The Saaremaa sauna

THE SAAREMAA SAUNA All about Saaremaa!

• By a ferry from Virtsu Port on the mainland For information, please call +372 618 1310 or see www.ferries.ee • By a ferry from Sõru Port in Hiiumaa For information, please call +372 443 1069 or see www.veeteed.com • By bus For information, please call +372 453 1661 or see www.bussipilet.ee • By plane For information, please call +372 453 0313 or see www.kuressaare-airport.ee

Different types of saunas offer different experiences. Regardless of the type of sauna, the purpose is always the same- to help body and soul relax. Sometimes the heat of the sauna is combined with various accessories such as, for instance, bundles of branches (sometimes known as ‘bunches’) from various trees or plants, or creams and oils which make the skin as soft as a baby’s.

Going to the sauna is a ritual that takes some time. You can’t simply pop into the sauna and be done with it in a rush. There are customs to follow, and an order to how things are done. The sauna bunches should be prepared at the right time and used to massage the body as etiquette requires. Before the massaging can commence, you should wet your body and allow it to grow accustomed to the heat in the steam room.

If you follow etiquette, going to the sauna is a wonderful experience that everyone should try.

SAAREMAA

As life would have it, my son moved to America many years ago.

He is convinced that we can’t demolish our old sauna. The wooden beams of the old sauna are imbibed with smoke and scent - it has an aura to it. The sauna needs to be hot the whole time my son is on Saaremaa. On some days we even go to the sauna first thing in the morning.

Everything, starting with heating the sauna, feels ritualistic - the fresh birch and nettle bunches in summer, the dried birch or juniper bunches in winter, the food, the drinks, everything. Of course, it’s also customary to invite friends over for a sauna.

Maie

Saaremaa and the sauna belong together

How to get to Saaremaa?

The sauna is an inseparable part of life on Saaremaa. Saunas were where people gave birth and went to die. During particularly harsh winters, both people and animals would live in saunas; saunas were also used to smoke meat and dry herbs. Although saunas are no longer used for the aforementioned purposes, they still hold an important place in the lives of Saare folk. Technologically advanced saunas have taken their place next to traditional country saunas.

Sauna makes you young and healthy

As much as the sauna is a place for cleaning oneself, it is also a healing and spiritual experience. Massaging the body with a wet bunch of branches is an inseparable part of going to the sauna and is highly regarded in folk medicine, as it is an excellent treatment for many an ailment. However, it is important to know which plant bunch to use when and how to use it. According to folklore, this sauna ritual can even cure alcoholism - if you eat those leaves from the massaging bunch that get stuck to your body, that is.

Going to the sauna is an invigorating experience even without the massages with a bunch of branches. The heat in the steam room gets the sweat dripping and helps the body to rid itself of accumulated toxins. It has also been proven that the heat kills most disease-causing microbes. The fluctuations of hot and cold stimulates the cardiovascular system and the heart.

Saunas also have a positive influence on one’s mental health.

The sauna is a place for alone time and reflection. Everything becomes clearer in the sauna. With life being as hectic as it is, everybody can benefit from some alone time. You don’t even need to go to the steam room, you can also ponder life’s issues in the dressing room, staring into the crackling fire.

In addition, saunas have always played an important role in forging relationships. Saunas unite both young and the old in discussions about the world or about the next-door neighbours. The expression ‘I heard it from the women in the sauna’ is pretty common on Saaremaa. These are the crucial stories we like to call gossip these days. It’s okay to go to the sauna both with friends and enemies and it’s a good place to discuss interesting topics and to mend relationships.

The remarkable feeling of satisfaction that you get after visiting a sauna is unlike any other. One might even ask is getting clean really the primary goal of going to the sauna?

The farms on Saaremaa also have smoke saunas that differ from standard saunas in that they have no chimney. The sauna is heated for four to five hours and is ready for use when the cinders have burned down into ash in the stove and the smoke has been released from the room. The dim, low-ceilinged room seems all the more mysterious with its dark walls, blackened by centuries of soot created by heating the sauna.

It is becoming increasingly common to set up bathtubs next to saunas. The tub is heated with a wood fire until the water turns nice and warm. Depending on the size of the tub, they can fit between five to ten people and are especially cosy on cool evenings when the warm water is a lovely contrast to the chilly air. The tubs are also great for boosting your immune system.

Oak branches or juniper may also be tied into a bunch. Oak bunches are said to have an invigorating effect and they feel softer than birch bunches. Those looking for an especially thrilling experience should try juniper bunches, which are great for back and nerve problems. Folk tales also claim that the energy of the juniper bunches repels curses and the ill wishes of other people.

Some plants - nettle being the preferred choice - are also suitable for gathering into bunches. People who have rheumatism or joint problems are especially fond of nettle bunches. Unlike tree branches, nettles should be used to lightly pat the skin in order to feel their full effect. However, beware! Using this bunch wrongly can bring about more harm than good.

If you’d like some magic in your sauna experience, tie seven different herbs into a bunch. Let the exact herbs remain a secret - that way you actually have to go and experience them personally in the island’s saunas.

A massage with a wet bunch of branches brings you good health!

The multifaceted sauna

Depending on the sauna, the temperature can vary from 70 to 100 degrees Celsius and the air is very dry. An integral part of the sauna experience is throwing water on the special stones in the steam room, which help to add moisture to the air, and massaging oneself with wet bunches of plants or branches. It takes time to properly immerse oneself in the sauna because the body needs to be cooled off after water has been thrown onto the stones. This is done by standing in the fresh air or, in more extreme cases, by taking a dip in a cool body of water.

This is the type of sauna that is most prevalent on Saaremaa, their numbers probably reaching thousands. Luckily, many of these saunas also welcome guests.

Birch bunches are most commonly used in Saaremaa’s saunas. The birch branches are usually tied into bunches near Midsummer’s Eve during a waning moon. The phase of the moon is supposedly of the utmost importance as a bunch tied during this time helps to alleviate nine ailments. A bunch which is tied during a waxing moon is said to make the skin itchy. Bunches used to be hung to dry from the eaves, but nowadays they’re also stored in the deep freeze. That way you can feel the gentle summer on your skin at Christmas Eve.

A nice alternative to the hot and dry Finnish sauna is the steam sauna, where the temperature is a little lower and the moisture level much higher. If the classical sauna seems too hot for you, this cloud of steam, which is often scented with various essential oils, is probably perfect for you.

The infrared saunas, however, provide an entirely different experience that seems quite distant from what we usually think of when we hear the word sauna. Infrared light is used to heat up the small room to about forty degrees Celsius. The relatively cool temperature allows you to sit in the infrared sauna much longer than you would in other saunas, letting the infrared light thoroughly penetrate your body and inducing much more intense sweating than you would get from the classic sauna.

The salt sauna combines the elements of a sauna and a body treatment. Similar to the infrared sauna, the temperature in a salt sauna is also relatively low and it is customary to stay in the sauna for a longer period of time than one would in a traditional sauna. Salt is rubbed onto the skin to induce exfoliation, giving the sauna-goer extraordinarily silky smooth skin. The salt sauna is also excellent for the respiratory tract and the lungs.

Saaremaa’s spas boast all of the aforementioned saunas and some other interesting ones to boot.

Those saunas which have been manufactured on the island also come in a variety of sizes, from tiny sauna houses to actual sauna summer cottage hybrids. There are also speciality saunas that add a whole new dimension to the experience- for instance, you could add wheels to your tube sauna and take it wherever you’d like. Soaking up some steam while watching the sun set on the beach or relaxing on the banks of a chilly pond or deep in the ancient forests of Saaremaa sounds inviting, doesn’t it? In addition to classic sauna rooms, the eager men of Saaremaa have also been making barrel saunas for a number of years now.

Hats are generally associated with winter and snowstorms, but they can also be handy in the sauna. Just as hats protect your head from the crispy winter cold, they can also be used to protect the scalp and hair from the heat of the sauna.

Saaremaa’s felted sauna hats are imbibed with Saare spirit.

You never go to the sauna empty-handed. The ‘national wood’ of the island, juniper, is used to make both sauna buckets and ladles. While the more experienced sauna-goer will simply sense how hot the sauna is, the amateur might find a sauna thermometer manufactured on Saaremaa to be a bit more helpful in determining temperatures.

Trust Saaremaa’s local experts

A modern sauna experience in one of Saaremaa’s many spas

Islanders are also excellent at making saunas! The ancient sauna building traditions have been coupled with modern technological solutions, resulting in high-quality saunas that will leave every sauna lover in awe.

More than just a soap and washrag

Just as saunas have changed over the centuries, so have the supplies used in saunas. A mere soap and sponge haven’t been enough for quite some time and the demand for skincare products has increased significantly. Saaremaa’s lengthy sauna traditions and clean environment have inspired many a small company to make skincare products, and now the island boasts a wide selection of creams, ointments, and oils. The heat of the sauna only heightens their effect, making your skin as soft as a baby’s.

Saaremaa’s saunas are so much more than just somewhere to wash yourself. Saunas are places of healing, of relaxation, and of communication. On Saaremaa, a sauna is not a sauna without a fresh bunch of birch branches and hot steam emanating from the wet stones on the stove. These smells become memories and invoke a sense of wellbeing. You can’t rush a sauna - it’s a place of rest and conversation, a place for sipping a beer and having a snack.

Anne

Interesting facts about Saaremaa • Saaremaa’s total land: 2,922km2 • Coastline: 1,414km • Population of Saaremaa: 34,000 • Population of Kuressaare: 13,000 • Average air temperature: 19oC in the summer, -1oC in winter • Average water temperature: 17oC in June, 18.5oC in July, 19oC in August • Saaremaa is the sunniest part of Estonia.

• Kuressaare is the sunshine capital of Estonia.

Sauna vocabulary • Kapp � washbasin • Paargu � a sauna’s dressing room • Müürikatel � a stove for heating water • Lämmi � hot • Nirku � tub/dish • Daasik � a tin washbasin • Halge lappima � piling wood • Soo oma � yours • Moo oma � mine • Map tea � I don’t know

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Saaremaa Tourist Information Centre NGO Visit Saaremaa Tallinna 2 Kuressaare Estonia +372 45 33 120 www.visitsaaremaa.ee info@visitsaaremaa.ee

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