The Secrets of Finnish Sauna Design
Book Review
Designing a new sauna is an exciting endeavor. And when it came time for Lassi Liikkanen to design his, something beyond the normal sauna build unfolded. Lassi has a background of study and work in product development and design, which he applied to his research of sauna design. That project ballooned into the creation of the wonderfully detailed website Saunologia.fi, and eventually the book The Secrets of Finnish Sauna Design. His book continues in the tradition of highly detailed sauna works like Sauna the Way to Health (S C Olin), Finnish Sauna (Allan Konya), The Sauna Book (Johnson & Miller) — Liikkanen even references Konya’s book.
The Secrets of Finnish Sauna Design is not the first guide to sauna construction. In fact, it’s not really even a construction guide, but more a ‘holistic perspective’ on sauna design. The book is clearly a labor of love, filled with detailed graphs, charts, and excellent photography. I hope to see future revisions and reprints, and hopefully a hard cover edition. As with any construction guide written by a single author, it suffers from a limited perspective. That is mostly mitigated by the copious research Lassi conducted prior to writing the book. The Secrets of Finnish Sauna Design is an important sauna book, especially in the North American market where common construction advice often conflicts with Finnish practice (illustrated in the following quotes).
“Spacious saunas are recommended. Many heater types emit high amounts of radiant heat, which creates an unpleasant feeling in the sauna if you are seated too close to the heater.”
“The longer you heat the sauna the more even the temperature becomes”
“The vertical dimension is of primary importance.” “High ceiling is always preferable”
A big thanks to the publisher for sending this review copy. 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.