Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna Memory Tree Productions

Finland has been named the world's happiest country for seven years in a row. It’s also home to 3 million saunas for a population of 5.5 million people. And roughly one-fifth of Finns take part in something called “cold water” or “winter” swimming.Coincidence? We think not, and our guest, Katja Pantzar, agrees.A Canadian-Finnish journalist based in Helsinki, Pantzar first discovered cold-water swimming a decade ago and now swims in the Baltic Sea almost every day — all year round.She’s also t...

Sauna is just the beginning of the Finnish cultural experience that awaits visitors to Vettä Nordic Spa. Not only can you relax and recharge with Finnish-style thermal therapy, but you can enjoy farm-to-table Finnish fare, take part in a “vihta”-making workshop and even sauna with a Finnish guide. How did this authentic Finnish sauna oasis — located just one hour outside Toronto — come to be? In this episode, we’re joined by Vettä owner and founder Eric Harkonen, along with bra...

Today’s episode is smokin’ — literally! That’s because we’re talking about the original Finnish sauna: the smoke sauna, or “savusauna” as it’s known in Finland.While the modern saunas we’re familiar with today have only been around for the last 100 years, smoke saunas date back to the 9th century — over 1,000 years ago.So what exactly is a smoke sauna and where can you find one? To answer these questions and more, we’re joined by Saija Silen, a smoke sauna historian and chair of the Finnish S...

A sweat-bathing renaissance is underway in Ireland and Northern Ireland, with saunas popping up from Dublin and Belfast to Cork and the Causeway Coast.How did all this happen? During Alan’s Irish sauna travels last year, one name kept coming up: Shirley Fitzpatrick. As the owner of Bosca Beatha — the first mobile sauna in Ireland back in 2012 — Shirley has been at the forefront of the Irish sauna movement for over a decade, touring the countryside and bringing her passion for sauna directly t...

Can you imagine being naked in a sauna with strangers? Or maybe you can’t imagine it any other way? Nudity in the sauna is a polarizing topic. For some, the idea of going “au naturel” is unthinkable, while for others, “textile-free” is the only way to go. Why the divide? To get to the, ahem, bottom of the issue, we’re speaking with Dr. Ruth Barcan, a professor in the Gender and Cultural Studies department at the University of Sydney, and the author of Nudity: A Cultural Anatomy.In this episod...

It’s taken the European sauna world by storm, and it’s starting to make waves in North America, too. Aufguss is the art of using rhythmic towel movements to circulate heat, air and essential oils in the sauna, creating a thermal experience like no other.While aufguss can be calm and meditative, it can have a huge performance aspect as well — with music, lights, costumes, singing, choreography and even smoke machines used for theatrical effect.To find out more, we’re speaking with Jade Coulomb...