The sauna is so much more than a relaxation treatment in Sweden, on top of the health benefits, the sauna is a space for coming together to socialise and sometimes party with friends.
Often located in secluded rural areas, saunas provide the perfect seclusion to get a bit uninhibited amongst the elements. The sense of release when going from the intense heat of a sauna to jump into the freezing sea, lake or snow, has a euphoric effect on the mind, along with a growing list of discovered health benefits.
While the combination of alcohol, log fires, frozen lakes and exposed skin has its obvious risks, and the consumption of booze likely reverses many of the health benefits, the joy of a sauna party, during the bleakest months of the year, offers a different kind of therapy. Something more primitive!
