No visit to a Finnish summer cottage is complete without a visit to the sauna. Finland has approximately five million inhabitants and around three million saunas. It’s a way of life here, to relax, spend time with friends and warm up in mid-winter. The majority of homes have their own sauna and, if not, there is usually a shared sauna in apartment blocks where families have their own private use periods.
Life at a summer cottage is no exception, where we stay there is a wood fired sauna which is lit even on balmy summer evenings. Whilst the sauna is heating up, thick ‘sauna’ sausages are wrapped in foil and placed on a cast iron tray suspended from the ceiling, hanging just above the wooden stove.
It takes about an hour for this wood burning sauna to reach a high temperature and be ready for use. I find sitting in a sauna, in the dimmed light a very relaxing experience and afterwards my entire body feels deep cleansed and invigorated.
After the sauna you can take a swim in the lake if you wish as the effect of hot and cold on the body is supposedly beneficial. Outside the sauna house there are steps down to its very own swimming platform. I have to say that I didn’t take a swim in the lake but instead enjoyed a shower after my sauna.
It was then time to enjoy our tasty snack of the sauna cooked sausages with beer or wine. Life at a Finnish summer cottage is most definitely an idyllic experience.
Packing up, it was then time to return to Savonlinna to catch the Onnibus back to Helsinki. As we arrived a little early, our friend took us to a quaint cafe that only opened this year in the old railway station. All the cakes and pastries are home baked on the premises and our cinnamon buns tasted really fresh with a strong spiced flavour.
We then returned to our holiday apartment near Helsinki which overlooks a sheltered bay so we hadn’t left the countryside behind in Savonlinna, but merely exchanged it for another lovely view of Finnish nature!
If you have enjoyed reading this post you may also be interested in the following:
Savonlinna in the Finnish Lake District
Love Travelling Blog 
Not sure this old body could handle the sauna heat, but a great experience for sure. I can almost smell the cinnamon buns in the restaurant from here. Cheers Marion. Allan
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Sauna is best during the winter months but I do enjoy them any time I’m in a hotel or staying somewhere where they are available. Hope your weekend is going well. Marion
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I know I’m a little late to the party here, I just stumbled upon your beautiful post. I’ve embraced the sauna and wellness concept since living in Germany but your post inspires me to want to strike out for an authentic Finnish experience also!
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Thank you for making contact, I do hope you get an opportunity to experience a true Finnish sauna. Kind Regards.
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What a beautiful cottage! No better feeling than going from a hot sauna to a cold swim or shower. Then sausages, beer, and wine on the deck? Sounds like a perfect series of events!
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Thank you! Life in a Finnish summer cottage is truly idyllic. Thank you for reading my post and for your comment !
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Thank you for checking out my blog and liking my article on my trip to Italy. I love that you have traveled all over the world and shared some amazing photographs. You are living life to the fullest and experiencing all the beauty of this world. You are one lucky lady. Please share how you can travel so often.
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Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog. Travelling is my love so I save money and work hard to enable me to go on my travels so I always have trips to look forward to. I hope you will also have an opportunity to travel more in the future.
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Lovely place! 😻
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Thank you, it was truly beautiful!
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I used to live in Helsinki for three years and I would really love to go back nexr summer for a roadtrip. Do you know where I can get this sauna and summer cottage experience cheap and nice?
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This looks amazing! Would like to try it someday 😀
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Thank you, it’s really nice. Hope you get an opportunity to experience it for yourself sometime.
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What a beautiful location – in the woods by the lake – reminds me of Norway though I’ve not yet been to Finland.
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Thank you Pete. Do try and visit Finland, the landscape is quite different but equally beautiful. Thanks for commenting and reading my post.
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Ooh it looks so relaxing!
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Thank you – it certainly was
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I would love to visit Finland some day too…and try the sauna… =)
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That’s good to read, I’m sure you would enjoy it! Thanks for taking the time to comment on my post, it’s much appreciated.
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It is interesting to read how you describe our sauna traditions, because we don’t think it, it is so familiar. You must love our country!
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Thank you! I hope I have described the Finnish sauna reasonably well and, of course I love Fnland so mch!
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Oh gosh, that’s a beautiful sauna! You were very lucky to visit such a fabulous summer cottage ❤
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Thanks Suvi! We had a lovely time there, and it makes quite a contrast from life in Helsinki, though you know I adore that, too! Have a great weekend xx
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Wow that looks amazing! I remember as a child we would run back a forth from the sauna to the lake at the cottage but I didn’t know that it was good for you!
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Yes, tha’s what many people do, but although the lake was warm I just dipped my toes in. Love the sauna experience though! Thanks for reading and your kind words.
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This sounds amazing!
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It really is! Thanks. For reading and for your kind words!
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Looks so beautiful! I want to stay in a Finnish cabin!
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It’s delightful Abby! Hope you get the opportunity sometime and thanks for taking the time to read my posts.
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The cottage just looks like a little piece of heaven, how lucky that you got to spend a few days here, I love experiences like this you only get by having friends who are locals.
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Exactly Joy, it really is beautiful, very spacious and complete with all mod cons. It’s so peaceful, accessed by a gravel track (no wonder Finland have so many top Rally drivers!) we are totally cut off from the world, the only exception being the occasional boat we see glide past the terrace. I wouldn’t be confident to drive the ferry either but my husband and son can operate it competently now. Do you know that in winter when the lake is frozen, my friend drives across the ice road to get to her cottage. It’s very safe as the ice is drilled to ensure it is thick enough before vehicles can use it with their winter tyres.
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Wow, that sounds incredible too but again, more than a bit nerve wracking!! Fascinating though to find out these little day to day things about living somewhere like that.
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I have a dear friend from Estonia, so I’m familiar with the sauna tradition. How long were you able to stay in? I’m not sure I would last very long.
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I can’t stand the heat too long either. I usually pop outside or take a shower to cool down for a few minutes before returning to the sauna. I do enjoy it but find it very hot, especially in mid summer!!
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Great and enjoyable post presenting Finnish culture and tradition – Sauna! Wooden stove looks quite similar which we had in our countryside home (1993-2012). I think that, if You once more visit Helsinki, then visit public Sauna called Kotiharjun Sauna. It is experience, which You’ll never forget. I used to visit to it with my late father, when being child. One question: Have You ever visited to Kerimäki wooden church, which is world’s biggest wooden church? It is quite near to Savonlinna.
Happy weekend!
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I would definitely like to visit that old sauna in Helsinki, I have walked past it but not been in, hopefully something for me to experience next year! We have, in fact visited that old church, not this summer but in the past. It’s amazing with its wooden figures and the sheer size of the church compared to the size of the local community. Thank you for your kind words and interesting observations, I always look forward to reading them.
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It was very nice to read that You have visited to the Kerimäki church. In Finland, we have gorgeous wooden churches, which wait for explorers. I can say this with full heart after shooting photos from 440 churches and they are situated mainly on countryside. Matti.
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Oh that’s good to know, we’ll have to look out for some of the others then. Have a pleasant weekend, it’s rainy here in northern England today lets hope it clears up soon.
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To better understand our old wooden churches, I show to You two different wooden churches:
This one is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Old church at Petäjävesi.
This is wooden church is one of the best-preserved churches from 1600s in Finland.
Old wooden church of Pyhämaa.
I am sure that You love them. Matti.
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Thank you for these links Matti I have enjoyed reading about these interesting churches. It’s extremely windy here this morning, hope it’s calmer with you!
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We just came walking and the weather was calm, cloudy and 18 centigrade. 🙂
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It’s one of the things I like most about Finland 🙂 Mökki and sauna 🙂
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Of course, very definitely Finnish!! Thanks for your thoughts.
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