Sauna in Sweden

The only people more obsessed with the sauna than the Swedes are the Finns. Last weekend I had my first real sauna experience in Sweden. I received an invite from my Swedish friend, Saralie, to go up to this house in the woods on Lake Vättern and enjoy a sauna. For me, making this big trip just for a sauna seemed a little crazy but I went with it anyways.

There were about 10 of us total that went and it was a great time. It was at a church camp and I was expecting wilderness conditions. Much to my surprise we were in a modern house with WiFi! After we looked around for a bit outside, we went to the campfire spot so we could make our dinner. We roasted hot dogs and made bread over the fire. The bread was quite a challenge since you make it in a bowl beforehand and then wrap it around a stick and slowly roast it in the fire. It is very difficult to not burn it and I wasn’t quite patient enough to make a good one.

We stayed around the fire for a bit and we waiting until it was our turn to use the sauna. The sunset over Lake Vättern was beautiful! I never get to see it so well since I live on the other side of the lake. Once it got too cold we headed into the house to change and prepare for the sauna.

It was a short walk to the sauna and it was a small wooden hut that fit around 10 people. The sauna felt really great when you stepped into it but over time it started to get hot and you started sweating. When water was poured over the rocks, it was almost impossible to breath and was a big “wave” of hot air. At one point the thermometer said 93 degrees Celsius, that’s almost 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You could only stay in the sauna for about 10-15 minutes then you needed to go outside and run into the freezing cold lake! It sounds insane but it was really nice and cooled you off very quickly. After we went in the water, we laid on these benches and watched the beautiful stars for a bit. Once you became too cold, then it was time to go back into the sauna. This process went on for about an hour and a half. It was really a great experience and a lot of fun. I felt very relaxed and felt like it cleaned out my system. 

That evening really made me realize how beautiful of a country Sweden is and how much I love it here. Sweden is so peaceful, happy, and enjoyable. It’s hard to imagine that in less than a month I will be back at home working at my internship. I know that these experiences have shaped me and will influence my life when I get back home.

If a Swede invites you for a sauna, accept it! You will have a great time and get to know more people. J