The steam bath is an ancient aspect of human culture. Imagine the joy of that first nomadic cave-dweller who doused the home fire and, instead of moving on, lingered in the soothing vapors emanating from the hot hearthstones.
Our present-day sauna, invented in Finland some 2,000 years ago, was the ultimate inspiration of that first perspiration. Just across the Baltic Sea, in Estonia, the sauna looms large in the contemporary lifestyle, and spa tourism is big business.
Whether at home, in the country, or in the gym, Estonians have been savoring their saunas since the 13th century. As they say in Estonia, “Terviseks!” (“to your health”!)
