How this Finnish ‘sauna capital of the world’ helped me recover from burnout
As one in four of us will experience a mental health challenge each year, a shattered Yvette Cook explores Finland’s second city to see whether a wellbeing break can really help with deep rest, renewal and an energy reset
“How does that feel?” asks Siiri, as the spikes of the juniper branches relieve the itch on my back and the spicy scent surrounds my body.
“Peaceful,” I respond, so relaxed that one-word answers are all I’m good for. I am sitting in Finland’s oldest public sauna, Rajaportti, accompanied by a sauna healer. For the first time in months I can breathe deep into my lungs, my mind focussed on this moment.
I am in the former industrial city of Tampere to understand the diversity of its sauna and wellbeing experiences. Sitting on a wooden bench in a whitewashed room, the heat burrows into my bones and I reflect on my journey here.
It’s one inspired by the need to slow down. As a woman in her mid-40s, I am not alone in the struggle to balance the demands of family, work and daily life, and last year I burnt out. With time I was able to achieve a balance again, but as those demands have evolved, I’ve realised it’s a cycle of renewal. So I’ve come to Finland to explore whether we should consider wellness travel a necessity as well as an indulgence.
I start my journey one snowy evening at Kuuma Sauna, one of more than 50 public saunas in Tampere. Unusually, it forms part of a modern Nordic restaurant. I’m a sauna novice having only ever awkwardly sat in one at a British spa, so local enthusiast Tuomas is on hand to show me the etiquette and rituals. After changing into our bathing suits and showering, we enter a smoke sauna and immediately feel the warmth of the wooden room. It’s Saturday night and eight thirtysomethings are noisily chatting away.
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Tuomas explains how sauna culture forms the fabric of Finnish society, with most people visiting several times a week. It’s an important way to de-stress and relax, and form bonds between colleagues, friends and family members. Ordinarily, relaxing doesn’t come easily to me, but here I let my muscles go, breathe in the birch-scented warm air and appreciate the heat prickling my skin.
Once we’re hot enough, Tuomas beckons me outside towards the adjacent river. As someone who generally feels the cold, I’m surprised that, despite the sub-zero temperatures, I don’t feel chilly – indeed I feel refreshed. I see how invigorated Tuomas looks as he submerges himself in the icy water, so I push myself outside my comfort zone and give it a try – up to my knees. It’s painfully cold but by the time we’re back in the sauna, my legs are feeling pleasantly tingly.
We continue this cycle of extreme heat and cold, until it’s time to sample the restaurant. Enjoying a glass of lonkero (gin and grapefruit juice, a Finnish classic) with a forest-mushroom risotto, my legs feel like they are floating, as if I’ve been for a long swim. What’s more, I feel calm, a sensation that stays with me all the way to sleep.
The following morning I feel refreshed and full of energy, ready to explore an “art sauna” at the Serlachius Museum Gösta. In a peaceful lakeside setting, deep in the forest, an impressive array of Finnish artwork extends from the main gallery to the mosaic shower outside the sauna. The museum’s design is so soothing that I’m already relaxed before even stepping inside the sauna.
It’s becoming apparent that in Finland, no sauna experience is the same. In an isolated yurt at the Rauhaniemi folk spa, for example, I seek solace, rather than conversation. The interior is lit only by the glow of a wood burning stove, so I feel my way around the benches to find a place to lie down. I fall into a trance-like state as I listen to the fire’s roar and imagine globules of water jumping off the hot stones.
To cool down, I walk to the icy lake and climb down a wooden ladder until my feet touch solid ice beneath the surface of the water. The deeper I descend, the less painful the sensation is and I feel euphoric that I have given myself to this experience. That night, something strange happens – I’m so relaxed that I find myself wondering if there’s anything I need to worry about.
I start my final day with a breakfast of wild blueberries and lingonberries, cinnamon buns and mustamakkara, a succulent black sausage. I head to the Moomin Museum, where I have fun, but also learn about the philosophy behind this classic of Finnish children’s literature: the importance of making time for yourself; enjoying connections with nature; and thriving within your community.
I then immerse myself in the world of Moomintroll, Snork Maiden and the whole gang with a walk through the forest on Pyynikki hill, which feels mystical in the snow and hanging mist. Despite the sumptuous breakfast, I still have room to gorge myself on the infamous Pyynikki doughnuts, whose cardamom seeds offer a new take on a favourite treat.
Back in Finland’s oldest sauna, I’m enamoured by the sauna rituals, which Rajaportti take to another level. A huge stove has been warming up since the early hours, allowing the sauna spirit, or löyly (pronounced low-loo), to spread the heat through the walls. After pouring jugs of heated water over my body, I climb the stairs where I breathe in an earthy scent. Siiri opens the stove door and slowly pours a ladle of water onto the hot stones, which let out a gratifying sizzle.
I get an even stronger sense of the löyly once Siiri starts to perform the sauna whisking. She wafts bunches of oak leaves around my body before tapping me with birch branches to increase my circulation and enrich my skin with natural oils. The rustling sound, together with Siiri's gentle singing, brings my attention solely to my body, which feels refreshingly limp, but by no means weak.
Afterwards, I sit outside with my feet in the snow in a deep state of relaxation. I have only scratched the surface of Tampere, running out of time to try its numerous museums and cultural festivals or the nighttime forest walks that involve lying on moss. Even so, the city has provided experiences that have fed my mind, body and soul.
Travel essentials
How to get there
Finnair flies to the capital of Finland, Helsinki, with four daily flights from London Heathrow, two from Manchester and one from Edinburgh. To reach Tampere, take the 7-minute commuter train to Tikkurila and change onto a twice-hourly service to Tampere – the journey takes 80 minutes.
Where to stay
This hotel offers a modern, cosy environment which draws inspiration from Finnish forests and includes a rooftop sauna. Doubles from £153 per night; with private sauna from £221.
Yvette Cook travelled as guest of Visit Tampere
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