In this article we take a look at American sauna culture. But remember that the USA is a big country and each state may have its own way of taking a sauna. For this article I have interviewed many expatriate Finns who live in the USA.
Do men and women have saunas mixed together?
Do people sauna naked?
Are children allowed to take a sauna?
The answers to these and many other questions can be found in this article.
Sauna culture in the USA
The sauna culture in the USA is probably thanks to us Finnish innovators. Without us and people from other countries, there would hardly be a sauna culture in America.
The Finnish pioneers were the first to build a smoke sauna and the Finns had their own Finnish villages where Finns lived together and took saunas.
It is believed that the oldest standing smoke sauna in the USA is in Minnesota. It was built in 1868. The sauna is located at Temperance Corner, three miles north of Cokato on County Road 3. Cokato is now known as Sauna City.
In 1885, a Finnish family was sued by the township because they had been chilling outside naked and the sauna was passed by a road. The municipality had decided to demolish the sauna but fortunately the ingenious Finnish family counter-sued. The Finnish family won and the municipality paid for the renovations. A dressing room was built in their smoke sauna to preserve the neighborhood.
There are similar stories all over North America, with many Finnish settlements across the country.
Immigrants have had it tough these days as well as back then. Immigrants did hard labor, took up farming or worked in mines.
I believe that the sauna has helped Finnish immigrants in the midst of all the stress and chaos. It’s great that Finns believed in their own thing so strongly that they didn’t forget it even when they changed continents.
But the Finns were not the only ones who brought their own sauna culture to the country. Koreans, for example, also brought their own sauna culture to America.
American Sauna Culture
Many people say there isn’t but now that I’ve done some research, there is a little bit. I could also say that there is a big sauna boom in the US at the moment and many people who can afford it are investing in their own sauna.
Who is taking a sauna
There is probably no exact definition of this. I would say expatriates, descendants of immigrants, and self-sufficient people regardless of gender.
Saunas in the USA
Saunas can be found in hotels and gyms, but few people have their own saunas.
Unfortunately, saunas are rather flimsy and you are often not even allowed to throw a sauna. People may take a sauna in a swimsuit, with a towel around them, or in gym clothes or even with sneakers on.
They may even have headphones with them in the sauna.
They might even take a sauna before they exercise because they’ve heard somewhere that it’s good for them. However, it is better to take a sauna after a sporting activity to recover.
Sauna boom
In the USA, as elsewhere, there is a big sauna boom going on. Saunas and public saunas are being enthusiastically built.
When celebrities were building their own saunas during the corona pandemic, they posted pictures of their saunas on social media. It created a real sauna boom among ordinary people.
Now the Finnish sauna and sauna bathing are really media-friendly.
Nudity in the USA
Nudity is not okay in America and therefore saunas are often attended in a bathing suit, clothes or towel.
Actress and model Anna Easteden said in an interview that Americans are very shameless. They get uncomfortable if, for example, she’s wearing nothing but a sports top when she’s working out. She only realizes it when Americans look away and not, for example, in the eyes. Then Anna remembers that damn, I have to put a shirt on.
Read more: Nudity in different cultures
Can the children take a sauna?
Children rarely have access to the sauna, unless it is an expatriate Finnish family or similar.
Do men and women take mixed saunas?
Usually not, both have their own saunas, e.g. in gyms or depending on the location.
See the story of an expatriate Finnish tuba player about the sauna culture in the US.
This article on sauna culture in the USA brings together whether or not there is a sauna culture in the US. What are your experiences? Feel free to post a comment below.
With love,
Sauna-Kati
