The Germans were able to take a sauna at the Finnish embassy in Berlin. What surprised me the most was that you could throw slurps freely and chatting was allowed.
BERLIN Finnish saunas literally descended from the Berlin sky at the end of January. A huge crane moved two ready-made saunas and one dressing room to the courtyard terrace of the joint Nordic embassy.
An exhibition presenting the Finnish sauna opened in Berlin – and at the same time, Germans have the opportunity to test Finnish-style saunas until April.
There are big differences in the sauna culture, but both have their advantages, it became clear at the German sauna evening. German sauna customs are almost completely opposite compared to Finnish ones.
The sauna master performs the ceremony
The cultural coordinator was the creator of the embassy’s Die Sauna exhibition Sophie Backman. In Backman’s opinion, it was high time to introduce the Finnish sauna to Germans, for whom taking a sauna is a serious event.
What is the most special feature of Finnish sauna culture in German sauna culture?
– These competitions for sauna masters. So let’s compete for who is the best sauna master. Then we yell, Backman laughs.
The sauna master is the boss of the German sauna.
The sauna master loosens the towel so that the hot air and humidity spread evenly on the boards. The master wraps a towel over his head like a ninja and yells here and there.
For the sauna master qualification, you usually have to take a two-week course. This year, ladle management competitive is held the week after Midsummer in Wendisch Rietz near Berlin in Brandenburg.
“The Finnish sauna is free”
According to the Germans who have tested the Finnish sauna, the biggest difference is that you can be free in the Finnish sauna.
– Everything is allowed, and it’s fantastic, Karona Jordan says.
Sauna users are bound by rules in Germany. First of all, German is not spoken in saunas. A precisely limited time is spent in the sauna, usually 12 minutes.
Only the above-mentioned sauna master throws the sauna. The master also takes care of cleanliness and that order is maintained throughout the sauna ceremony.
The temperature of the shower and the number of visits to the sauna – usually three – are precisely defined. In public saunas, people bathe in mixed-gender saunas with complete pleasure. All types of clothing are prohibited.
In addition, the German mostly only takes a sauna in winter. It’s not about washing, it’s about relaxing.
“The Germans poke like sticks”
The German focuses on breathing and calming down in the sauna, he says Heinrich Klauke.
Berliner Eichenbaum’s story according to Germany, “they are pushed on the rafts like sticks”.
– It’s funny that there is a lot of talking in a Finnish sauna. If I had known that you could take beer with you to the sauna, I would have taken it myself, says Eichenbaum.
by Werner Schröder in my opinion, both saunas have their merits.
– It would be good if there was an intermediate form between the two. In a Finnish sauna, you could chatter less and throw a bath less often. In Germany, on the other hand, you could talk at least a little and throw more slurs, Schröder thinks.
According to Germans, the strangest Finnish sauna custom is that sometimes you can put a sausage on the stove to fry. There is no way you can do that in a German sauna.
Do different sauna cultures evoke thoughts? You can discuss the topic until Saturday evening, February 10, at 11 p.m.