Building a Traditional Finnish Smoke Sauna
Book Review
The latest book in Jarmo Hiltunen series of books about Finnish log construction series, Building a Traditional Finnish Smoke Sauna, focuses one type of log building — savusaunas. It defines and discusses the history of smoke saunas, but its main focus is construction and use. See the table of contents below for more information.
Smoke saunas were the most common type of sauna for thousands of years, but quickly dwindled after the advent of the continuous burning wood stoves. In the middle of the 20th century, the practice experienced a revival in Finland; I’ve always been curious why (this book doesn’t really explain why). But Jarmo is trying to spark a similar resurgence here in North America, and I support that effort!
