How to make a sauna whisk

In the “How to make a sauna whisk” article, I tell you how to make a traditional Finnish sauna whisk, aka vihta. For this article, I received expert advice from Pentti Hakala. He is a member of Löylynlyöjät ry and the International Smoke Sauna Club and Sauna Whisk—world champion in 2001.

I previously wrote the article “What is a sauna whisk?”. In that, I tell more about sauna whisks in general. Today, however, we will focus on how the sauna whisk is made according to the “old teachings”.

Read more: What is a sauna whisk?

How to make a sauna whisk?

Choose silver birch branches for the whisk because they make better sauna whisks than downy birches. You can put a few branches of downy birch or blackcurrant (with leaves) in the whisk for fragrance. Downy birch has a better aroma but sheds its leaves more easily. Blackcurrant leaves also bring a great scent to the sauna and have terrific active ingredients.

When you make sauna whisks for the winter, the best time to make whisks is after Midsummer. You should also follow the lunar calendar, which tells you the best time to collect branches and make whisks.

Cutting branches is not part of the freedom to roam/Everyman’s rights in Finland; it must be done with the landowner’s permission.

The branches are cut from the tree with a knife, not by tearing or folding. Remember always to respect the tree.

Choose a youngish silver birch, preferably one with big leaves.

Watch the video below:

Instructions for making sauna whisk by Pentti Hakala

How to start:

Start by preparing the braches used for tying the whisk together. Choose a young downy birch and peel off the bark with a knife on both sides.
Start twisting from the top end; twisting makes the branch more flexible, making it easier to tie the whisk together in the end.
Hold the other end of the branch with your foot to keep it in place.
Peel the branch completely bare and sharpen the bottom end.

Stacking the branches:

You need 35-40 healthy birch branches for one whisk.
Again, silver birch is better than downy birch because it is sturdier, and the leaves stick to the branch better.
The length of one branch is about 50 cm. The branches are made into a fan-shaped bunch, so the lighter underside is on top.
Always add branches to the top. Tear off the leaves from the lower part of the branches (approximately 10-15cm).
Halfway through, turn the bunch and continue in the same way so that the lighter underside of the leaves is now on top. Keep adding branches to the top.

The finished bunch is fan-shaped and slightly flat.

Here are the instructions in the form of images and text in Finnish:
Wedding instructions-Pentti-Hakala

Wedding instructions © Pentti-Hakala

Tying it together:

Thread the bare branch through the handle of your bunch (use the sharp side for threading).
Bend the branch parallel to the handle and place it under your palm.
Add more twists before tying.
Wrap the branch twice around the handle and tie a knot under both loops.
Tighten firmly.
Thread the end of the whisk through the handle approximately a palm’s width from the bottom.
The distance between the two handle branches should be around 10-12 cm.
Tie the second branch in the same way as the first.
Cut off the extra branches with a knife.
Finish the whisk by making a figure-of-eight loop at the top of the handle.
Remove the branches from the handle with a knife.

Drying and storing a sauna whisk

You can make sauna whisks all summer long. When you use your whisk on the same day, you can do it as long as the birches still have green leaves.
You should be more careful if you want to make whisks for winter use and dry them. The best time to make whisks for winter is in June or early July.
Birch whisks are dried in a dry, airy, shady place with the base up. You can also dry the whisks in a cardboard box and put coarse salt in between the whisks.
It is also possible to freeze whisks wrapped in plastic wrap.

In the “How to make a sauna whisk” article, we went through how to correctly make a sauna whisk. Hopefully, it will help you when looking for information about Finnish Sauna Whisks.

Read more: Midsummer Sauna

Have a great summer, and enjoy your Finnish sauna whisk!

Love, Sauna-Kati