Today was our seventh gathering to experience Finnish culture, and we visited Melina’s house to enjoy the sauna. The cold weather made it the perfect day for this activity.
Korea also has a sauna culture, but it’s slightly different. Private saunas are rare, and most people visit public saunas where everyone wears the same outfit, such as T-shirts and shorts. That’s why I showed up wearing a T-shirt, while Melina and Emese wore swimsuits. We were surprised by each other’s choices and had a good laugh about it.
Emese mentioned that saunas are common in Germany too, including nude saunas, though she admitted she doesn’t like them. Melina explained that in France, saunas are usually found in spas, which felt somewhat similar to Korea.
In Finland, saunas are part of everyday life, enjoyed by people of all ages. The experience of jumping into cold water after sweating in a hot sauna was especially refreshing. I also learned that the word “sauna” originates from Finnish, which was a fun discovery for me.
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