Katja’s ‘ancient’ log sauna is actually brand-new
Katja Lintula and Erkki Päkkilä’s grayed log sauna looks as if it has always stood beside their 19th-century cabin on the rocky grounds. In reality, only the doors, windows, and floorboards are old.
In the heart of this old wooden town, the sauna sessions of Katja Lintula and Erkki Päkkilä, along with their four-year-old son Tatu, feel like something out of a fairy tale.
In summer, as you head to the sauna, you can pick wild strawberries from the grass for a sweet treat. On autumn nights, a bright starry sky spans the town. In winter, after a good steam, you dash through the snow along a short path to the cozy cabin next door.
This weathered sauna in western Finland's Kristiinankaupunki looks as if it has stood there from the 19th century. Yet the structure, built in 2012, is actually made of new aspen logs treated with iron sulfate.
The sauna’s massive log frame traveled in one piece on a truck bed all the way from Northern Ostrobothnia to the southernmost city in Ostrobothnia.
“The delivery had to wait a while at a nearby parking area, as we had to figure out how on earth we’d get the sauna onto the lot over the rocky terrain. In the end, the frame was moved in two separate parts,” Katja explains.
First, in 2006 Katja bought a small red cabin as a getaway in her old hometown. Then Erkki came into the picture, and together they ran water to the cabin, which dates back to the early 1800s.
For the first few years, they made do with nothing but an outdoor summer shower. Soon the couple felt they were missing a sauna.
There wasn’t space for a large structure on the tiny 245-square-meter (2,600 sq ft) lot. They designed a narrow sauna building of just under 20 square meters (215 sq ft) to accompany the 25-square-meter (270 sq ft) cabin, with a dressing room at one end and a steam room and washing area at the other.
Erkki, who works as a construction foreman, had come across a design and material through his job that was exactly what they were looking for: a natural structure that could be treated to look old.
“Erkki also knew what needed to be done when we wanted the exterior to turn gray. The surface has lasted well, though wood treated like this can sometimes start turning green.”
The end result looks authentic and natural. The sauna almost seems like it grew out of the rock.
”The sauna was fitted with doors that had seen life and were saved from houses marked for demolition.”
In the summer of 2015, their son Tatu was born, prompting the couple to think more about their choices in terms of nature. Katja had always practiced reuse and used vintage items in her decor, but now sustainability and recycling became even more important to her.
“My desire to make choices that support sustainability has only grown stronger as I’ve thought about the world future generations will inherit. Maybe this way, it’s possible to reduce even a bit of climate anxiety,” Katja says.
Once the frame was in place and the roof went on, the sauna’s structural components and furnishings were sourced at auctions and purchased from three different locations in the town. The plank floor came from an old house, and the shelves above the windows were salvaged from a friend’s construction project.
“They were originally window trim pieces on the exterior of a house. The shelves now hold small keepsakes and books,” Katja says.
Even in a protected town, houses that have fallen into disrepair sometimes get torn down. The sauna’s interior and exterior doors were taken from houses scheduled for demolition. Katja is happy she was able to save doors that have seen so much life.
“In a historic town like this, there absolutely should be a spare-parts bank where surplus components from old houses can be brought. It’s sad when they end up in the trash.”
When the family is at their cabin in town, the sauna is heated every other day. Water is brought by hose from the cabin to the sauna. And of course, the sauna stove is wood-fired—for ecological reasons, but also because there is no electricity in the sauna.
“In early summer, I often want to sauna every day,” Katja says.
Often, Katja’s old school friends, nearly all of whom have their own cottages or houses in this little town, join them for sauna evenings. By tradition, they spend Midsummer at this cabin, since the area receives sunlight the longest.
The family’s travel habits have changed thanks to the cabin, the sauna, and their growing focus on eco-friendliness.
“These days, we much prefer coming here over traveling abroad. Nature is close by for Tatu as well, compared to our home in downtown Helsinki.”
History is also part of the scenery. Nearby stands a log-structured windmill, reminding everyone of the town’s bustling maritime past. At one time, there were as many as nine windmills here to grind the townspeople’s bread grain.
For about three years, Katja has rented out the cabin through Airbnb.
“It’s wonderful to share the atmosphere of this old wooden town with others. This place is so unique.”
