There’s a word in Finnish which evades translation: löyly. It’s commonly used to describe the steam that rises when water is poured onto hot stones in a sauna. But it also signifies spirit or life force — a double meaning that reflects the integrality of saunas to the Finnish way of life.
Saunas have become popular social hubs in London, popping up on rooftops, in basements and in city parks. But while saunas have recently become trendy in Britain, the practice has ancient origins, deriving from Finnish forests as far back as 7,000 BC, where pits in the ground provided warmth during freezing winters.
