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Saturday sauna

28 September 2026 · 2 min read

Smoke sauna at Kuusijärvi, Vantaa
Smoke sauna at Kuusijärvi, Vantaa · Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 4.0

On Saturday evening I light the sauna stove as early as four. The scent of birch, the hiss of the steam and the quiet: that is enough for me at the end of the week.

Last week I got to try a smoke sauna whose stove had been warming all day. A smoke sauna is another world: soft, dim and slightly smoky, and the steam is even, like breathing.

A sauna is really just a reason to stop.

When you sit on the bench the hurry stays behind the door. Afterwards it is good to sit on the steps wrapped in a towel and watch the darkness settle over the yard.

And if you are lucky, the lake is still open.

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