experience combined with a refreshing dip in the lake to cool off.
Rauhaniemi Folk Spa My visit was timed as mid-summer was drawing ever nearer, and this far North the sun is in the sky for most of the day and the night. It also means that the lake is warm enough for a pleasant swim. But Rauhaniemi is open year round, with just a .
