What is The Opposite of Cold?
It’s a book…a book about sauna.
You might be wondering, “Why would anyone write a book about sauna?” or “Why would anyone bother writing a review of a book about sauna?” Those are good questions. There’s nothing noteworthy about a tiny, hot cedar room by the pool at the hotel or YMCA. But this book isn’t about just any ol’ sauna — it’s about “the Northwoods Finnish sauna tradition”. You might be wondering “What’s a Northwoods Finnish sauna?” Now we finally arrived at an interesting question worth discussing! So interesting in fact, that it was the inspiration for The Opposite of Cold.
The genesis for The Opposite of Cold was a magazine article written by Michael Nordskog in 2005 for the Lake Country Journal. In it, he recounts how his family lovingly rehabbed their wood-burning, lakeside sauna. For the article, he was paired with photographer Aaron Hautala (notice the Finnish surname). They tolerated each other’s company well enough that they decided to make a book together that would explore the roots and modern expression of Northwoods Finnish saunas.
Five years later, The Opposite of Cold was published as a beautiful, hardcover work. It is often described as a coffee table book, but it is more than that. In its pages, Michael recounts the history of Finnish immigration to the United States — especially to the great lakes regions of Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. He describes how Finns brought with them their tradition of sauna and how it has persisted and evolved over the years. Also, a few modern saunas, designed by Duluth architect David Salmela, are featured. The most interesting saunas in the book to me are on opposite sides of the spectrum. I’m fascinated by the old-school savusaunas (smoke saunas) and intrigued by the modern Salmela saunas. One of the strengths of the book is Aaron Hautala’s photography. He does an exceptional job of providing a look inside various saunas — an oft neglected view. He also created many beautiful images of lakeside saunas, demonstrating that the setting of a sauna is as important as the fire, wood, and rocks.
If you are a fan of Finnish sauna or are curious to see what the fuss is about, I highly recommend The Opposite of Cold.
A big thanks to the University of Minnesota Press for sending me a review copy of The Opposite of Cold. I try not to let free swag affect my reviews, but I’m human, so this review is most likely tainted (sorry), which is why you should read the book for yourself.
