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A WORLD OF WELLNESS<br />
| HEALTH<br />
Finnish Sauna<br />
A Finnish practice, the sauna has<br />
become so ubiquitous that you’ll find<br />
it in most health spas, sports clubs and<br />
gyms. Dating as far back as 7,000 BC,<br />
the practice involves sitting in a wooden<br />
shed warmed to 80°C by hot stones that<br />
have been heated using a special stove;<br />
water is thrown on the stones to produce<br />
steam. The practice is so ingrained in<br />
Finnish culture that there is one sauna<br />
for every Finnish household. Commonly<br />
practised communally with the family, a<br />
weekly visit to the sauna is as much about<br />
mental relaxation as it is physical. In<br />
Finland it is preceded by a cleansing bath<br />
or shower and involves swatting yourself<br />
lightly all over the skin with a bunch of<br />
silver birch, which is purported to relax<br />
muscles and calm the skin. A jump into<br />
a cool shower or pool is followed, after<br />
which the process is repeated.<br />
85 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2018</strong> | TM
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