top of page

FINLAND

< Back to Catalog

Episode 1 - Finland

 

Language - English/Finnish | Cast - Mikkel Aaland, Samuel Aarnio | Producers - Cassandra Jabola, Gina Leibrecht, Julle Takanen |  Director: Mika Hotakainen

In Finland, it is estimated that there are 3.5 million saunas. They even exist in fast food restaurants. And no steam is left unexplored with guide Samuel Aarnio, who represents a younger generation that holds fast to the centuries-old sweat bathing tradition. Samuel and Mikkel start their sauna adventures in Helsinki and venture outward, island hopping by boat, visiting old friends for a traditional smoke sauna, and testing their limits in 60+ saunas at the Mobile Sauna Festival in Teuva. They even discover new ways of cooking meals by sauna, and indulge in the purity of a remote sauna village, deep in Finland’s countryside.

PS Timecode.00_10_59_11.Stil_Finland_GinaTimecodeGrab.png

Featured Locations

arla-sauna_edited.jpg

Helsinki, Finland

Arla Sauna*

Unfussy, old-school public sauna offering basic facilities, drinking water & showers.

​

* Closed for the time being due to high gas prices & pandemic.

Visit Location
kammikyla1_edited.jpg

Kauhajoki, Finland

Kammi-kylä

Mysterious marshland village with sauna facilities and unique wooden structures.

Visit Location
kotiharjun.jpg

Helsinki, Finland

Kotiharjun Sauna

Traditional wood-fired sauna offering an old-timey atmosphere & limited refreshments (BYOB)

Visit Location
sompasauna_edited.jpg

Helsinki, Finland

Sompasauna

Convivial waterfront sauna, mixed-gender & clothing-optional, open to the public 24/7.

Visit Location
Screenshot 2025-05-08 at 8.46.44 PM.png

Helsinki, Finland

Pikku LeikoSaari Sauna

A sauna on a small island next to Helsinki. Among many other rustic public island saunas, just get there by sailboat, by swimming, or by walking on the ice when it's frozen.

Visit Location
suomen-saunasera.jpg

Helsinki, Finland

Suomen Saunaseura

The Finnish Sauna Society, a private sauna club with six wood-fired saunas, one modern electric-heated city sauna, and a mobile sauna open to members and their guests.

Visit Location
Sauna-ajot festival.jpg

Teuva, Finland

Teuvan Sauna-ajot

A free and volunteer-run mobile sauna festival with around 50 participating saunas annually from across Finland and beyond.

Visit Location

Additional Finland Stills

 

Perfect Sweat
Production Stills: Finland

The first episode of the Perfect Sweat series was shot in the summer of 2017 in Finland. Episodes are based on the book Sweat, by Mikkel Aaland published in 1978. This is an illustrated record of the ten-day shoot in Finland by series host, Mikkel Aaland. A free ebook is also available from Blurb.. 

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Join our email list to get updates about the Perfect Sweat series.

Thanks for submitting!

bottom of page