Ask a Finn what makes Finland Finland and sooner or later the answer is the sauna. It is not a spa treatment or a hotel amenity but a part of daily life, family routine and national identity, and in December 2020 UNESCO recognised it as such. For visitors to Lapland, a sauna is often the most memorable thing they do that is not on a poster.

We live in Rovaniemi, where a sauna is as normal as a kitchen, and we work in Lapland tourism. This guide explains what the UNESCO listing actually covers, the key words and customs, the facts the Finnish Sauna Society publishes, and how to try a traditional sauna safely and respectfully.

What UNESCO listed, and when

The Finnish Sauna Society, which led the campaign, gives the timeline. In November 2017 sauna bathing was added to Finland's National Inventory of Living Heritage, along with 51 other items. In June 2018 Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture selected it as the country's first nomination to UNESCO's intangible heritage list. The application was sent to UNESCO in spring 2019, and on 17 December 2020 UNESCO decided to include it, the first Finnish tradition on the list.

UNESCO's listing protects a living tradition, not a building type. In the Sauna Society's words, the UNESCO convention emphasises passing on traditions, cultural diversity and the ownership of heritage by the communities that practise it. That is why locals describe the listing less as a prize than as a recognition of something they already did.

The sauna as everyday life

The Sauna Society says sauna bathing is part of Finnish family life and takes place at least once a week. It is also, historically, a place of beginnings: the Society notes that a century ago 95% of births in Finland took place at home, often in the sauna, and that babies were bathed there. A survey the Society cites from south-western Finland in the 1980s found that children were taken to the sauna from an average age of 4.5 months. That survey is old, and the Society itself says it would be interesting to repeat it.

The Guardian reported in 2023 that there are more than 3 million saunas in Finland. We do not have a sourced breakdown of how many are in private homes, apartment buildings, hotels or public bathhouses, so we do not quote one; if you need it, ask the Finnish Sauna Society.

Words every visitor and journalist should know

Source for the vocabulary: the Finnish sauna article on Wikipedia, which cites the Finnish language and sauna literature. The Finnish Sauna Society also publishes guidance on a good smoke sauna.

Wikipedia's article distinguishes four main types of sauna: the smoke sauna, the wood-stove sauna, the electric sauna and the mobile sauna. In our experience a visitor in Lapland is most likely to meet the wood-stove sauna, often beside a lake or river, and the electric sauna in hotels and apartments. The smoke sauna is rarer and takes hours to prepare, which is why it is usually a special occasion. The Finnish Sauna Society publishes guidance on what makes a good smoke sauna.

How to behave and stay safe

Sauna customs vary between households and venues, and Wikipedia's article notes that families, mixed groups and single-sex groups are all common. In private homes and traditional saunas, bathing has traditionally been without swimwear and often separated by group; in hotels and public saunas, rules vary. Our advice is simple: ask your host or read the sign, follow the local pattern and do not photograph other people. The Sauna Society has published comic-strip guidance for newcomers in five languages, including English, which it allows to be freely distributed with credit.

The temperature in a typical Finnish sauna is high, with the Society giving 80 to 90 °C for the air temperature. Practical safety points that apply to everyone are: drink water, leave the room if you feel dizzy, cool down gradually, avoid alcohol before or during a sauna, and never sleep in a hot sauna. Children get hot faster than adults, according to the Society, so keep sessions short. Swimming in cold water after a hot sauna puts strain on the circulation, so people with heart conditions or high blood pressure should seek medical advice first. This is general information, not medical advice.

The Society also publishes guidance on fire safety in the sauna; if you rent a cabin with a wood-fired stove, ask the owner to show you how it works.

Trying a traditional sauna in Lapland

For a first visit we suggest a guided experience, because the operator handles the fire, the safety instructions and the lake or snow access. The Traditional Finnish Sauna Experience5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 runs for about four hours, according to the listing in our booking system, and includes a traditional heated wooden sauna, a lake for swimming, instructions on how to use the sauna safely, an English-speaking guide and light snacks and drinks. It starts from €149 per adult, checked November 2026; prices change, so check before booking. If you book through this page, type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off.

Check dates and prices for the Traditional Finnish Sauna Experience →

Many visitors combine a sauna with a quieter day outdoors; see our guide to a slow winter trip to Rovaniemi, or in summer the lake saunas in our summer Lapland guide.

Notes for journalists

Three suggestions. First, use the official name: "Sauna culture in Finland" on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, inscribed 2020. Second, treat "3 million saunas" as an estimate and attribute it. Third, film in a real home or a traditional sauna with permission, and ask hosts about nudity rules before you bring a camera, and assume that people will not want to be filmed undressed. We are happy to help journalists with local context; our press page explains how: Hungrytravelfamily press and media.

Why the listing matters beyond tourism

For Finns, the more interesting story behind the listing is social rather than touristic. The Sauna Society says the application was created through discussions with the community, and that dozens of sauna operators around Finland joined the project over time. UNESCO's convention, which Finland signed in 2013, focuses on communities, groups and individuals practising traditions, who themselves decide what is important and worth saving. That makes sauna culture in Finland as much about the shared etiquette, the quiet and the equality of the bench as about heat.

The company the sauna keeps on the national inventory is revealing. According to the Society, the same list includes taking candles to the cemetery on Christmas Eve, the freedom to roam in nature, and the game of pesäpallo, a Finnish variant of baseball. Together they describe a country that values quiet, access to nature and shared routines, which is the best short explanation of why the sauna matters to Finns that we can offer.

FAQ

When did UNESCO list Finnish sauna culture?

On 17 December 2020, as "Sauna culture in Finland" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

How hot is a Finnish sauna?

The Finnish Sauna Society gives a typical air temperature of 80 to 90 °C.

How many saunas are there in Finland?

The Guardian reported in 2023 that there are more than 3 million; treat it as an estimate.

Do you wear swimwear in a Finnish sauna?

Customs vary. Private and traditional saunas are typically used without swimwear, while hotel and public saunas have their own rules. Ask your host or follow the sign.