#sauna-culture

#sauna-culture

Die Sauna is free after 6pm, she said cheerfully in a mix of German and English, adding that all I needed was a towel. From that day on, sweating in the steaming sauna became my nightly ritual. I couldn't quite join the occasional conversations that bubbled up around me my German was very basic and my confidence level was hitting rock bottom. So mostly I sat quietly, listening, nodding, absorbing the rhythm of strangers unwinding at the end of their day.

The lighting is low, the walls are dark wood, the back bar glows with premium bottles. You could be in London, New York or Tokyo. But then you notice that very few people are wearing much at all, even though there is snow on the ground outside. That's because around the back of this bar is a fully-functioning sauna. This is the Kyrö Sauna Bar, a pop-up in central Helsinki, now in its second year, and it is exactly what it sounds like.

I didn't expect a three-day trip to northeastern Italy to result in a full-blown infatuation with sauna culture, pine trees, and one of the oldest towns in the South Tyrol region. For that, I credit Forestis, a mountainside spa hotel that sits nearly 6,000 feet above sea level-directly facing the craggy peaks of the Dolomites-just a short, albeit winding, drive from Brixen.

Anna Tuomi, Finavia's head of marketing, stated, "Most airports have transit zones-some even have saunas. It is the touchpoint to tune into the rhythm, values, and mindset of Finland."