What should we call what we do when we fire up the stove, get bare-ass naked, sprinkle water on the stones, bask in the lovely heat and steam (löyly, as the Finn’s call it), jump in a cold lake, and do it all over again?
Do we take a sauna? I don’t think so. We take a shower. We take out the trash. Taking sauna almost hurts my ears (though I say it all of the time).
Do we hit the sauna? Sure, if we’re tatted up, meatheads on the way to the club’s infrared light show. That’s not what I’m talking about.
Engage in a sauna session? Geeze. Talk about New Age psychobabble. Yes, it’s a session. Yes, it’s a ritual. Yes, we do engage and solve the world’s problems. But it doesn’t feel right.
Glenn Auerbach of Saunatimes invites friends to sit on the bench. I love that expression. It almost mandates that sauna is about community as much as it’s about personal health and wellness. Thanks, Glenn.
How about let’s bask in the glow? Hm. Someone with an English degree came up with that one. Nice, but not for everyone.
I’m making this too hard. Let’s just sauna. But say it correctly (SOW-nau). That’s what the Finn’s do. Actually, they say saunoa (SOW-noh-ah), which turns the noun sauna into a powerful verb loaded with years of tradition and memories.
Actually, call it anything you like. No one made me the sauna boss.