LAFA Experiences: SAUNA!

Sauna is a huge part of Finnish culture!
I do not know many Finns that don't use sauna at all or dislike it completely - it's extremely rare at least!

The only experience I had with a sauna (prior to moving to Finland) was at the local swimming hall back in Nova Scotia - where you do keep your bathing suit on - it was open for anyone to use - and you were prohibited from splashing water onto the rocks!
Which every time I tell a Finn this - they laugh uncontrollably.

My first Finnish sauna experience dates back to 2009 after having my first son and I was very shy because I don't think I had a bathing suit that would fit and who in the world goes into a room to sweat while being naked with people you barely know?!

Apparently I do - along with millions of Finns and non-Finns alike - you learn to adapt.

So here are the bare basics about going to sauna with your friends in Finland:

1. You go totally naked - bring a sauna towel (size of a hand towel typically) to sit on and that's it.  
1. If it's the case of a mixed genders and open public sauna - then yes, you wear a bathing suit if it says so.
1. For example I have been to the public Smoke sauna at Kuusijärvi and we had to wear bathing suits. 
2. I have never once been made fun of or gawked at because of my figure or shape.
   While nudity is considered borderline shameful in other countries - in a sauna - it puts you all on even ground and frankly, nobody gives a crap what you look like - as long as you are clean, enjoy yourself and relax.
3. Plus a lot of Finns wear glasses or contacts - so most likely, they can't see much of you at all!  😂
2. Shower before entering the sauna - usually you'll rinse yourself before going into the sauna and have a cool down or a quick rinse in between your sauna session.  You should shower properly after sauna as well.
1. So bring your shampoo or body wash and lotion if needed!
3. Bring something cold to drink with you.  I always have a water bottle but of course - a proper Finnish sauna includes booze of some kind to cool you down!
1. It is easy to get dehydrated in the sauna - so definitely bring a drink with you!
4. If you've been invited to someone's home and they tell you there will be sauna - be sure to bring your own towel, shower stuff and change of clothes or underwear at least!
5. Swimming halls, spas and hotels in Finland typically have saunas as well.  There can be a variety - even a private sauna in the hotel room if available!
6. There are a variety of different kinds of sauna:
1. Electric sauna is the most common - especially in apartment building complexes.
2. Wood sauna is very common in stand alone houses and at cottages as well.
3. Smoke sauna is not so common but a very different and cleansing experience!
7. Almost all apartment buildings in Finland have a sauna.
1. Either you have one in your own flat - lucky you!
   
   or
2.  You have one in your building and you can either go during the open community times - usually gender-based, for example: Women from 9-10 and Men from 11-12 - or you might have your own private time slot every week.

• Your rent will have an additional sauna fee should you wish to register for your own sauna time slot.
8. To make the sauna hotter:  you can turn up the stove on an electric type of sauna or splash water on the stones.   
9. If you have asthma like I do - it's also wise to bring your asthma meds with you just in case.
1. I also recommend sitting on a lower level or not as close to the sauna stove to reduce your chances of an asthma attack.
1. I find wood and smoke saunas easier to breathe in compared to electric ones - it also depends how much water you splash on the stones.
10. Yes ladies you can sauna while on your period - just use a menstrual cup or tampon and sit on a sauna towel accordingly.
11. When you leave the sauna - you should rinse the benches by splashing water on them and splashing water on the stove (don't forget to shut it off).
12. Remove your contacts or eye glasses before going into sauna - the contacts could cause irritation and you won't be able to see with glasses on anyway.
13. Don't bring your phone into the sauna - it's just common sense.  Leave it out in the shower or change room area.

Photo by "Pori Guy" aka PG.

The history of sauna goes wayyyy back - women used to give birth in a sauna, especially those living in the countryside without close access to a hospital because it was the most cleanest place to give birth!

It was my birthday - and I was at Havumäki Ranch & figured why not?
Photo by M.

Other fun things to know about the sauna:

1. It is totally normal to go outside (usually with a towel on) to cool down from a sauna.  
1. Yes, even in winter and in the snow!
2. It is also totally normal to roll in snow then rush back into the sauna or take it up a notch - if available of course - and swim in a lake in the winter time.
3. It is also socially acceptable to sauna daily after a long day at work.
4. Many Finns sauna all year long - including the summer months - with or without a lake to jump in.
5. Do not wear pure gold jewelry into the sauna - it'll melt and leave you with nasty burn marks.
1. Yes that's coming from experience... not sure what other jewelry could melt but at least - pure gold stuff is not recommended.
6. It sounds crazy but it is also perfectly normal to be beaten with a bundle of birch branches to increase the blood circulation in your body and to have the "ULTIMATE FINNISH SAUNA EXPERIENCE!"  
1. aka a "vihta" - if not made by hand from your Finnish host - you can buy them frozen in the grocery store.
2. I was advised it's best to dip in the bucket of water, toast them above the stove and then smack yourself silly with them.
7. It is pronounced "sou (like "sour") - na" - not like the way you've grown up hearing it as "saw-na".
8. A lot of people use their sauna as storage...yeah I wouldn't but some people just don't use their sauna much!
9. Children generally go into sauna as young as 1-year old, usually sitting in a tub of water at the bottom.
10. In case you're wondering - do people have sex in the sauna? - some do and some won't.  Mostly so people don't pass out from the extreme heat.
11. When I was close to giving birth - all my Finnish friends recommended the "3-S's: Sex, Siivous (cleaning) & Sauna" to encourage getting labour going.
12. Finns love sauna so much that there was a collection of postage stamps dedicated to the sauna culture back in 2009!

And there you have it - a crash course in sauna.

Photo by PG.

LAFA

LAFA Experiences: The Jyväskylä City Library

Photo credit to my 8-year old

Today is a super snow filled day and because my children and I are a group of 4 (ages are 6-10) - we decided to get an all day ticket for the Linkki bus on their app and do some shopping about.

One thing we did was going to the Jyväskylä City Library.  It is free to get a library card with proof of identity and a Finnish Social ID number.
I actually have forgotten to bring my library card with me a couple of times and have provided my Finnish ID card at the desk and was able to still borrow a library book.

You also get a PIN code for your library card that you can choose yourself - so when checking out books you can confirm your identity by punching in the code.
Library books are good to borrow for 4 weeks at a time unless otherwise noted.
Movies are good for 1 week (as far as I know but it has been awhile) and the JKL City library has actually been under some renovations and re-designing recently!

There is a children-friendly area, along with a newly designed gaming area (the game on display to play was chess), lots of comfortable seating areas and you are also able to have snacks in designated areas as well.
There are rooms to rent to play musical instruments and they now have a "Self-Service Library" (Facebook link for info in English).

A new digital map

Of course the JKL City library does not compare to the newest Helsinki addition "Oodi" but it's still quite nice to be in with plenty of events and things to do!
And I can most certainly recommend the Oodi library if you ever want to see a not so typical tourist attraction while visiting Helsinki!

Board games to play!

The library is easily accessible by most Linkki buses or by foot depending where you live and very high tech in terms of returning books, checking books out and even renewing books online!

Here is a list of all the Central Finland libraries "Keski Libraries" available for you to access via Facebook and yes, you can use the same library card along with returning books to the other linked libraries.

Little tablets can be found to help you search for books in the aisles!

Returning items to the library

It is also worth following them on Facebook for any last minute updates or cancellations there may be - along with general knowledge of local events happening at the various libraries throughout Jyväskylä!

The primary one that I visit is the downtown location for convenience in terms of location.

Upstairs in the children's area are a collection of fish tanks!

My son's library card! Mine is in Turku in a different wallet!

Libraries are not just full of books these days - they seem to be evolving with the changing of the times and keeping up relatively well with the modern technology as well.

And if you didn't know already - Finland is one of the top countries that uses their library services the most!

Comfy seating in the board game area!

A community puzzle anyone can contribute to!

Going to the library for me brings back fond memories of going with my parents on the weekend - returning my borrowed books and borrowing new ones to read!  I am hoping to instill the same fond memories for my children and let's face it.  Books in the shop are expensive and being able to have access to a very well stocked library is one of the greatest gifts one can have!

Just FYI - during the winter months - you cannot enter the library with metal studded footwear or metal grips to prevent slipping on the ice inside!

Thank you for reading!
LAFA

LAFA Experiences: Havumäki Ranch

I had the greatest oppourtunity to visit Havumäki Ranch - outside of Jyväskylä, Finland this past weekend and WHAT AN EXPERIENCE IT WAS!
I had not planned on going there but a dear friend of mine was visiting from abroad and invited myself and 2/3 of my kids over (third kiddo was at his respite care - I will blog about that later) for the night.
We quickly packed our bags and jumped into the car and it is about a 20-25 minutes ride from Jyväskylä with a very bumpy and long-winding dirt road to drive up to.  It is in a very secluded area in the woods and extremely peaceful!




The ranch is a large three floor house with spacious everything!  You can find all the information about the home itself here on their official site in English.

I was blown away by the spaciousness of it and the outdoors was lovely as well because we were able to drive the snowmobile - an old giant Lynx and did some sledding down a hill using reusable shopping bags...sounds ghetto but we did not have time to grab the kids' sleds unfortunately! 
Also, my kids don't ski/didn't have their skis with them or snowboard - so - reusable shopping bags it was!

I wish we were able to stay longer - but due to my friend's work schedule and my travel schedule - one night over and about half a day was a fantastic sampling of a visit to the Havumäki Ranch!

We did not bother with the extra sauna hut outdoors, the outdoor hot tub or any of the ramps built in that could be used for downhill skiing or snowboarding!  We kept the house warm with the old wood oven and felt comfortable and cozy.

I slept upstairs alone while my children shared a room and my friend had another room.

The view from my window was pretty and snow-filled and if given the oppourtunity, I would definitely go back and try to fit in some hiking as well - since skateboarding is not my thing and "accident prone" is my middle name! 😆

And if you are not aware of Finnish sauna culture - it is a sort of rite of passage to go rolling about in the snow during the winter months after having sauna or even swimming in a nearby lake!!
Of course you go back in the sauna to warm up and repeat this process as much as you like!
I admit - I have been here for 10 years and have not done such a thing other than to stand in the snow and dip my toe into a hole in the lake.  That was PLENTY for me!
However, since it was my birthday weekend - I decided to take it up a notch and borrow my friend's sandals and step into the snow, quickly remove the towel for a few photos!
Yes I do have 2 arms but one hand had to hold the towel! And there was no lake nearby for me to dip a toe in!

My goal with this blog was to have more experiences - and I don't mean just interviewing new people whichever city I am in - but experiences from a foreigner's perspective!
And I feel that getting naked outside in the snow post-sauna did just that for me.  It was of course SUPER cold but - you do what you gotta do!

And of course - having this experience of going to Havumäki Ranch is just another one in a million experiences in Finland!
If you are able to go and rent it for a night or even better a weekend with your friends or loved ones - DO IT!  You will not regret it!

Be sure to pack your helmets, snowboard or skateboard, other protection gear if needed and have a GREAT time!

And I know this sounds really weird but the water there is SO pure and fresh!  It's much softer than city tap water as I believe their water hook up is from a well and it is just fantastic!

Thanks again to my dear friend M for inviting us, feeding us and transporting us to and from Havumäki Ranch.  It's an experience none of us will ever forget!

LAFA