Sauna & Avantouinti – the ultimate invigorating experience

The body and soul warming practice of sauna is one of my favourite rituals.   Originating in Finland and the surrounding Baltic region, sauna is now enjoyed by millions of people around the world who appreciate its relaxing, cleansing and healing powers.

While I’ve enjoyed many a wonderful sauna I long felt as though I was missing something; as if I hadn’t yet experienced the very best a sauna could offer.  I was yearning to do it like the Finns – in a traditional wood-fired sauna, by a lake, in the snow.  I was craving the ultimate sauna experience and deep inside I suspected it could only be achieved by combining sauna with avantouinti (literally, swimming in a hole in the ice).

Sauna is safe for most people (when used correctly) and its benefits are well documented.  It is often credited with reducing chronic pain, preventing and alleviating the common cold, clearing toxins from the body, reducing stress and improving endurance, among a myriad of health claims.

Throw in avantouinti and the stated health benefits increase significantly.  It improves circulation, reduces cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, improves antioxidant capabilities, alleviates rheumatoid arthritis and a host of other pain conditions.  Most who advocate ice-swimming believe it significantly improves their immune system, increases their energy levels, strengthens their heart and ultimately increases their lifespan.

As a warm up (excuse the pun) I first visited Rajaportin sauna, the oldest still-functioning public sauna in all of Finland.  A beautiful historic sauna with a huge woodstove, this is an intimate and truly traditional experience.  The usual process in sauna is to alternate periods of heat and cool.  Where I come from this means exiting the sauna and taking a cool shower.  In Finland it means simply wandering out into the -15°C air.  Whilst sitting outside in my towel I struck up a conversation with some locals.  To my utter surprise they had lived in Tampere all their lives and had never been ice swimming: “only crazy people do that”.  I panicked.  I’m not the crazy, extreme kind.  I was under the illusion that it was a national pastime.                                

As it turns out only around 2% of the Finnish population are true avantouinti aficionados – the kind who swim in ice regularly – though the number which indulge in a quick dip with their sauna may be much higher.  And recent times have seen an escalation in the popularity of ice swimming both in Finland and other parts of the world.

It was time to find out what all the fuss is about.

The feeling which sauna and avantouinti gives you is truly indescribable.  There could be nothing more refreshing or invigorating.  But these words seem lame and lacking.  A cool drink on a warm day is refreshing; a cold shower on a winter’s morning is invigorating; an ice swim after a sauna is simply off the scale.

The process releases natural endorphins giving you a buzz like no other.  You feel alive and ready to take on the world.  It could be the ultimate natural high.

About Tampere.  Tampere is located 170 km north of Helsinki in Finland.  Situated on a narrow isthmus between two lakes, it is the perfect place to try ice-swimming as well as a range of other winter and summer sports.  Both Kaupinojan sauna and Rauhaniemen kansankylpylä are excellent locations for ice-swimming. Rajaportin sauna is another sauna experience not to be missed.  Tampere is serviced by Tampere-Pirkkala airport and has excellent train links with other towns and cities in Finland.