History of Finnish bath and sauna

Historic facts testify that baths have appeared several millenia ago. Scientists tend to opinion, that the steam bath - a sauna, was known still with our ancestors in the Stone Age, approximately 6-7 thousand years ago. In the center of their dwelling the center settled down. The center represented the dug hole on which bottom in some layers put the heated stones of the small sizes. After the center was filled with the heated stones, on stones splashed water therefore it was formed hot pairs which enabled, soared and simultaneously to fill with heat the monastery. Baths - were dwelling to our ancestors lived some(a little bit) thousand years ago. This is evidenced discovered rock paintings depicting people splashing on stones water.

About baths and ancient historians wrote. The record first serious historian of ancient Greece, Herodotus, swimming Siberian tribes living on the territory of Ukraine, were similar to the yurts. The tops of steep contacted sticks, forming the design pyramidal form that fitted skins. The center put a vat of water, which threw very heated stones. The scientists say that the ancient Greek physician, "the father of medicine, Hippocrates, the majority of patients recommended as a treatment bath procedures.

History of construction of a bath

Sauna - a word of the Finnish origin which Finns named a bath. A basic element of a bath, was kamenka(heater) - mountain of stones which strongly heated up then near them were soared, in the same way as it was done(made) by Indians in the huts-sweating rooms.

In Finland the first wooden baths have started to build in 5-8 century. The bath represented a wooden construction made of bathing places, as a rule, consisting of one room. A room at first warmed from the inside by means of a smoke and fire, such method of heating of a bath has received the name "in a black way" or "smoke" .

Bath "in a black way".

Kamenka(heater), is a big pile of rubble that used in a bath home. Seoul to cope with the heat as the bathrooms, and shelter, but a little less for cooking and baking bread. For Bakery in the 11 st century began using closed furnace-chamber and placed at the front center of oven for cooking. Thus, it was already two different source, one for functional purpose suited more for housing (cooking, baking, Bakery), second only to guests. Rooms are separate washing facilities, and parks. The House began for the most part perform in the home.
In the late 18 th century in the Finnish sauna was built of brick kilns closed, as was safer in terms of fire safety than open furnaces. In heater - furnaces of the closed type, it was two, three holes : at the bottom of the hole to fire in the middle of the hole for a couple, and the top was a chimney to remove smoke from the building.

Rooms with a smokestack or smokeless bath

In the early 19 th century came heaters able to give smoke from the building, so this is a critical moment in the history of the bath and heated. Heater the closed type as a result of a heated and synthesis flue. Fume hood has its own authority, which is near the heaters were built separately, so that the smoke from the furnaces hits the stack and then outwards. With the advent of smokeless stoves, there is the possibility of a bath in places where bath "smoke" was not the place, for example in the city. Rooms with a stack are built around courtyards of residential buildings, given that it has more proof.
In 1910 furnaces heaters began producing factories are already steel with holes. At the top of the heater was a designated area for stones, and a fume hood, and at the bottom of the furnace there neglected wood. Manufacturers heaters produce more and more new models ... In 1930, in light of a new type of oven-heaters continuous heating. The main advantage of the continuous heating furnaces was that the smoke and fire is not in contact with stones, as was the heaters with a one-time heating.

Town baths

New models of heaters produced by manufacturers in the 1930s, 20's, have enabled Finns, falling back to the night after the decline in the early 20th century. At that time it seemed that a bath, you can only with great difficulty adapting to urban life, as well as gradually introduce water, sewer, built brick buildings and apartment houses with a bathroom. Finns are increasingly preferred to spend time in the bathroom, which prevailed glamour and clean, in contrast, sauna seemed ancient and old-fashioned. And if there were no public baths, it is likely tenants high-rise buildings, there would have been a few decades without a bath.

Public baths

Public baths were from several offices. Separately, it was male, female and private baths office. In private could inscribe family or organized group of bath process. In addition to a large Jacuzzi bath, the masseur worked. Many customers preferred to go to the sauna the one they are most attracted to you, and become regular customers, who met as a condition of old friends in a friendly atmosphere. Public bath is a special time in the bath tradition of Finland, which ended in the 1950s the 20th century. For example, by the end of 20 century, the capital of Finland had only two public baths, while in the 1940s there were about a hundred is a very substantial difference.

Electric heater

The first electric heater was developed in the late 1930s 20th century. But because the war began mass production in the late 1940s. The emergence of a new electric heater mean, the third round of the sauna and heated, after heated with flue baths and "Smoke." The main advantage of a new type of heater was its security, ease of use, chimney and firewood were not needed, also eliminated the need for a separate room for guests. To run an electric heater had only press a button, and the heating of stones electric resistance heated to the desired temperature.


The advent of the electric heater allowed urban issues baths. In the 1950s, 19 centuries in almost every multi-home bath house built where residents can go home. In modern houses of our time, bath house hardly used. At replaced by inside an flat baths, built in apartments with a bathroom. The bath house has become an integral part of the Finnish flat. Such small bath can be found in the rooms and modern hotels in Finland.



Finnish sauna bath - photos.