Editing Sauna (section)

====Nordic and Baltic====
=====Finland and Estonia=====
{{Main|Finnish sauna}}

A sauna session can be a social affair in which the participants disrobe and sit or recline in [[temperature]]s typically between {{convert|70|and|100|C}}. This induces relaxation and promotes [[sweat]]ing. People use a bundle of [[birch]] twigs with fresh leaves ([[Finnish language|Finnish]]: ''[[Bath broom|vihta]]'' or ''vasta''; [[Estonian language|Estonian]]: ''viht''), to slap the skin and create further stimulation of the pores and cells.<ref name="Maki">{{cite web |last=Maki |first=Albert |title=New Finland Sauna / New Finlandin saunat |work=New Finland District |publisher=Saskatchewan Gen Web |date=20 September 2010 |url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cansk/Finnish/NewFinlandSauna.html |access-date=17 April 2014 }}</ref>

The sauna is an important part of daily life, and families bathe together in the home sauna. There are at least 2 million saunas in Finland according to official registers. The Finnish Sauna Society believes the number can be as high as 3.2 million saunas (population 5.5 million).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-05 |title=Lehdistötiedote: Suomalainen saunominen halutaan Unescon kulttuuriperinnön luetteloihin |url=https://sauna.fi/lehdistotiedote-suomalainen-saunominen-halutaan-unescon-kulttuuriperinnon-luetteloihi/ |access-date=2022-06-02 |website=Sauna |language=fi }}</ref> Many Finns take at least one a week, and much more when they visit their summer cottage in the countryside. Here the pattern of life tends to revolve around the sauna, and a nearby lake used for cooling off.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24328773 |title=Why Finland loves saunas |newspaper=BBC News |date=October 2013 |last1=Bosworth |first1=Mark }}</ref>

<gallery widths="200" heights="150" perrow="5">
Rajaportin sauna 2017-03-04 15.01.56.jpg|[[Rajaportin sauna]] in [[Tampere]], the oldest working public sauna in Finland
Sauna-pool.JPG|A modern sauna in Finland
Hinni talu saun.jpg|A sauna in Estonia
Sauna of Kapelo.JPG|Sauna building in Finland
Sunset sauna, Saadjärv.jpg|Estonian sauna on a lake
</gallery>

Sauna traditions in Estonia are almost identical to Finland as saunas have traditionally held a central role in the life of an individual. [[Ancient Estonia]]ns believed saunas were inhabited by spirits. In folk tradition, the sauna was not only the place where one washed but also used as the place where brides were ceremoniously washed, where women gave birth, and the place where the dying made their final bed.<ref>Ivar Paulson, ''The Old Estonian Folk Religion'', Indiana University, 1971</ref> The folk tradition related to the Estonian sauna is mostly identical to that surrounding the Finnish sauna. On New Year's Eve, a sauna would be held before midnight to cleanse the body and spirit for the upcoming year.

=====Latvia and Lithuania=====
In [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]], bathhouse or sauna is {{lang|lt|pirtis}}; in [[Latvian language|Latvian]], it is {{lang|lv|pirts}}. Both countries have long bathhouse traditions, dating back to the [[pagan]] times.<ref name="lv-pirts-traditions">{{cite web|title=Latvijas pirts tradīcijas apgūst pirtnieku festivālā|trans-title=Latvian bathhouse traditions are learnt in the festival of bathers |url=https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/dzive--stils/veseliba/latvijas-pirts-tradicijas-apgust-pirtnieku-festivala.a196260/|date=14 August 2016 |access-date=30 September 2023|language=lv|website=[[Public Broadcasting of Latvia|LSM]]}}</ref><ref name="lt-pirtis-history">{{cite web |title=Lietuviškų garinių pirčių senovė |trans-title=The antiquity of Lithuanian steam baths|url=http://www.baltai.lt/?p=2101|date=10 January 2010|website=Baltai|language=lt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320100416/http://www.baltai.lt/?p=2101|archive-date=20 March 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 13th-century bathhouses in the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] were mentioned in the [[Hypatian Codex]] and [[Chronicon terrae Prussiae]], as they were practised by the [[List of early Lithuanian dukes|Lithuanian dukes]].<ref name="lt-pirtis"/> [[Livonian Chronicle of Henry]] describes a bathhouse built around 1196 near the [[pier]] on the bank of [[Daugava]] river.<ref name="lv-pirts-history">{{cite book|title=Latviskais pirts rituāls|trans-title=Latvian sauna ritual|date=2013|first=Ričards|last=Batarags|isbn=978-9984-853-78-9|publisher=Drukātava|language=lv|url=https://biblion.lv/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Pages-from-1_pirts-rituals-220x315-2.pdf|access-date=30 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930150426/https://biblion.lv/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Pages-from-1_pirts-rituals-220x315-2.pdf|archive-date=30 September 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> The chronicle also mentions the year 1215 baths of the [[Latgalians|Latgalian]] ruler [[Tālivaldis]] which were built in [[Trikāta Parish|Trikāta]].<ref name="lv-pirts-history"/> These baths are also mentioned in the [[Livonian Rhymed Chronicle]].<ref name="lv-pirts-history"/> Sauna had a considerable role in the [[pagan]] traditions of the [[Baltic people]]. In the 17th century, [[Matthäus Prätorius]] described various rituals the Baltic people practiced in the sauna.<ref name="lt-pirtis-history"/> For example, sauna was a primary place for women to give birth and rites would be performed for the Baltic goddess [[Laima]].<ref name="lt-pirtis-history"/> At that time, sauna traditions were similar in [[Aukštaitija]], [[Samogitia]], [[Latgale]], [[Semigallia]] as well as some West Slavic lands.<ref name="lt-pirtis">{{cite web|title=Lietuviška ar rusiška pirtis? Ką sako istorija?|trans-title=Lithuanian or Russian sauna? What does the history say?|url=https://www.bernardinai.lt/2020-05-13-lietuviska-ar-rusiska-pirtis-ka-sako-istorija/|date=13 April 2020|access-date=30 September 2023|website=[[Bernardinai.lt]]|language=lt}}</ref> In 1536, [[Vilnius]] gained a royal privilege to build [[Public bathing|public bathhouses]], and by the end of the 16th century, the city already had 60 of them with a countless number of private ones.<ref name="lt-pirtis"/> In Latvian lands, bathhouses became particularly popular in the 19th century.<ref name="lv-pirts-traditions"/>

The contemporary Baltic sauna is similar to others in the north-eastern part of Europe: it varies according to personal preference but is typically around {{convert|55–70|C}}, humidity 60–90%, with steam being generated by pouring water on the hot stones.<ref name="lt-vle-pirtis">{{cite web|title=Pirtis|url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/pirtis/|access-date=2 October 2023|language=lt|website=[[Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia]]}}</ref><ref name="lv-encyclopedia">Latvijas Enciklopēdiskā vārdnīca, Nacionālais Apgāds, 2002</ref><ref name="lt-vantos">{{cite web|title=Visa tiesa apie pirtį ir jos karalienę vantą|trans-title=The whole truth about the sauna and its queen the twig|url=https://www.delfi.lt/gyvenimas/grozis_ir_sveikata/visa-tiesa-apie-pirti-ir-jos-karaliene-vanta-31343981|date=22 April 2010|access-date=2 October 2023|website=Delfi|first=Rasa|last=Prascevičienė|language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Pēršanās gudrības: Kā pirtī pašam stiprināt miesu, vairot skaistumu un relaksēties|trans-title=Bathing wisdom: how to strengthen your body in the sauna yourself, increase your beauty and relax|url=https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/dzive--stils/valasprieki/persanas-gudribas-ka-pirti-pasam-stiprinat-miesu-vairot-skaistumu-un-relakseties.a409567/|first=Keita|last=Rožāne|language=lv|date=26 June 2022|access-date=2 October 2023|website=LSM}}</ref> Traditionally, [[birch]] twigs ({{langx|lt|vanta}}; {{langx|lv|slota}}) are the most common, but [[oak]] or [[Tilia|linden]] are used too.<ref name="lt-vle-pirtis"/> Sauna enthusiasts also make twigs from other trees and plants, including [[Urtica|nettle]] and [[juniper]].<ref name="lt-vantos"/> Dry air sauna of {{convert|80–110|C}} and very low humidity became popular relatively recently; despite being a misconception, it is sometimes locally described as ''Finnish-type''.<ref name="lt-vantos"/><ref name="lv-encyclopedia"/>

<gallery class="center" widths="200" heights="150" perrow="4">
Lithuanian sauna in Dzukija region, July 2018.jpg|Traditional Lithuanian sauna in [[Zervynos]], [[Dzūkija]] region
Latvian_sauna_house_II.jpg|Latvian sauna covered in snow
"Raganų" pirtis - panoramio.jpg|Lithuanian sauna with the mythological decorations of witches
Old Latvian bathhouse with a pond.jpg|Latvian bathhouse with a pond built in 1862 in Kurzeme, [[The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia]]
</gallery>

=====Norway and Sweden=====
[[File:Swedish sauna on the lake.jpg|thumb|Swedish sauna house on the lake]]
In [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]] saunas are found in many places and are known as 'badstu' or 'bastu' (from 'badstuga' "bath cabin, bath house"). In Norway and Sweden, saunas are common in almost every public swimming pool and gym. The public saunas are generally single-sex and may or may not permit the use of swimwear. Rules for swimwear and towels for sitting on or covering yourself differ between saunas. Removing body hair in the sauna, staring at other's nudity, or spreading odors is considered impolite.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dn.se/blogg/etikettfragan/2016/03/18/13004/ |title=Bastustil? - DN.SE |last=Ribbing |first=Magdalena |date=2016-03-18 |website=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |language=sv-se |access-date=2018-03-24 }}</ref>