Bistervägen 5
02150 Esbo
Finland
Rantasauna, OK20, Ossinsauna, Tarzan…
PACK YOUR TOWEL AND SWIMMING SUIT WITH YOU ALREADY IN THE MORNING.
There’s one thing everybody should do in Finland – go to a sauna. We have acquired several saunas so that everyone will have a chance to experience an original Finnish sauna night. Although usually Finns go to sauna naked, don’t worry, during ICPS Sauna Night everyone must wear swimsuits! There will be a changing room and item storage in OK20, but avoid packing valuable items such as laptops unless they are necessary!
List of saunas and hot tubs:
Rantasauna Big Sauna (40 people)
Rantasauna Small Sauna (8 people, wooden)
Rantasauna Hot Tub (15 people)
OK20 Sauna (10 people)
Ossinsauna (8 people)
Tarzan-sauna (6 people)
Tube-sauna (8 people)
Traditional Smoke Sauna (8 people)
Mega Hot Tub with bubbles (10)
Mobile (8 people)
Note: One unit of “people” equals at least two physicists.
While everyone does not fit (challenge accepted?) at the same time in the saunas, there is plenty of free space to hang out, enjoy beverages & snacks, play beer pong and sing karaoke in Rantasauna and OK20 facilities. If you’d prefer a more relaxed program for the evening, you can come to Ossinsauna for board games and chill hanging out. The program at Ossinsauna will be kept chill and relaxing, so there will be no selling of alcoholic beverages, although moderate drinking of your own beverages is allowed.
Saunas are usually small heated rooms intended for a form of bathing. The modern saunas originate from Finland and Finns are very proud of their sauna culture. There are various types of sauna, the most common ones nowadays being electric and wood stove saunas, though other types such as smoke saunas also exist. Saunas are typically heated quite hot, anywhere from 60 to 100 °C, but are relatively low in humidity. The heat transfer is accelerated by pouring water on hot stones gathered on the heating stove. The water is vaporized into hot steam that rises to the ceiling and gradually spreads down. The steam causes a refreshing sensation that relaxes you thoroughly.
Usually sauna sessions involve first taking a shower and then going to sauna. Once the heat becomes unbearable one exits the sauna to cool down. For this one can take a shower or more commonly go to a lake, sea or swimming pool for a swim. In winter brave souls may go to a hole in the ice for a quick cooling down, or roll in the snow. Once one has cooled down one goes back to the sauna to warm up. This cycle is usually repeated a few times for an hour or two before ending the session, though it is entirely possible to enjoy sauna for far longer periods.
There are some sauna customs that are integral parts of Finnish culture. First of all, the person pouring water on the stove is expected to stay in the sauna until the vapour from the water has dissipated. This way at least the person controlling the temperature with the water should be able to bear the heat and the sauna doesn’t get too hot for most people. Some people like to use a bunch of birch branches and lightly beat themselves with it to relax their muscles. Depending on the person one might enjoy an initially cold beer in a sauna, and from time to time people also sing songs in saunas. At the polar opposite end a sauna can also be a place of quiet where one can ease their mind.
A short vocabulary on common sauna terms:
kiuas a special stove containing the hot stones
löyly wet steam in a sauna, doesn’t apply to other sources of steam
vasta/vihta a bunch of birch branches; the names are specific to Western/Eastern Finland
avanto a hole in the ice for swimming
pefletti a tissue that endures heat and humidity, used for sitting on in saunas
PACK YOUR TOWEL AND SWIMMING SUIT WITH YOU ALREADY IN THE MORNING.