Once Upon A Time in Tupaswilla...

Once upon a time, I went to the largest smoke sauna in Finland, located about 35 km outside of Jyväskylä.
The place is called Tupaswilla.

They hosted a ladies only night and my friend suggested that we go to get out of the city and try it out.
There's a smoke sauna, a lake to go for a dip (yes, even in the winter - Finns will go swim when taking a sauna!) and a snack afterward.
Oh and a peat mud mask for the body!

Well, I was super curious, as I was just at a public smoke sauna near Helsinki recently and it was also near a lake and because it was public and co-ed - you had to wear a bathing suit and there was nothing about a mud mask!

So I went eagerly.

Here's the thing about Finnish sauna etiquette - you go naked.  There is 0 shame in the human body and everybody comes in different shapes and sizes and it's celebrated here.
I have gone to the sauna with mutual female friends and nobody stares at anyone's body or whispers about scars or marks or muscle (or lack of)...
And many flats/apartment buildings/cottages and homes have saunas or a community one (more about this later) but a smoke sauna is very different compared to the typical electric or extremely common wood ones (more in cottages in the country side).

So I've gotten used to it.

But going with a massive room full of women?  Not much of a difference - especially where I wear glasses and can't quite see anything without them anyway.

First of all - you have to reserve your spot by e-mailing them when you're going.  They're not necessarily open for ladies night every night!  And they also take reservations for weddings and big events too.

So what do you bring with you to Tupaswilla?

• A water bottle - fill it and bring it with you.  Of course they will have water to refill it.
• Shower basics - a towel, shampoo and body wash if you need it and moisturizer.  They are open showers - no dividers and definitely no curtains.
• Indoor shoes like flip flops or Crocs - something that'll get wet and muddy and can be washed easily.
• Dry clothes for after.
• 30€ (at the time this was what we paid) in cash.

Then what?

• Go there and pay.
• Get undressed - Finland is QUITE safe and not much stealing occurs to be honest! (Trust me - my wallet was fully loaded with bank cards, cash and a newly loaded bus card and I got it ALL back!)
• Finns don't care about nudity when it comes to sauna or breastfeeding - so have 0 fear.
• Shower
• Go upstairs to the sauna WITH your water bottle and wearing your indoor sandals.  No phones, no contact lenses or pure gold jewelry because it will melt.  (Again, experience with the jewelry melting to my skin...)



Peat - not poo.

• Grab a white cloth to sit on - this is for hygenic purposes and also because you're going to be covered in mud soon!
• Once you're warmed up - go back downstairs, rinse off and then apply the peat.
  If you have high blood pressure, you're not supposed to use it all over your body - the worker will explain it all in Finnish (and I'm sure they know English too!).
• The peat will affect your hair colour if you dyed it within the last 2-3 weeks.
• You can put it head to toe - it's clean and been tested and pure.  So perfectly safe.
• ENJOY and relax.
• Every 20 minutes or so, the worker will shout the time.  So it's recommended you only keep the peat mask on for 20 minutes or so then go to wash it off.  
• Do not get dehydrated.  Drink a lot of water!!  The peat mask should feel moist on your skin - not dry, because it works from the inside out.
• You're free to go swim in the lake or just take a dip!
• HINT: the aluminum handle bars are F*CKING cold!!  So, take a couple of those cloths to sit on and use them on the handles when getting in the lake (if it's winter/early spring).
• You can also stand outside to cool down too!  (With or without your towel.)

Dipped my foot - that was more for a photo op.

Warm up in the sauna and repeat the lake swim if you feel like it!

Once you're done in the sauna, take your water bottle and cloth you were sitting on (dispose of it downstairs in the trash) - take another shower to clean up and get dressed.

Nearby is a lovely cottage and you can have a cup of tea/coffee and some bread and butter.

Then be on your merry little way.

This was a once in a lifetime experience for me in Finland and I am so happy I went!!
The staff were super friendly and polite, everybody seemed to enjoy themselves and some ladies near to us told my friend and I it wasn't their first time going - so overall, a super positive experience.

Yours Truly,

A Domestic Goddess wishing for more smoke sauna oppourtunities...