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Saunas are very popular, since they require a little space, investment, and maintenance efforts. After a day of activities spent in the cold, the sauna, hot teawith honey brewed on locally picked herbs are highly appreciated by the tourists.
Sauna itself can occupy a very small area, but it should be provided with associate showers and changing areas including lockers, seats, and toilets. Also, it can have a separated adjacent area for refreshment where tea or beeror stronger drinkscan be served in between sauna sessions. Such an area can be equipped with tables and chairs/benches, allowing fordinners and celebrations. The offered sequence sauna–whisking-cool-off-delicious dinner of regional cuisineand communication - saunacan make your accommodation special.
The sauna can be an independent small unit, form a part of the swimming-pool area or have a small plunge pool filled with cold water (for cool-off) that can increase its attractiveness. The interior of sauna is usually limited to wooden benches, buckets for water, and stove (hot rocks). Most often there are no or very small windows, which makes it possible not to let the heatout. Saunas can be different in type – steam and dry. They also can boast some features traditional for a particular area and exotic for tourists (e.g., “black” sauna).
SPECIAL A bath whisk, which underwent a special treatment and is used by guests for pleasure and health, constitutes a special feature. Such whisks are usually formed out of birch twigs collected in the end of June, put into a bundle that can be comfortably held in one hand and bound with strands madeout of birch bark. In the sauna, before use the bath whisk is stirred in a separate bucket with hot water until it gets thoroughly soaked, and is usually preserved best by rinsing it in cold water and drying after each use.
For some nations such as Finnish and Russians, whisking is a natural part of a sauna ritual. But, most probably, to some of your guests you will have either to show how to use it properly, or to provide funny instructions in writing and pictures in the sauna. After wetting the whisk, it is shaken over the sauna stove to remove excess water from its branches. In this way, the sauna also fills with the pleasant aroma of birch leaves. Whisking itself includes hitting oneself (one another) gently or, depending on the taste, more roughly, with the bundle of twigs. As a result, the skin normally begins to tingle pleasantly giving the sensation comparable to the one of after-massage. If you advertise properly the availability of a whisk and use of aromas (e.g., herbs or oils), the popularity of your sauna will increase.
You will find more information about Sauna’s in “Sauna, the bathing and the tourist” ISBN 978-952-5685-29-9.
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5.4. Sauna and Swimming Pool | 5.4.2. Swimming Pool |
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