The Finnish sauna is a substantial part of Finnish and Estonian culture.
A smoke sauna (savusauna) in Enonkoski, South Savonia
A typical modern Finnish sauna
Sauna ladle and bucket
Finnish vihta (vasta in Eastern Finland), made of birch. It is used in traditional sauna-bathing for massage and stimulation of the skin.
The culture of Finland combines indigenous heritage, as represented for example by the country's national languages Finnish and Swedish, and the sauna, with common Nordic and European cultural aspects. Because of its history and geographic location, Finland has been influenced by the adjacent areas, various Finnic and Baltic peoples as well as the former dominant powers of Sweden and Russia. Finnish culture is built upon the relatively ascetic environmental realities, traditional livelihoods, and heritage of egalitarianism and the traditionally widespread ideal of self-sufficiency.
Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki
In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925
Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes
Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC