Saunas

VIRPIÖ (1)

This sauna comes from the Virpiö farm in Multia. According to tradition, the sauna was built in the 18th century.

Multia belongs to the area in Finland where saunas were large and tall, and had a special platform for drying malt. Spruce stubs with roots generally supported the platform.

When the logs were moved to the Muurame Sauna Museum in 1995, it was evident they were too few to reconstruct the sauna. It was therefore decided to use new logs and place some of the original ones on display inside the sauna building to demonstrate their thich and heavy structure, and the special corner joints known as “feather joints”.

The outside measurements of the sauna are 5.2 x 5.2 metres, and the inside height about 3.5 m. Haircap moss is used as insulation material between the logs. Heikki Nikonen, a carpenter, built the sauna with his assistants.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2017.

Patron since 2025: Harvia Oy

KAIJANMÄKI (3)

Kaijanmäki sauna comes from the municipality of Karstula in the north-westernmost area of Central Finland. The Kaijanmäki farm was located on a high hill in the middle of wilderness, where tar was burnt in huge pits dug in the ground. The owner of the farm, an old farmer, who lived there alone, used the sauna until the 1980’s. The fixtures or the interior of the sauna suggest that it was never used for household chores.

The sauna itself consists of an open porch and the actual sauna room, which is m2 large. The open porch serves as a place where people can cool off after the sauna bath and dress, and where firewood can be stored to keep it dry. The platform occupies the back of the room and features a boarded-up railing.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2022.

Patron since 2018: Jämsän Seudun Osuuspankki

LAMPILA (4)

The original location of Lampilan Sauna was on the field of a small farm in Multia. It is estimated that the sauna was built before 1900. After serving as a sauna, it was used as a drying barn and later as a storage building. The sauna has been moved twice. The sauna was donated to the Sauna Museum in 1997 by the Lampila Family. The sauna was erected in summer 1999 next to Virpiö Sauna, another sauna from Multia. A special feature in this sauna is its the open porch at the entrance to the sauna. The platform is supported by roots of tree stumps which follow the movements of the walls, a typical feature in saunas in the Multia area.

Another typical feature of the saunas in the Multia area a hundred years ago was that they were very large and high, as they were used for drying lax and malt and for other household chores. These saunas are among the best and most impressive in the Sauna Museum area.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration will be completed in 2026

Patron since 2018: Kansainvälinen Savusaunaklubi – International Smoke Sauna Club

KÄKYENVUOREN SAUNA (5)

The Käkyevuori sauna was originally located on the shore of Lake Päijänne. In the 1980s, it was moved to Käkyevuori, near a spring at the top of the hill. In 2023, the sauna was brought to Saunakylä. The building represents traditional local sauna construction and was donated to its current location by Isännäinen.

At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2024.

Patron since 2022: Uimaseura Simförening ry, Jorma Hilliaho, Mikko Oikarinen, Matti Löppönen, Marja Tiirola, Matti Suomala, Mika Hietaniemi, Jussi Sorvari, Matti Similä, Jukka Juujärvi, Laukaan Puhtaanapito Oy, Pentti Ranta, Petri Laukkanen, Juha Käyhkö, Juhani Hämäläinen, Petteri Tyni

SIPARILA (7)

This sauna was built by Samuli Paulaharju in 1909 in accordance with the drawings and notes made in the Village of Siparila in Valkjärvi. In those days pit saunas were common in the countryside. One third of this sauna was above the ground and was built of logs. The walls under the ground level were supported with poles.

The structures of pit saunas varied considerably according to the soil conditions and available materials. The walls were made of rocks, turf, and poles were used, if the earth walls needed support. The roofs were generally made of turf placed on birch bark.

The quality of ”löyly” (steam) in pit saunas was extremely good. This may be because of the suitable humidity balance and the good insulation properties of the walls and the roof.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2020.

Patron since 2017: Suomen Saunaseura – Finnish Sauna Society

METSÄSOTASAUNA (8)

This type of “forest/war” Sauna was common during the war years of 1939-45. The sauna was built where the soldiers were at the front. Any suitable timber was used and grooved roughly to form the corners of the frame. Moss was used to seal up the cracks. This sauna was built with no other tools than an axe and a knife. There are no nails or boards in it. These wartime saunas were either smoke saunas with stone stoves or chimney saunas with metal stoves.

Details: Mono-pitch roof made of split logs and covered with birch bark and turf. There is no loft. The platform is made of split logs. The door is covered with birch bark and its hinge side is made of one piece of wood obtained from the top of a pine tree. There was a pole above the stove. The clothes were put on it to allow the heat to kill the lice.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
A replica of the Mestäsotasauna was completed at Saunakylä in 2025.

Patron since 2018: Saunamestari Kilta ry

MUSTONEN (9)

This sauna comes from the Lepikkoaho farm in Sivakkavaara, Kaavi. It was built by Niilo Huovinen around 1905. The sauna was used for drying flax, tarring sleighs, delivering children and cupping. There was a cupper living in the neighbourhood, and she used the sauna even after the Second World War.

The benches were placed both at the back wall and the wall where the stove was located; this is an unusual arrangement. The cupper needed the cloth, horns and the iron tools. The bathing whisks were not only made of birch, but also of juniper and alder.

The container holding the water for throwing onto the stones was made of spruce and had a bottom made of pine and the hoops made of juniper.

The bathing whisks were kept in a pile, and salt was used as a preservative. For special occasions, the whisks were equipped with a special band and loop for hanging them on the wall. Home-brewed beer, juice or sour milk and potato pies or Karelian pies were served after the sauna bath. On special occasions people used to have meat dishes and various kinds of casseroles.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2023.

Patron since 2021: Uimaseura Simförening ry

HILTUNEN (10)

This sauna comes from the Kokko farm in the village of Kortteiskylä in Kaavi. It was built by Antti Hiltunen and Jussi Räsänen around 1930. The sauna was situated on the hillside, some 60 metres from the farmhouse.

Details: The stove is relatively large, 1,6 * 1,6 metres, made of wedge-shaped soft stones, which have been built into an arch supported by large corner stones. Serpentinite stones collected from the fields were used for the stove.

The sauna was used as a dwelling in the autumn, when the main building was left unheated for a week to kill the cockroaches. Torches made of pine or spruce were the only means of lighting used in the sauna until the 1930’s.

Tar was mixed in the water thrown onto the stones to produce steam to cure cough.

It was not customary to eat after the sauna bath; only home-brewed beer or juice was served. On special occasions and holidays, however, the sauna batch was followed with a meal consisting of e.g. mutton stew, meat pie, swede casserole and Karelian pies. Bathing whisks for the winter were made in the Midsummer week, at the same time when twigs were gathered to feed the sheep in the winter.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2025.

Patron since 2019: Taivaannaula ry

MIETTINEN (12)

This sauna was situated in the village of Niinivaara in Kaavi. It was probably built in 1902 by Otto Leppänen and Juho Toivanen. Flax was dried in this sauna until 1946. The last childbirth took place during the Second World War.

Details: The floor area of the sauna is large 4,5 * 4,5 metres, but the height is only 1,8 metres. The sauna has an earth floor. The platform is supported by a low log structure, which derives from the Easter tradition. The window is small and is located very low on the wall. The door is wide but very low. The stove was usually made of soapstone. In the winter the water was heated in a pot hung on a hook above the stove. The firewood was dried on the beams running from wall to wall near the window.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2025.

Patron since 2019: Tampereen Talviuimarit ry

VALLIUS (13)

This sauna was situated in the Mustikka-aho farm in Sivakkavaara, Kaavi. It was built in 1942 by Iivari Räsänen. The sauna was mostly used for bathing, and it represents the last stage in the development of log-built smoke saunas. Since the 1940’s the saunas were usually equipped with chimneys.

Details: The platform rests on round pillars completely off the walls. In winter the water was heated in a container in front of the stove. The dried bathing whisks were kept in a container in front of the stove. A light meal was served before the sauna bath, and coffee afterwards. A full meal was customary after a sauna bath on special holidays only. The stove is located in the corner, to the right of the door, which is typical of the eastern tradition. It faces the centre. Alder was considered the best kind of wood for heating the sauna, as it did not create sparks, and as it gave a nice smell. The sauna was used as a laundry room until the late 1950’s.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2019.

Patron since 2018/2022: Sisusauna Oy, Lvi-urakE, H Laurell Oy & Kebe Oy

KÄHKÖNEN (14)

This sauna comes from the village of Veneheitto in Vaala. The site of the sauna is under trees, on a river. The board-constructed vestibule and large windows represent a more recent design.

Details: The stove faces the back wall. The platforms are in two levels, running from wall to wall. The ceiling rises from the door towards the back wall, which is an unusual feature. A wooden pail with two handles was used for the washing. The sauna was normally used on Saturdays only, but during the haymaking and threshing season it was heated everyday. People always used bathing whisks. Winter stock was made during the haymaking season and the whisks were stored in a shed by hanging them in pairs on a pole. This sauna was used for curing meat, the last time being in 1965.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2021.

Patron since 2018 : Jaakkolan tila (Värelän perhe)

TIKKALA (15)

The Tikkala sauna was originally located on the shore of a small forest pond in the village of Tikkala in Korpilahti. It was moved to Saunakylä in 2025. The sauna is maintained and cared for by members of the association of Traditional Sauna Healers. Bathers are offered traditional whisking (vihtominen) as part of the Finnish sauna tradition.

At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2025.

Patron since 2025: Perinnesaunottajat ry

KORPELA (16)

The sauna comes from the Korpela farm in Nenonen, Ruovesi. It was built around the middle of the 1900th century. Many generations of the family living on the farm were born in this sauna. In the winter of 1918, the front line in the civil war run nearby, and a machine gun was placed at the corner of this sauna. The sauna is a donation to the Sauna Village.

Details: The vestibule, made of boards, is unusually located on one side of the actual sauna building. The roof of the sauna is extended to cover the vestibule. The ceiling is made of spilt logs. Candles were placed on the windowsills to give light to the sauna. The stones for the stove were collected on the shore of a lake. The best size was that of a fist, and the stones were tested by hitting them against each other: the ones giving a clear sound were chosen. The sauna was used for drying grain and curing meat. Cheese was also prepared on wooden slabs in the heat of the fire. It was also used as a dwelling for poor people. The best time for making the bathing whisks was at the time the moon was growing. After bathing, people had home-brewed beer and sour milk with cured meat and bread made of barley.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2023.

Patron since 2017: Japan Sauna Spa Association

KERTTULA (17)

This sauna comes from the Kerttula farm in Kokkokangas, Kempele. Klaus Kurttula built it at the beginning of the 20th century. The sauna was also used for curing meat until the 1940’s.

Details: The structure of this sauna is exceptional in that it is made of hand-sawn pinewood planks in a fashion that is typical of log saunas. The planks are joined together by tonguing and grooving. The sauna was later painted red with red ochre. It is comparatively small for a smoke sauna. There is no vestibule. The benches on which the bathers sat between spells in the sauna were kept outside the sauna building. The stove is located in the corner next to the door, facing the back wall. The water pot is placed in the middle of the stove. The vents are located in the ceiling and in the back wall. The platform is located at the back wall. There are no benches or stools inside the sauna. The sauna was cleaned using a broom made of branches of spruce.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2019..

Patron since 2016: Saija and Ilkka Silen

RASINKANGAS (18)

This sauna comes from the village of Mäläskä in Kestilä. It was built by Juho and Viljo Rasinkangas in 1941. The sauna was a copy of the previous sauna on the farm.

Details: The sauna has an open porch at the entrance The flat ceiling is made of boards. The window is asymmetric; put together of the pieces of glass that happened to be available at the time the sauna was built. There are vents in both sidewalls. Candles were used for lighting. This sauna was last used for curing meat in the early 1970’s.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2018.

Patron since 2019: Pentti Tuohi and Ann Karhu

KANGAS (19)

This sauna comes from the village of Ojakylä in Tyrnävä. Judging from the structure of the sauna, it was built in the 19th century.

Details: The sauna is relatively small for a smoke sauna. The ceiling is made of boards and is of a double pitch structure. The window is small.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2021.

Patron since 2021: Leustun Kaivu Oy

KURSULA (20)

This sauna comes from the Kursula farm, in the village of Keskikylä, in Tyrnävä. The sauna was probably built in the 1880’s. It has a small window and a ”kota” with earth floor, both typical features in the oldest saunas. All the people in the village used the sauna for curing meat. The sauna is a donation to the Sauna Village.

Details: The ”kota” originally had no door or window. The ceiling is made of thick split logs. The benches of the platform were originally made of one plank each. The platform runs from wall to wall. The housewife usually heated the sauna. She was also responsible for carrying the water into the pot, which was located in the middle of the stove. The sauna was used for drying flax and curing meat. Meat was still cured in the sauna still in the early 50’s for special purpose. The village also had a cupper, who used this sauna for her work. The charred walls tell that the sauna once caught fire.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2021.

Patron since 2019: Pispalan Saunayhdistys ry

LEPPÄJÄRVI (24)

This sauna comes from the village of Leppäjärvi in Enontekiö. Benjami Leppäjärvi built it in the early 1920’s. It is relatively large for a sauna in northern Finland.

Details: The logs have a beautiful surface, owing to the rough hewing. The moss used for sealing up the cracks is the kind that covers stones in the rapids. This type was regarded as the best for this purpose. Light was given to the sauna by a home-made lamp: a small bottle was filled with paraffin; the wick was made of wool or some other similar material, and pieces of mirror were used to reflect the light. The heating of the sauna was taken care of by the women of the farm, in summer it was heated every Saturday, in winter less frequently. The sauna was regularly used for bathing until 1976; since then occasionally in summer.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2025

Patron since 2020 : Eija ja Risto Elomaa

TAIVALKOSKI (25)

This sauna comes from the village of Ala-Loukusa in Taivalkoski. It is said to date back to the late 19th century. According to the current fashion, the ends of the logs were left uneven, as were the roof rods.

Details: The door is low but relatively wide. The roof is made of poles covered with a thick layer of birch bark, which is secured with rods that are bolted together in pairs at the ridge with wooden pegs. The ceiling is made of split logs. The ground from the door to the platforms is covered with loose planks. The area underneath the platforms is bare ground. The stove is large and faces the back wall. The upper platform is very wide. The frame of the window slides sideways and has two panes. This replaced the traditional sliding wooden shutter.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.
At Saunakylä, the restoration was completed in 2025.

Patron since 2020: Probis Solutions Oy

SAUNAS UNDER RESTORATIONS

JÄYKKÄLÄ (2)

The Jäykkälä sauna was moved from Edesniemi in Jämsä to Saunakylä in 2020. At its original location, the sauna stood in the yard of a croft and was a typical inland (“dry land”) sauna. It is the only sauna in Saunakylä built from round logs and clearly reflects the handiwork of the crofter who built it. The sauna is preserved as a museum sauna.

It will remain as a so-called museum sauna.

Patron since 2020: Jämsän Metalli ja Kuljetus Oy

KORPILAHTI (6)

This sauna comes from Korpilahti. Kalle Laitinen, a tenant farmer of the Särkijoki Manor, built it in 1921. Apart from bathing, this sauna was used for drying flax and malt, curing meat, cupping and massaging. The last time the sauna was used for bathing was in 1955, and the last time meat was cured was in 1957.

Details: The platforms are supported by three beams, and the ladder leading to the platforms leans against the beam furthest back. Round logs support the benches. The bench at the back was also used as a workbench for preparing flax. The water was heated in a pot that was hung on a hook in front of the stove. It was an old belief that soap should not be taken into the sauna. Dried bathing whisks were kept in a pile in a corner of the barn. The lower vent in the wall had a shutter; simply thrusting any available material into it closed the upper vent. The stones of the stove were changed every two or three years. It was a sign of utter poverty if people did not have a bathing whisk to take to the sauna.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.

Patron since 2017: Suomen Saunaseura ry

HARJU (11)

Jeremias Salonen and Niklas Lahtinen built this sauna in the early 20th century and it was located in the garden of the Harju Estate in Taka-Keijo near Jyväskylä.

In accordance with the Häme tradition, the sauna has a high bathing and malt treatment platform. The platform rests on three wall-to-wall planks. The logs used as building material were taken from buildings that had been pulled down.

The mother of the family usually heated the sauna, generally on Saturdays. At the threshing time in the summer people bathed everyday.

The sauna was used for bathing until the 1950’s. It has also been used for curing meat and cupping. The water was heated in a pot hung above the stove on a hook and in a wooden container, which was placed next to the stove.

The special features of this sauna include a strong key stone foundation, malt loft and an open porch called ”riima”.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.

Patron since 2017: Keski-Suomen Liitto ry

PALOJÄRVI (21)

This sauna was originally located in the village of Palojärvi in Enontekiö. According to spoken tradition, Alpo Suontavaara built the sauna in 1979. Details: The roof is made of split logs covered with birch bark and turf. There is no loft. The stove is located in the right-hand corner at the back, facing the door. There are various kinds of engravings and marks on the walls. The vent is in the roof instead of the back wall. According to remaining records, the building has been moved at least twice: in 1865 and 1931, when it was moved further away from the farm building and closer to the lake. In summer the water was heated in a pot on the shore of the lake.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.

Patron since 2021: Säilyke Herttua Oy

MOSKUVAARA (22)

The sauna comes from Moskuvaara, Sodankylä. It was probably built in the 1880’s. During the Lappish War in 1944-45, the Germans used the sauna as their command post. When the people of Moskuvaara returned to their homes after the retreat of the Germans in 1945, they found that the sauna was the only building left behind by the retreating troops. All the other buildings had been burnt down. For a number of years, the sauna was used as a dwelling, and the opening in the wall, which is now covered, used to be a window.

Details: The roof is made of poles and split logs, which are covered with birch bark and turf. There is no loft or windows. The door is one corner of the gable wall, which reflects the eastern influence. The door has wooden hinges. The water needed in the sauna was heated in a separate cone-shaped ”kota” located next to the sauna. After bathing, people usually had sour milk and dried, salted or cured fish or meat. On special occasions, they had home-brewed beer and potatoes with gravy or soup. The stove is made of slate and faces the back wall, which is characteristic of the northern sauna tradition. The sauna was still used occasionally in the late 1960’s.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.

Patron since 2021: Tannerservice Oy

ISO-HONKA (23)

This sauna was brought to the Sauna Village from the Municipality of Karinainen near Turku. The sauna represents an extremely old tradition with roots in Estonia on the southern shores of the Gulf of Finland. Matti Hurme built the sauna in 1918 in the vicinity of a medium-sized farmhouse. It was used until 1955, when a new sauna was built.

In addition to bathing, the sauna was used for treating malt for home-brewed beer and for a special sweet malt dish eaten at Easter. Also flax was dried and treated in the sauna.

All the water that was needed in the sauna was heated in a pot incorporated in the stove.

The building is made of pine logs, and as there is a high malt-drying platform, the sauna itself is comparatively high. The bathing platforms and the stove are unusually located at the back of the sauna. The stove is made of an old oil drum, which can be regarded as a predecessor of the modern metal stoves.

Source: Savusaunat Muuramessa, Risto Vuolle-Apiala (2000). Used with permission from the rights holders.

Patron since 2018: Himoslomat Oy