mikajava

The Vault

My brother and his wife heard about this sauna concept a few years ago: a vault-shaped underground smoke sauna made of cylinder blocks. So they called the manufacturer and asked for a demo as they happened to be driving in that part of Finland. The owner could not make the demo at their showroom butContinue reading “The Vault”

Different types of sauna whisks

This article covers the differences of different sauna whisks. The sauna whisk ritual and tradition is discussed in another article on this page. Birch whisks The birch whisk is the most common whisk type in Finland. There are three main types of birch trees in Finland: Rauduskoivu (Silver birch, Betula pendula) Hieskoivu (Downy birch, BetulaContinue reading “Different types of sauna whisks”

Improving Ventilation in a Barrel Sauna

Barrel saunas are popular especially in North America. They are rather easy to fit on backyards and also relatively inexpensive and they look cool. One challenge with this sauna design is ventilation and heat stratification. While the basic rule of löyly (steam) in Finnish saunas assume that your feet are above the top of theContinue reading “Improving Ventilation in a Barrel Sauna”

Using Home Assistant to Create a Perfect Sauna App

Finns were eager to adopt all kinds of mobile applications especially during the heyday of Nokia about 20 years ago. The first SMS controlled stoves came around in late 90’s. After a few burned down saunas, we now have even a European standard SFS-EN 60335-2-53 for safety requirements of such appliances and applications. But apartContinue reading “Using Home Assistant to Create a Perfect Sauna App”

Humidity and the Löyly Index

When you are locked down at your home for almost two years, have lonely sauna sessions five times a week and have humidity sensors, you start pondering the scientific side of löyly. Or I have… The basic concept of löyly is of course that you pour water on the stove and it vaporizes and increasesContinue reading “Humidity and the Löyly Index”

Sauna Lights

I prefer dark saunas because they help me relax better. However, it is good to have some hue in the steam room to avoid accidents. My sauna kit came with a led bar that was supposed to be installed behind the stove. It was too bright to my liking so I started looking for alternatives.Continue reading “Sauna Lights”

Hot Tub (Palju)

For some reason, hot tubs became very popular in Finland in early 2000’s. Companies rent them on trailer for parties and many have added one on their backyard or at their summer place. I believe this popularity has something to do with our culture of sauna evenings, a tradition a will write about a bitContinue reading “Hot Tub (Palju)”

Garden Shower

People commonly ask if you should shower before sauna. Generally, yes you should as it is more sanitary. It’s sad to see people going in to gym “saunas” wearing their sweaty shorts and shirts and even shoes. My sauna is on a patio and while it is not difficult to take a shower before goingContinue reading “Garden Shower”

Sauna Maestro

After a long 18-month wait, I was finally able to fly back to Finland in June 2021. This trip felt a bit special after such a long wait: I normally go to Finland a few times a year. I decided to make the most of it and bring back some sauna stuff. Almost everything canContinue reading “Sauna Maestro”

Cold Plunge

I always like to associate winter sauna with ice swimming (polar plunge in the U.S.). There are some published studies on the subject of health benefits of jumping to a frozen lake. Some studies suggest that the body produces more adrealine which then gives you that euphoric feeling of accomplishment. Other studies suggest that coldContinue reading “Cold Plunge”