An authentic sauna experience means having a seat on a sauna bench where there is good ventilation, ideally with fresh air that can be wafted into the sauna to keep it fresh. Hot stones inside the Sauna are heated by a wood or electric fire to create Löyly.
Löyly is a Finnish word and refers to the hot steam that is made when water is poured on the heated stones. Löyly turns the sauna space hot and humid and brings a sense of relaxation to body and mind. Löyly also describes the atmosphere created with the steam and the stones. This Löyly feeling changes in different sauna spaces, on different days and in different company.
How was the Löyly in your last sauna?
When there are no stones to be seen in a sauna, Löyly cannot be created. While the sauna experience in gyms and leisure centers is good and has benefits, often the stones or source of heat is hidden. In this situation it is not possible to play with the sauna space using fire, stones, heat and fresh air. This is very different to the experience of Löyly in an authentic outdoor sauna.
There are many ways to enjoy an authentic Sauna. Through sauna traditions old and new, by applying the science of sauna and through practices in the sauna space that are healing or explore the creative arts. There are many benefits for the mind, body and community with regular sauna use.