The international sauna boom continues to drive interest in the quintessential Finnish cultural experience - sauna - which is sought after by travellers to Helsinki. Sauna, one of the few Finnish words to make it into the international lexicon, is a source of wellbeing and wisdom (with roots dating back 10,000 years) inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This richly illustrated guide with full-colour photos offers up a curated list of 25-30 of Helsinki's diverse saunas. All are accessible to the public, ranging from urban design sauna complexes with bars and restaurants (including one owned by a Hollywood actor) to community saunas, a heritage smoke sauna tucked into the forest, and a cottage sauna on an island complete with a sea castle built by renowned Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen.
Helsinki by Sauna doubles as a travel memento and an aspirational travel guide for sauna fans who dream of a sauna journey to the Finnish capital.