A Guide I Never Planned to Write

– Jonas, Northern Star, July 2025

People love the sauna — but they also want to understand it.

That’s something we’ve seen again and again. There’s a curiosity behind the steam: people want to know the rituals, the culture, the mindset.
And I get that.

My name is Jonas, and I’m the one behind this Sauna University project. I’m not Finnish. I’m a teacher from Denmark. But through my partner Minna — and later through her daughter Ida, who runs Northern Star — I ended up in the world of Finnish saunas. Not as a guest, but as someone who wanted to learn.

At first, it was just small things that surprised me. Like the fact that there are more saunas than cars in Finland — that alone says something. But what really stuck with me was how natural it all felt to Finns. Sauna isn’t something they plan. It’s something they do. Like breathing.

And maybe that’s why I started writing.

As a teacher, I’ve always had a need to share what I learn — not to tell others what to think, but to give them something they can use. So when I began asking questions (many of them), it slowly turned into something more structured. First notes. Then a guide. Then the idea for Sauna University.

None of it was planned. But it made sense.

2. More Than Heat and Water

The more I learned, the more I realised how different sauna is in Finland compared to what I grew up with.

In Denmark, sauna is often part of a gym or swimming pool — a place to sweat a little before heading home. It’s functional. Quiet. Maybe even a bit clinical.

In Finland, it’s something else entirely. Sauna is part of life. It’s not just a room — it’s a rhythm.

At some point, I stopped seeing it as “wellness” and started seeing it as culture. A place where people talk. Or don’t. Where things happen naturally, without being scheduled or dressed up.

And that difference fascinated me.

Take Löyly, for example — the iconic seaside sauna in Helsinki. It’s not just a sauna, it’s a social space. A meeting point. Somewhere between a public bathhouse and a living room. I became really interested in these modern interpretations — what I now think of as neo-sauna. New ways to gather, based on very old values.

That’s what makes sauna so powerful. It connects people. It’s ordinary and sacred at the same time.

3. Why Sauna University?

At some point, I realised I wasn’t the only one asking questions.

People around me — friends, travellers, even locals — were curious too. Not just about how hot it gets or how long you should stay in, but about the why. Why do Finns go to the sauna so often? Why is it such a big part of everyday life? What does it actually mean to them?

That’s where the idea for Sauna University started to take shape.

I didn’t want to create a course. I wanted to create a space. A quiet place where you could learn a bit more — through guides, short videos, small quotes. Not in a textbook kind of way, but in a way that makes you feel closer to something real.

I also wanted it to be free. Because I believe that if you give people something of value — a story, a new perspective — then the relationship starts there.

My goal was simple:
To share what I had learned.
And to do it in a way that made others want to learn, too.

This is one of many social media posts we will launch soon inside Sauna University

4. Written with a Lot of Help

I didn’t write this guide on my own. Not even close.

From the very beginning, I asked questions. A lot of them. Probably too many. At one point, I think Minna and Ida — my Finnish family — were starting to lose patience. But they kept answering.

Everything from sauna etiquette to historical facts, from the right way to throw water on the stove to what kind of silence is actually considered respectful.

There were moments where I thought I understood something… only to realise I’d completely missed the point. Like the idea that sauna is supposed to be quiet and serious. It can be — but it can also be loud, social, chaotic. Depends on the place. Depends on the people.

Bit by bit, their answers helped me build something that wasn’t just based on Google searches or articles. It came from conversations, corrections, and small stories passed on.

And that’s the heart of it. This guide is not mine. It’s something we built together.

Pages from the coming e-Guide called The history of the Finnish Sauna

5. The Moment It Clicked

There was a point, somewhere during the writing, where it all started to make sense.

Not through a fact or a quote — but through something simple someone said:
“Sauna isn’t planned. It just happens. Like breathing.”

That hit me.

In Denmark, we tend to schedule everything. Even rest. But in Finland, sauna isn’t a special event. It’s part of the rhythm. After work. After a run. With friends. Alone. It’s not about doing something “healthy” or “spiritual” — it’s just part of life.

And that understanding shifted everything for me. I stopped trying to explain sauna like a product or a tradition. I started writing about it as a way of being.

That’s also when I became curious about how sauna is evolving. Places like Löyly, which combine old values with new energy — where the sauna becomes a public space, a social hub. Somewhere to hang out, not hide away.

That blend of old and new is what I find most exciting now. And it’s something I hope to explore more in the next guides.

6. What’s Next

Right now, we’re in the early days of launching Sauna University.

The first e-guide is finished — and I’m already writing the second one. It feels like the start of something bigger, but I don’t know exactly where it will lead. And that’s okay.

This isn’t about building a brand. It’s about creating something people can learn from. Something that helps them understand sauna a bit better — and maybe see Finland in a new light.

A screen dump of  some of the many productions we have produced inside Sauna University.
E-guides, Reels and Caroussels and single pic posts and much more.
Launching August 2025 on Instagram and Facebook.

I’d love to hear how people actually use the guide.
Does it change the way they think about sauna?
Does it make them want to visit Finland?
Does it spark a conversation at home, or bring back a memory?

I have my own reasons for writing — but the real meaning comes from what others do with it. That’s what I’m most curious about now.

7. Thanks for Reading — and for Being Curious

If you’ve made it this far, thank you. It means a lot.

This first guide — and Sauna University as a whole — is a way for me to give something back. Not as a Finnish local. But as someone who fell in love with a culture, and wanted to understand it from the inside.

If you’re curious too, I’d love for you to join me.

You can sign up to get the e-guide as soon as it’s released — and you’ll be the first to hear when new ones come out. You’ll also get access to other Sauna University content, like video insights and cultural quotes from Finns. No noise. Just stories and things worth knowing.

We release the e-guide and Sauna University in August

But! – You can Pre-Order already NOW!
👉 Pre-Order Free E-Guide Here

When you’ve read the guide — I’d love to hear your thoughts. Did it surprise you? Did something stick with you? Or did it just make you want to book a ticket to Finland?

You can always reply, comment or just send a message.

Thanks for being part of this — more soon.

 – Jonas, Northern Star