(Published in Canadian Homes and Cottages)

The forest scent of cedar greets you as you disrobe. It feels a bit strange to be naked, but you’ll get over it.

As you leave the changing room and enter the sauna, you are greeted by a blast of heat.

Within minutes, a trickle of sweat streams down your spine. Before long, every pore on your body is dripping perspiration.

To make things even steamier, you throw cold water on the pile of hot rocks in front of you, making them hiss warm vapour into the air. With your heart racing, you make a beeline for the outdoors where an icy lake brings you instant relief – not to mention a body full of goosebumps.

You repeat the cycle until you can’t possibly feel more invigorated.

Sound like fun?

To 52-year old Sulo Hovi, this process is more than a good time: it’s a  “religious experience.”

Hovi, an ex-fisherman and owner of Gold Coast Retreat in Tofino, B.C., can’t imagine life without his wood-fired sauna.

“The benefits for me are incredible,” he says.

Born in Finland, where saunas are a way of life, (there are approximately 1.6 million saunas in Finland – or one for every three people) Hovi has reaped the benefits of the sauna from an early age. But it wasn’t until later in life, that Hovi took to the sauna for health reasons.

During his 25-year career as a fisherman, Hovi’s body endured plenty of wear and tear.

“I’m a bit of a physical wreck. I completely ripped all my tendons herring fishing,” he says.

To relieve the pain of his tendonitis, Hovi began using the sauna as a form of therapy on a daily basis. And it worked wonders, he says.

“I still have tendonitis, but I can swing a hammer all day.”

Now that his tendons are in better shape, Hovi has a one-hour sauna twice a week to “cleanse” his mind and body.

According to Hovi, the sauna is a great place to rid the body of toxins. (“It fixes a hangover like you wouldn’t believe,” he says.)

Some claim, it will also fix a cold.

At the first sign of a cold, Denise and Jamie Rodda, who built a wood-fired sauna at their cottage in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, get the fire stoked.

“This is a very effective method of “sweating- out” toxins/germs and recovering quickly from colds,” says Denise, who is an RPN (Registered Practical Nurse).

Aside from the mental and physical benefits, saunas are a great place to socialize, say the Roddas.

“Our friends and family enjoy an evening social scene with the sauna being the focus of the evening.  On snowstormy nights or heavy rainstorms it is uplifting to have a sauna, then refresh outside in the storm, watching the steam surround your body,” says Denise. 

Although there are different types of saunas, including those that use electric heat, gas or infrared heat, for people like the Roddas and Hovi, nothing compares to an authentic Finnish wood-fired sauna.

“There is no other sauna, as far as I’m concerned,” says Hovi.

Building Your Own

A wood-fired sauna can make a wonderful addition to a cottage, especially if there is a lake nearby and a good supply of wood, but like any major addition, it has to be a well thought out decision.

When determining the size, ask yourself if you will be using the sauna on your own, or as a place to socialize with family and friends.

A good size for a cottage sauna is 6’ X 6’ (not including the dressing room), which fits about four average-sized people.

Although many sauna kits do not come with dressing rooms, many sauna enthusiasts say they are essential – especially if the sauna is in a separate building from the cottage (as it should be if it is wood-fired.) Aside from a place to get changed, the dressing room is a place to cool down after heating up in the sauna room. Some people, who don’t have access to a nearby lake, install a shower in the dressing room.

Materials

Good Wood

Hovi, who constructed his 10’ X 10’ X 8’ cedar sauna from scratch, says when it comes to building materials, it’s wise not to cheap out.

His sauna, which cost $5,000 to construct (that was 15 years ago), is made from Western red cedar – inside and out.

“Red cedar is ideal because it will adapt to almost anything. It’s got its own oils in it, so you can soak down red cedar, and dry it and it’s not going to affect the wood. It’s made for the weather,” he says, adding that tongue and groove cedar should be used for the walls.

When it comes to choosing the cedar, the clearer the better, because knots will get hot – especially on the benches, he warns.

Another perk from using cedar? It smells great.

Hot Stuff

The heater, or stove is the heart of the sauna, and therefore, the most important element.

“You should look at your stove as something that will still be there if the sauna should burn down,” says Hovi.

Because of the size of his sauna, Hovi built his own wood stove using a boiler cut in half (he needed lots of heat), but for safety reasons, you might want to purchase a pre-made heater.

Various sauna companies, including Saunacore Inc. and Finlandia Sauna and Steam, carry wood heaters. They start at $535 + freight.

Rock Talk

Rocks are an important feature in any authentic Finnish sauna, because they store heat and provide a hot surface for water to generate steam in the sauna. By throwing water on the rocks, loyly (lou-lu)  – a Finnish word for the hot hisses of steam that emanate from the rocks when water hits them, fills the room. Any sauna enthusiast will tell you that good loyly is key. (Throwing beer on the rocks makes the room smell like baked bread, says Hovi, and a drop of peppermint oil, or eucalyptus oil in the water is great for the sinuses.)

Ideal sauna rocks are peridotite, which is a quarried Finnish rock, freshly quarried basalt and igneous rocks, such as granite.

Hovi uses tight grained river rocks in his sauna – each being about the size of a fist.

If you are buying a pre-made heater or stove, rocks will most likely be included.

Breathe Easy

As far as insulation goes, Hovi used fiberglass without a vapour barrier.

“I came to the conclusion that a vapour barrier was not the answer,” he says. “I think it is very important for the sauna to breathe and thereby prevent molds from forming. After 15 years this has proven true, as I have never had any problems with mold or rot.”

Other sauna builders have used aluminum foil as a vapour barrier.

One mistake that some sauna builders make is insulating too heavily, which can inhibit airflow.

“They build this super, air tight box … and they go in there and they start feeling dizzy,” says Hovi.

Hovi says in order to have proper airflow circulating throughout the sauna, a vent should be placed at the top of the hottest part of the sauna. Air should also enter from the bottom of the sauna – either from around the stove, or through vents in the door, he says.

Too Much Hassle?

Wood-fired saunas do have their drawbacks. They’re less convenient (on a really cold day they can take 45 minutes of stoking the fire to heat up) and they require access to wood. They can also be a fire hazard.

For cottagers looking for convenience and easier installation, a modular sauna kit, with an electric heater, might be the way to go.

Saunacore Inc. offers a variety of prefabricated modular (freestanding) sauna rooms, made in western red clear cedar. They range in size from 4’ X 4’ to 10’ X 12’.

Costs for a 6’ X 6’ sauna (a popular cottage size), including a heater, start at $5,300 plus shipping.

Infrared modular saunas are also available.

Further Reading

The Sauna – Rob Roy

Some Like It Hot: The Sauna, Its Lore and Stories – Nikki Rajala

Sauna: Hottest Way to Good Health – Giselle Roeder