Heart My Backpack uses affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission. Like how Norwegians are always making fun of Swedes, but if you as an outsider try to join in they suddenly start defending them? So when I told my Norwegian friends that I was off to Finland for a few weeks I knew not to take it too seriously when they laughed in my face. So you know those stereotypes I was talking about? And Finns? As my friend Rachel described it, sitting naked next to someone is a very effective way to remove all the barriers. But even more so, I think it lures you into a false sense of intimacy.

Pop Culture

Traveller Newsletter
For such a shy and introverted people, the Finns are quite comfortable naked. The average male locker room scene consists of men of all ages chatting away completely naked, just as comfortable as if they were standing at the street corner on a sunny day. Kids of all ages are running around nude without thinking twice about it. Even a girl as old as five or six may be showering right next to you, not even caring that there are gross naked men all around her. In the sauna it is unheard of and even prohibited to wear a bathing suit.
Not a free member yet?
For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. The Finns are a canny race. There are 5. I am curious to know if sauna brought any tangible benefits to the harsh Nordic lifestyle, or was the hoo-ha about sauna just a lot of seriously hot air?
Oiva Toikka. Brez strahu ni poguma! After their swim, the men eat pork-and-mutton sausages grilled over an open fire in the dressing room of the sauna.