S��ksm�ki and Sauna!

We just got back today from S��ksm�ki (well-known for it's folklore and folk music), we were at a friend's cottage and I took some photos to share with you!

At a nearby animal farm...

At a lake

This photo was not edited at all - but I want to show you the "Traditional Finnish Country Side".  It's beautiful!

Inside of a Finnish sauna

A wood stove heats the rocks and you splash water on them to increase the steam (and the heat).  This is called a "Smiley Face stove"...do you see the smiley face?

Bunches of birch branches...I thought it was a decoration.

I have NEVER done the birch-branches-slap-yourself thing before and couldn't stop laughing at the idea of it.

Okay, let me rewind.  Two of my friends and I went into the sauna and I didn't even notice the "bucket of leaves" until one friend Miira said, "Oh! Have you been using the birches?"

The hostess, Teija, says, "Oh not really but Mikko has been....would you like to?"

Miira's excited and I have no idea what's going on.  I thought it was a decoration of sorts.

So they look at me and asked if I've ever used birch branches before in the sauna.

I must've had a stunned "WTF" look on my face because they laughed and said, "Now you get to try the 'Ultimate Finnish Sauna Experience'"....

Uh oh.

We go in there and arrange ourselves and Miira dips the bound birch branches into the bucket of water and starts slapping herself with them.  My jaw is hanging to the floor and I'm confused.

Then they explained that the slapping motion onto the skin encourages and increases blood circulation, the birch oil soothes and conditions your skin - and in general - it feels great and smells good.

Uh - okay.

Then Teija suggested she "toast" the branches a bit...(My instant thought was: "CRAP - it's going to get really smokey in here if they catch on fire and what does she mean?")

So Teija took the branches, soaked them in the bucket and held it over the stove of rocks for a minute, rotating them like a marshmallow on a stick.  (I personally couldn't feel the difference - but they could).

So this heats the water drops a bit and the leaves make a splendid crinkling sound while "toasting"...then it's back to SLAP SLAP SLAP!