“The sauna door creaked.
Wood rubbed wood
Cold and warm mingled
with past and present.

Warmth enveloped us.
The window to the dressing room
clouded over. The steam
of generations filled the room.”
- The Sauna, by David Salmela

“Sauna has also seen unprecedented growth in the United States, and my own preoccupation with this growth is the fear that our genius for efficiency and oversimplification may lead to an adulteration of sauna’s time-honored customs and benefits.” - Cecil Ellis

“Modern refinements such as marble pools, enamel bathtubs, showers, and nickel pipes have no place in the sauna. The inside of the bath house must not even be oiled, timber and rough boards being the best materials for it.” — H.J. Viherjuuri, Sauna: The Finnish Bath

Anger cools in the sauna,

Resentment fades away

— Traditional Finnish couplet

“Aarne sat on a bench and removed his shoes. ‘Forget all you’ve heard about the sauna,’ he said, ‘because I suspect a lot of it is nonsense.’” - Caskie Stinnett

“Sauna is a building,
a room, a ritual,
a reason for visiting friends and neighbors,
a place to cleanse the mind, body, and soul
reflect on the day and your life.”
- Melba Hensel