The Muuramen Saunakylä is an open-air museum devoted to the smoke sauna. Examples from various parts of the country, dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries, have been brought to the town of Muurame (southwest of Jyväskylä) and rebuilt. Many of them are still usable and can be rented by groups; once a week, one of the saunas is even opened to the public. (Although I was not able to take a smoke sauna at Muurame, I did enjoy one later at Kuusijärvi, in Vantaa). Vernacular saunas can be grouped into eastern, western, and northern forms, based on minor but persistent variations in configuration and building techniques. Additionally, in the west the sauna was used for drying malt and curing meat, while elsewhere these tasks were done in the house. Saunas in all parts of the country were used for giving birth and laying out corpses, as well as bathing.
A "cool" sauna is about 70 C (160 F) and a "warm" sauna is about 90 C (190 F). Because a sauna gets so hot, fixtures must be of wood; metal could cause burns. Often a root or branch that has grown into an appropriate shape is used in lieu of a piece of wood that has been worked by hand.
Before vestibules were added to the typical sauna plan, a separate structure, the kota, was sometimes built outside the entrance to the sauna. This was used for household chores such as heating water.
Traditionally, a bride and her entourage had a sauna before her wedding. A thistle was included in the bouquet placed on her chair, as a reminder that married life had its share of thorns!
During World War II, Finnish soldiers built saunas near the front lines. These provided a place to warm up during one of the coldest winters recorded in Europe, and the heat from the sauna was effective in eliminating lice from skin and clothing. Equally important, the sauna provided a comfortable, familiar place amid the rigors of war. The Muuramen saunkylä has one wartime sauna, built using only an axe and a knife, and assembled without metal fastenings.
The equivalent of "George Washington slept here"? Mauno Koivisto was the president of Finland from 1982-1994.
The door to this sauna shows that ribbed textures in Finland predate Alvar Aalto's work!
The sauna has been a favorite project for Finnish architects. Many young practioners have gotten their start designing a sauna. For established architects the sauna provides an opportunity to step away from polemic and reconnect with tradition. Aalto's smoke sauna at his "experimental house" on Muuratsalo has more in common with buildings centuries old than with his masterpieces of modernity. However, rather than alternating the direction of the logs which form the walls, he stacked them with all of their root ends facing the lake, producing a pitched roof.
The smoke sauna became less common during the second half of the 20th century, as electric saunas - much quicker to heat - became common. However, the smoke sauna is regaining its popularity. Aficionados claim that the löyly (heat) from the smoke sauna is "softer" than that from the electric one. I was not able to appreciate this subtle difference, but certainly the air in a smoke sauna has a pleasant taste that more than compensates for the soot that accumulates on one's body.
As I dislike heat, I find the inside of the sauna oppressive. However, the darkness and near-silence of the room (broken only by dripping sweat, the roar of water on the hot rocks, and occasional low conversation) prompt a meditative mood. It is also gratifying to step outside and feel the motion of wind against the skin without getting cold - the residual heat of the sauna keeps the body warm for a long time. And there is no denying the sauna ritual induces a calmness which persists for hours afterwards.
(posted 21 September)
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