finnland. cool.: April 2014

Language of the sauna

kiuas - sauna stove
kiuaskivet - stones in/on the sauna stove
loyly - steam, heat, humidity and temperature created by throwing water on hot stones
kiulu - water bucket, usually made of wood
loylykauha - ladle for throwing water on the stove
vihta/vasta - whisk made of fresh birch branches for beating the body to aid circulation.
laude - elevated platform to sit on
laudeliina - special towel or disposable paper for sitting on
lakeinen - opening in the ceiling of a smoke sauna where the smoke escapes during heating
saunatonttu - sauna elf who, if you behave badly in the sauna, will become angry and burn it down

Here is a list of some common Finnish words related to the sauna:

saunaFinnish style sweat bath

savusauna
Smoke sauna: the original form of sauna with no chimney. While being heated the smoke from the burning wood under the stove fills the sauna and escapes through a hole in the ceiling (lakeinen) and through the door which is usually kept slightly open during heating.

kiuas
Sauna stove

kiuaskivet
Stones in the sauna stove

löyly
1) Steam or vapour created by throwing water on the stones of the stove
2) The heat, humidity and temperature in the sauna in general

löylyhuone
The hot room

pesuhuone
The washing room

pukuhuone
The dressing room

vihta, vasta
Whisk, made of birch (or similar) twigs. Used for beating the body in the hot room to stimulate the feel of the löyly.

lauteetElevated platform to sit on in the hot room (the physical fact is that warm air rises)

lakeinenOpening in the ceiling of a smoke sauna where the smoke escapes during heating

räppänä
Duct or vent on the sauna wall close to the ceiling. The size of the opening is usually adjusted with a simple slideboard.

kiulu Small pail or bucket to contain the löyly water. Usually made of wood: boards tied together with wooden hoops.

kippo, kauhaLadle to throw water on the stove

tiku, kisu, kitku
Unpleasant fumes in a smoke sauna right after heating
- disappear in an hour or two after which time the sauna is ready

avanto
A hole in the ice of a frozen lake or sea

For those interested here are a couple of rules to give an idea on how to pronounce Finnish:

each character (consonant or vowel) is always pronounced the same way, i.e. Finnish is pronounced exactly as spelled (and vice versa)
the special dotted vowels "ä" and "ö" follow the above rule and sound as in German or Swedish
single characters are pronounced short and double ones long
otherwise the pronunciation is rather close to Spanish or Italian, only consonants are softer
the stress is always on the first syllable

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