About the film: Sauna
National Audiovisual Archive, Helsinki
Sauna
Year: 1947
The word sauna is an ancient Finnish word referring to the traditional Finnish bath as well as to the bathhouse itself. The Finns also used the sauna as a place to cleanse the mind, rejuvenate and refresh the spirit, and prepare the dead for burial. The sauna was and still is an important part of daily life. Because the sauna was often the cleanest structure and had water readily available, Finnish women also gave birth in the sauna.
Smoke sauna is the original sauna. It is a room with a pile of rocks, with no chimney. A fire is kept directly under the rocks, and put out when the rocks become hot. The steam and high heat caused bathers to perspire. The Finns also used a vihta (Western dialect) or a vasta (Eastern dialect), which is a bundle of birch twigs with fresh leaves, to gently slap the skin for further stimulation and pleasurable feelings.
Nationality: Finnish
Length: 8' 16"
Genre: documentary
Sound: sound
Original elements: black & white
Producer: Finlandia-Kuva
Original language: Finnish
Discover more
1920 - German
circa 1904 - French
1906 - Danish
1909 - Belgian
