{"id":295,"date":"2025-01-22T13:54:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T19:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/?p=295"},"modified":"2025-01-22T13:55:20","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T19:55:20","slug":"sweating-the-time-away-sauna-bathing-in-norway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/2025\/01\/22\/sweating-the-time-away-sauna-bathing-in-norway\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweating the Time Away: Sauna Bathing in Norway"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by: Alexandra, Ashlyn, Hallie,\u00a0 and Lizzy<\/p>\n

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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0It is a well-known fact that sauna bathing has extensive health benefits including stress relief, faster muscle recovery, and a reduced risk of vascular diseases like high blood pressure. The majority of students on the trip had some sauna exposure before traveling to Norway, however, we found that the practice of sauna bathing is much more common in Nordic countries than it is in the United States. But why is that?\u00a0 The word Sauna is Finnish meaning \u201cbathhouse\u201d. The Sauna was invented over 2000 years ago in Finland and has been a common practice ever since. With 5.5 million people, there are a whopping 2 million saunas. In Finland, sauna bathing is a deeply social and cultural activity often done with family and as a form of meditation. Sauna bathing is also deeply embedded in Norway\u2019s culture, however the practices vary slightly across countries. In Norway, it is more commonly a social activity where families and friends get together to catch up and unwind. We had the privilege of experiencing Norwegian sauna culture throughout our journey north.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0We were all happy to hear that there was a sauna in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Stavanger. The sauna was located on the 12th floor in the gym, and the views from it overlooked the city. In Stavanger, we gradually built our sauna \u201ctolerance.\u201d We began with just one round (15 minutes) in the sauna, anxiously watching the sand fall in the hourglass until our time was up. Over time, we begrudgingly increased this \u201ctolerance\u201d to two or three rounds. To our dismay, it never got easier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0When we arrived in Trondheim, we learned our hotel no longer had a sauna. Instead, we had a class excursion to Havet Sauna, a public sauna located on Trondheim Fjord. We had four reserved saunas and easy access to modes of cold exposure including the fjord, barrels, and showers. We thought the rooftop of Stavanger was cold, but it quickly paled in comparison to the icy water of the fjord. Some of us were brave enough to jump into the water, while others of us (definitely not Alexandra and Ashlyn) took more conservative routes. One unique aspect of this excursion was the addition of essential oils to the sauna stove to create a rich aromatherapy experience. During the latter half of our time at Havet, each sauna had a unique scent, so many people went \u201csauna hopping\u201d to find their best fit. In addition, we oftentimes resorted to desperate measures to get us through those grueling minutes in the saunas, such as singing the entirety of \u201c99 Bottles of Beer\u201d and measuring our heart rates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sauna Disclaimers:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Choose your sauna buddies wisely: Although Michelle is a great conversationalist, beware as she is not afraid to get nice and toasty.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Bring flip flops: The surface outside the saunas can get very slippery!<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Jump in the fjord at your own risk: Who knows what may be lurking in the waters\u2026<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Photo taken from Idun and Knut\u2019s blog \u201c<\/span>ToBatheOrNotToBathe<\/span><\/a>\u201d: Havet Sauna located on the fjord. <\/span><\/h6>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Photo taken by Emma Clift: Radisson Blu sauna in Stavanger.<\/h6>\n

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    References:<\/p>\n

    https:\/\/taigatimes.com\/blog\/finnish-sauna-culture\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    https:\/\/www.mayoclinicproceedings.org\/article\/s0025-6196(18)30275-1\/fulltext<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    https:\/\/www.onsenspas.com\/saunahistory.html#:~:text=nah%2C%22%20is%20the%20only%20Finnish,an%20embankment%20in%20the%20ground<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Written by: Alexandra, Ashlyn, Hallie,\u00a0 and Lizzy   \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0It is a well-known fact that sauna bathing has extensive health benefits including stress relief, faster muscle recovery, and a reduced risk of vascular diseases like high blood pressure. The majority of students on the trip had some sauna exposure before traveling to Norway, however, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5326,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5326"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295\/revisions\/305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/the-journey-north\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}