“I was proposed to in the sauna in the middle of the night”—readers share their most surprising sauna memories
What can you do in a sauna? Well, at least cram for exams, propose to your beloved, and come up with a baby name—and have deep conversations with your nearest and dearest. Kotona readers share their most cherished sauna memories: “When you’re naked, there’s no hiding from anything,” says Jonna.
One was proposed to in the sauna, another chose a baby name there
In the old days, many Finns were born in the sauna, and ever since, plenty of unforgettable moments have unfolded in the heat!
“I was proposed to in the sauna in the middle of the night—what a surprise! My husband came home on leave during a peacekeeping mission. Because his flight was delayed, our sauna session started later than usual.” — Taija
“When my partner and I moved into our home together, we heated the sauna on the very first evening. Afterward, we drank sparkling wine in our pajamas, surrounded by moving boxes.” — Tarja
“In high school, I studied for exams in the sauna. My snack was crispbread—it tasted amazing as the butter melted onto it.”Katja
“At our cottage, my spouse and I went to the sauna. Our newborn son’s christening was a week away, and all through my pregnancy we’d disagreed about his name. I told my 7-year-old daughter that we wouldn’t come out of the sauna until we’d agreed on a name for her little brother. She popped in a couple of times to ask, ‘does he have a name yet?’, until we finally agreed on just one(!) name. So our son doesn’t have a middle name.” — Sirpa
“In my childhood in the 1960s, we went to the factory sauna on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The best part was buying apple soda from the sauna kiosk afterward! I was one happy little girl.”— Anne
In the sauna, secrets are shared
Many of us know it: in the sauna, it’s easier than usual to open up—even about the hard stuff. Intimate conversations on the benches with loved ones tend to stick with you:
“As a woman, I’ve had painful conversations in the sauna about womanhood—about my relationship with my body, motherhood, and my spouse. When you’re naked, there’s no hiding from anything.”— Jonna
“The sauna has given us rare one-on-one time in the chaos of life with small children. That’s where we’ve had our best talks and deepest conversations.”— Jaana
“When my daughter still lived at home, the sauna was often the place where she opened up to me about even the painful things.”— Tuija
“My aunt’s Labrador loved the sauna, and nothing could stop it from muscling onto the top bench with the humans. It flopped onto its side, relaxed until it dozed off, and began to snore.”Julia
In the sauna, you feel part of a chain of generations
The sauna brings generations together. Many readers remember taking saunas with their grandparents and other relatives from the time they were little:
“My sauna journey began when I was less than three weeks old. We were visiting my grandparents at Christmas, and my grandmother decided the girl simply had to get into the Christmas sauna. She wrapped me in a big towel. My parents didn’t always agree with Grandma’s antics, but she didn’t mind. She wanted to do something good for me. I wonder what the child health clinic would say about that nowadays.” — Johanna
“I sat on the benches of Grandma’s sauna with Grandpa; we twisted our toes and made shadow pictures on the walls. The memory is from the 70s, and I was preschool age. Funny that this is what I remember so clearly, even though my sister and Grandma were probably in the sauna at the same time. Grandpa passed away when I was 11. Maybe that’s why this memory has become so important.” — Sari
“At the cottage, I sat in the sauna dressing room and listened as my mom, aunts, and grandma chattered away. That’s when I felt I belonged to the chain of women in our family. Now the memory is even more precious, since my mom and grandma are gone.”Jaana
“When my grandmother was elderly and could no longer go to the sauna alone, I helped her in the sauna. I was a teenager.” — Maija
“The sauna moments of my childhood at Grandma’s have stayed with me. Walking to the yard sauna in the bitter cold, the full moon and starry sky lighting up the glittering snow. We sat on the top bench until we were as red as tomatoes. In the dressing room, we got yellow or red bottles of Jaffa soda. So wonderful!” — Ulla
Readers shared their sauna memories in a survey on Kotona in September 2025.
