The best Finnish sauna in Finland -- wood burning class

Sauna Culture

Food

Eat & Shop

Travel

Nature

Search & Contact

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Enjoy ice-swimming after experiencing the heat of the best Finnish sauna in Finland

Best Sauna Finland The best Finnish sauna in Finland, at the edge of lake Näsijärvi. Update: 2010 -- Great News! The new sauna is almost ready! --please return for pics and review of the new Best Finnish sauna-- The principles and methods of taking/making of a great "sauna" still remains...so read on.

To get the most out of the best Finnish sauna

Find a person who frequents the Kaupinoja sauna in Tampere and follow their sauna routine!

Ask a local at the sauna to take your picture. Then ask them to help you follow their routine. When I did the sauna routine which I explain here, with Pentti, a frequent visitor at the Kaupinoja sauna in Tampere, following this routine increased my feeling of well-being for hours afterwards.

The best Finnish sauna experience is what keeps the locals coming back for sauna with ice-swimming every week. Some come daily. When you go to the best Finnish sauna with ice-swimming at Kaupinoja with a friend, talk about the weather, work, hobbies. Most importantly, when together with another person, going into icy water becomes easier. So go with a Friend!

What is your Best Finnish sauna experience?

Click here to share your opinion!

Kaupinoja Sauna rooms with changing room, bathroom, showers and blowdryers

Changing rooms, with bathrooms, W.C., showers and blowdryers, clothes hangers. Drop all your valuables off when you buy your ticket. No worries, they are safe.

This room you will see after entering the main door coming from the outside. A waiting room for after and during sauna use. Wait here after being in the sauna to cool down, or in between ice-swimming. Store your drinks here. Up to twenty people can sit on the benches provided in this room

Changing room doors. Door on left for men, right for women. Across the entrance to the main sauna hot room are two doors.
The changing room door
on the left is for men 'Miehet'
The door on the right is for women 'Naiset'

The sauna stove takes a minimum of 3 hours to heat up the main sitting room. So come to the sauna as soon as the doors open. There are fewer sauna guest then, and the sauna is not at its maximum temperature. The temperature here, believe it or not, is regularly above boiling point!

The best Finnish sauna opening hours:

Winter schedule is from October to April.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 3pm - 7:45pm
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3pm - 9pm
Saturdays 12am - 6pm
Sundays 12am - 8pm

Summer schedule is from May to September.

Mondays through Fridays 3pm - 7:45pm
Saturdays and Sundays 2pm - 6pm

After you buy your ticket, be sure to read directions HOW TO TAKE A SAUNA AT KAUPINOJA on the notice board in the hallway on your way to the changing room. These are excellent directions, and are in English.

A long ladle, around two meters long, is used to scoop water onto the sauna stove stones. Pour on water onto the sauna stove stones from any seat in the sauna. !!This extreme sport requires extreme tools!!

Top of Sauna stove Over 80 cm diameter sauna stove top with over 100kg of sauna stones. Over 80 centimeter diameter sauna stove top and 100 kilos plus sauna stones ,puts out LOTS of steam when you throw on water.

Flames from the sauna stove Flames coming from sauna stove. Spruce is chopped into 60cm long pieces. Spruce is chopped into 60cm long pieces supplied by the city of Tampere, and powers the sauna stove. The attendant responsible for feeding wood wears fireproof clothing while working with this hungry sauna stove.

The sauna stove -Over 180 cm high
Kaupinoja sauna stove is over 180 cm high.

Sauna stove -Top corner bench perspective
Kaupinoja sauna stove -imagine the front of a very large sauna stove from the benches.

20 cm. dia. pipe pulls in fresh air from the outside into the sauna 'hot room.' Sauna stove ventilation

Side view of sauna stove. A large pipe brings in fresh air from the outside. This huge sauna stove pulls in a tremendous amount of air from within the sauna room and from the outside.

The pipe shoots air down through the room and to the bottom of the sauna stoves burner. The air travels along the pipe, warms as it enters the room, and fills the perimeter of the bottom of the stove. So the floors stay warm even though it's well below freezing outside. The gap under the sauna room door allows air to escape.

This increadible sauna room design gives you the cozy warm feeling of a wood stove, unlike an electrical element type of heat. Great to host sauna competitions. Pure sauna pleasure.

Sauna stove, benches, and door
Kaupinoja sauna stove, benches, and door.
Inside the sauna room, facing the exit. This is where I took the previous shot of the ventilation pipe. Sauna stove on the left, small window behind illuminating the stones.

Kaupinoja sauna , benches hot places to sit.
Hot Sauna Benches Upon entering the sauna from the outside immediately on the right, closest to the door, are the hottest benches. The sauna door is on the right. Not visible.

Kaupinoja sauna benches -hot places to sit,corners.
Hot Sauna benches Facing the rear of the sauna room.

The window side is not as hot as the side with the light. Either side top benches are really hot. Right side,where you see the light, is a bit hotter than the left

Now after your introduction to the best Finnish sauna, the sauna attendant whispers into your ear: "Psss!! How would you like to have a great experience at the best Finnish sauna?

So she recommends the following routine.

For first-timers to the Kaupinoja sauna, keep water with you for drinking.

After getting changed into your sauna attire, take a short dip in the lake.

Grab a wood seat pad and go into the sauna to warm up. Choose third level bench seating. ----- Heat waves travel to, and collect in, the corners quite rapidly, soooo... sit on the lower benches and away from the four corners. Unless you like torturously scalding steam, or you are in a competitive mood? -----

Warm up until you feel warm? Good...

Once you are warmed up, exit the sauna, drop off your wooden seat pad, and follow the green mats down the stairway to lake Näsijärvi.

Hole in ice, for ice-swimmers at Kaupinjoja sauna, Tampere. Always do ice-swimming with others around

Lake Näsijärvi -Large hole in ice for swimming

Always go to the lake with others around.

Hole in ice, for ice-swimmers at Kaupinjoja sauna, Tampere. Man ascending into the icey lake Näsijärvi.
Lake Näsijärvi -Stairway to hell.

Who is it I see there? It is you! Good job, you have come a long way.

The steps down to the edge of the lake are steep and kept warm and salted during the winter season.

Hole in ice, for ice-swimmers at Kaupinjoja sauna, Tampere.-Man ascending into the icey lake Näsijärvi.
Lake Näsijärvi -blowers circulating the water keep the ice hole thawed.

Facing the lake as you are ascending to go ice-swimming, walk into the lake using the right staircase, swim around to the left, and return using the left set of stairs.

Stay in the water until it hurts a bit. Try swimming. Ahhh, never thought you could swim in such cold water? You can. Just keep your head above water.
Cool off some more, while sitting on the outside benches. Stay outside as long as you can.
When you notice goose pimples or feel quite chilly, go back into the sauna to warm up.
Repeat this cycle as often as you can, trying to extend your time in the ice-water.

Until your body says: "Stop!"

Cooling down suggestions.

Finish your sauna experience by....

Either going directly to take a shower. Be sure that you are warm enough before taking a shower or you will be shivering for hours afterwards.

....or....

If you would like to extend that great feeling of bliss:

After the final warmup, instead of going from the sauna 'hot room' to take a shower, go into the lake for a final last dip. A quick dip will do--just in and out.

....then....

go and get changed. No need to shower off.

That was how I extended my feeling of bliss at the best Finnish sauna with ice-swimming in Finland.

With my feeling of well-being significantly extended, I left Kaupanoja feeling great. Hours later, the final effects of my last dip in the freezing lake wore off.

Have A Great or Crazy Story About Your Finnish Sauna Experience?

Was the first time you got a genuine sauna head-rush better than that first beer?

Do you have a great story about a Finnish Sauna experience at home or near a lake? At a luxury hotel? On a ferry-boat? Was it Crazy?

What makes you Feel better afterwards?

Enter the Title of Your Best Finnish Sauna Experience

Tell Us Your Best Finnish Sauna Experience story. [ ? ]

Upload Pictures of the event. Zoom up on what made it Great? (optional) [ ? ]

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional)

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)

What Other's Said about Their Finnish Sauna Experience.

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Sauna at Sylvan Lake Alberta Canada Not rated yet
We sometimes will have Sauna at the lake in the winter and roll in the snow to cool off.

Return from this page"Best Finnish Sauna in Finland" to "Finland Sauna" page.

Return from this page "Best Finnish Sauna in Finland" to Finlandinsider main page