Saunafulness

Finnish sauna culture has been inscribed by UNESCO on the official list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The sauna is part of an eternally developing and alive form of everyday routine, which is splendidly exemplified by the new wellbeing concept of Saunafulness.

Saunafulness is all about holistic wellness, the aim of which is to help you relax. The heart of Saunafulness is the sauna and its heat therapy. Fulness, in turn, refers to a holistic approach that combines exercises and wellness to positively impact both mind and body.

It’s only natural that the beneficial effects of sauna – confirmed by many researchers – have mid-wifed a new model for sauna wellness. In her new book, Carita Harju sheds light on the diverse and multifold health benefits of the sauna and how the sauna has increasingly become a source of wellbeing by reducing stress, strengthening the heart, and improving sleep quality.

Saunafulness is divided into two parts. The first part offers the reader ample information on the health benefits of sauna, based on numerous studies, and presented in easily accessible writing. The second part provides the reader with a variety of natural wellbeing exercises that anyone can adapt to fit their own specific wishes. The exercises unite the mind, the body, one’s health, and all the different senses. Saunafulness can be practiced in any sauna with easy-access materials accompanied by clear instructions.

The saunafulness method developed by Harju fits like a glove in the sense that, by going to a sauna, you could find within yourself the resources to process the traumas and stresses of your life, and learn how to throw the bruises of working life and increased hate speech on the sauna stove like water.

Kaarina Kailo, docent, sauna researcher, author


The Power of Hot and Cold. From Sauna to Sea: The Finnish Way to a Happy, Healthy Life

Hot and cold contrast therapy is fast becoming the must-do wellness experience. This new book inspires readers with insights into the powerful Finnish method of alternating between a hot and cold environment in order to boost health and happiness and delves into how experiencing these contrasting extremes of temperature can change your outlook, your wellbeing and your life.

The sauna was recently ranked as the No. 1 global wellness trend by the Global Wellness Summit. Cold-water swimming is also a growing trend and is being proposed as a cure for all manner of things – from improving mental health to boosting immunity. But why is being hot good for you, and why is submerging into icy water good for you? And what about alternating between the two? What exactly is hot and cold therapy and why is it so vital for physical and mental health?

Dive into the unique world of hot and cold via Finland, where a good steam and an icy dip in a lake or the sea are the foundations of wellbeing for mind, body and soul.

This definitive guide by two experts takes readers on a journey into the transformative powers of hot and cold by pairing the sauna, that quintessential hot Finnish steam bath, with a cold-water dip. Along the way, it serves up the inspiration and practical tools for creating a wellness retreat at home using the Nordic contrast bathing philosophy, wherever you are in the world.

The Finnish hot and cold method boosts happiness by increasing wellbeing and encouraging connection with nature. It’s the secret to how the world’s happiest nation keeps calm and carries on – no matter what life throws at them. Now you too can learn their secrets.


Carita Harju

Carita has always enjoyed saunas and takes a sauna with her family nearly every day. In 2010, she founded Sauna from Finland, because she felt that there was simply not enough discussion of saunas, especially from the perspective of health and wellness. Also, saunas had acquired a “macho” reputation, and that they were not being discussed from perspectives that would interest women. The organization’s mission is to create the world’s best sauna experiences and she loves her work because it allows her to advance an idea that she is personally so passionate about.


The Soul of Sauna

The sauna was recently ranked the no.1 global wellness trend by Global Wellness Summit.

But why is sauna so important for physical and mental health?

The book by Carita Harju talks about “the Soul of Sauna”. It pays attention to both, the physical and the mental health benefits of sauna bathing. It can be recommended to anyone interested in their own health and wellness.

Some of the themes include:

  • Sauna as a Source of Happiness
  • Nature and Sauna Experience
  • The Health Effects of Sauna
  • Holistic Wellness of Sauna Bathing
  • How to Have an Authentic Finnish Sauna Experience

Read more about the Sauna experience:

Time Magazine: The Case for Sauna Bathing is Stronger Than Ever

Focus.de (in German): Forest, Sauna, Prosperity: Why Finns are the happiest people in the world

The New York Times: Saunas May Reduce Stroke Risk

(Proposal’s photography and design (c) Hanna Söderström)


Rights sold:

FINLAND: Viisas Eämä (orig.)
JAPAN: Toyo Keizai
HUNGARY: Scolar