sauna linguistics
sauna, in english, can take on several meanings: sauna the place, sauna the activity, and sauna the verb. finnish has different words for all of these, and the finnish language has many noun cases [ fifteen! there are only three in modern english ] leading to various forms of the word sauna. a few examples
- sauna [ nominative ] the base form of the word [ sauna on kuuma | the sauna is hot ]
- saunan [ genitive] shows possession [ saunan lämpö | the sauna’s heat ]
- saunassa [ inessive ] describes being inside a place [ olen saunassa | i am in the sauna ]
- saunaksi [ translative ] denotes transformation into something [ muutan puutarhavajani saunaksi | i am turning my garden shed into a sauna ]
- along with other forms like saunaa, saunasta, saunalla, saunalta, and more
and those are just the noun forms. the word saunoa is the finnish verb meaning to sauna, as in ‘i sauna every saturday’ [ saunon joka lauantai ]. although learning finnish would uncover a lot of the nuance of what ‘sauna’ means, we english speakers should at least understand that sauna is not only a singular object: a hot room or, god forbit, a six hundred ninety nine dollar detox blanket. sauna is a space and an activity and, for some, a way of life
sauna | the space [ noun ]
while most people think of a sauna as a hot room, that is just one part of the sauna space. minimally, a hot room is necessary, but great sauna also includes a place to rest and relax in between sauna rounds – this is often referred to as a cool down room (viilennystila), relaxation room (levahdystila), or lounge, which i’ll use for its simplicity. some saunas, especially larger public saunas, have locker room or showers. the sauna space often includes some element of nature or the outdoors. this may be a porch, patio, dock, or even a simple bench outside of the hot room. finland and the upper midwest are full of small lakes which make for particularly enjoyable spaces to cool down in between sauna rounds
it is important not to overlook the ancillary sauna spaces as at least as much time, if not more, is spent in the cool down and relaxation spaces of the sauna as in the hot room.
sauna | the activity [ noun ]
a sauna is an activity, an event. sauna, the activity, includes various events before, during, and after time spent in the hot room
for some, it may begin upon waking up on a day when you know you’re going to sauna. it puts you in a state of mind that influences what you will do that day, what you eat that day. the activity of sauna may consist of gathering the wood from a wood pile, building the fire, grabbing matches from their dedicated space. it may include perusing farm auction adverts just before crumbling them up and placing them into firebox. it may include brushing the few ashes that wisp onto the floor when you opened the door to start the fire, filling the water bucket for löyly and placing it in the hot room to heat with the stones while you wait for your turn. it may include running up to the ‘big oaks’ to trim a few new growth oak branches and constructing a vihta [ sauna whisk ] for later
sauna the activity may include a water element. for some, it may include filling a stock tank with water – right to the spot where you know it will be full enough to just reach the brim when you immerse yourself into it right after an intense löyly at the end of a round in the hot room. for those lucky enough, one can skip the stock tank and plunge into a crisp, freshwater lake
sauna may include gathering your friends and family. it may include sitting with them in the hot room or lounge and discussing the outside world or in blissful silence – not the awkward kind so commonly felt necessary in the outside world [ sauna is a where everyone can focus on the heat rather than contriving unimportant topics for small talk ]. as such, the quality of conversation during sauna feels more elevated and meaningful, tightening the social bonds with those around you. [ some say you cannot truly connect someone until you have shared a meal with them; i tend to agree, but would add sauna as a qualifying event ]
sauna also includes activity after the hot room and may include a final bath or shower, a meal [ sausages are a traditional finnish favorite, replenishing salts lost through sweat ], a tea or coffee or ice cold beverage. it may be the start to one’s day or, for many, it may be the last thing they do before they settle into the state of relaxation that all of this activity has affected and drift into the unmatched calm of sauna sleep
sauna | the action [ verb ]
in english, there isn’t a common verb form of sauna. the act of using a sauna is often described with the help of other verbs, such as ‘to take a sauna’ or ‘to have a sauna’. however, ‘to sauna’ is sometimes used informally, particularly in regions, like the upper midwest, where sauna culture is prominent. for others still who use their saunas in a very traditional manner, they may refer to the activity as sauna bathing which simplifies the language but this may not be indicative of the manner in which most people are using their saunas
it can seem unusual to apply the -ing ending to certain words, particularly those borrowed from other languages like sauna. while ‘saunaing’ can feel awkward to english speakers, it’s not entirely out of step with the way english tends to evolve and adapt new and borrowed words. for example, “to google” has become a widely accepted verb, and its “-ing” form, googling, is commonly used. another example is ‘to kayak’ [ from the inuit word ‘qajaq’ ], where kayaking is the norm. so maybe saunaing will catch on
some have also tried to popularize ‘to saun’ as the verb form of sauna. while this does make forms like -ing sound a little better – ‘i am sauning’ – it still awkward for other forms like the past tense – i sauned? it was a noble and well-intentioned try, but this one-man marketing department is going to have to veto
my preference: for the future tense, I am happy to say that ‘i am going to sauna‘ or ‘do you want to sauna?’ but for present or past tense, rather than saying i am saunaing or i saunaed [ extra awkward ], i find the helper verbs – i am having a sauna or i took a sauna – to be the most natural