Editing Finnish sauna (section)

== History ==
The sauna in Finland is an old phenomenon and its roots are difficult to trace, but its earliest versions are believed to be from 7000 BC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Country |first=Wild Sauna High |title=Wild Sauna High Country |url=https://wildsaunahighcountry.com.au/origins-of-sauna |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=Wild Sauna High Country |language=en-AU}}</ref> Bath houses were recorded in Europe during the same time period, but Finnish bathing habits were poorly documented for most of history.

During the [[History of Scandinavia#Reformation|Reformation in Scandinavia]] the popularity of saunas expanded to other countries because the European bath houses were being destroyed due to [[syphilis]] among other things being endemic.

One reason the sauna culture has always flourished in Finland has been because of the versatility of the sauna. When people were moving, the first thing they did was to build a sauna. Finns have used the sauna to live in, eat, address matters of hygiene, and, most importantly, give birth in an almost sterile environment.<ref name="NYTimesStyle2017"/><ref name="Guardian2023"/> Unlike many other, more densely populated places in Europe, the availability of wood needed to build and warm the sauna has never been an issue. Another reason for its popularity is that in such a cold climate, the sauna allows people warmth for at least a short period of time. However, it is just as popular in the summer as in the winter.