Where Business Meets Culture: Finlandia Foundation Experiences the World Sauna Forum 2025
Written By:
Minea Herwitz
After an exciting National Sauna Week 2025, we had connected with so many incredible global leaders in the sauna world that we suddenly found ourselves aware of something we’d never quite grasped before: the World Sauna Forum. Curious and inspired, we reached out to the organizer and to our delight, she welcomed us to join. What followed was a transformative (and sweaty) journey: equal parts business and enjoyment, and all in the name of bringing authentic Finnish culture to the world.
In a small Finnish city about three hours north of Helsinki, I joined sauna lovers and professionals from over 30 countries for what may be the most relaxing business conference in the world: the World Sauna Forum in Jyväskylä. The event was hosted by the passionate team at Sauna from Finland, led by Carita Harju—author of The Power of Hot and Cold, and Alan Jalasjaa, also a featured National Sauna Week speaker. We are truly among friends here!
At times, the forum felt like a conventional industry conference, with high-impact presentations, structured networking, and a bustling marketplace of sauna brands and innovators. But just as often, it felt like a wellness retreat—or even a festival. There were shared meals, lakeside vistas, deep conversations, and, naturally, dozens of sauna experiences.
One of the most beautiful parts? The inclusivity. I found myself in conversation with CEOs, mobile sauna builders, Aufguss masters from Germany, Portuguese luxury sauna providers, and Rhode Island dreamers hoping to build their first sauna. We were all equals in the löyly—stripped down, literally and figuratively, in the name of shared ideas and cultural inspiration. Suits turned into swimsuits by evening, and we gathered in the heat, laughing, learning, and growing.
A Deep Dive into Sauna Culture
Day one took us deep into the Jyväskylä region and its many sauna destinations—ranging from luxury resorts to historic sites and mobile saunas brought in just for the occasion.
Visit Jyväskylä Region’s Päivi Heikkala and Riina Tiihonen hosted a special media tour that revealed the area’s rich cultural and natural heritage. The media tour also included several notable outlets, such as Schwimmbad Sauna Pool und Wellness Portal, whose writer Marijan Lazic penned a beautiful feature on the Finnish sauna experience—graciously quoting my reflections along the way. Read the article here.
We began at the Aalto2 Museum, honoring Alvar Aalto—Jyväskylä’s own design icon whose influence can be felt across wellness spaces around the world.
Then we made our way south to Saunakylä, the Sauna Village in Jämsä. This incredibly rich experience was curated by cultural heritage expert Saija Silén (who’s Sauna Week seminar you can still catch at nationalsaunaweek.com). This open-air museum houses 13 smoke saunas, the oldest dating back to the 1700s. These aren’t roped-off museum pieces—they are living, breathing saunas, heated by hand, nestled by a lake, with no fences. One is even dug into the ground. All carry stories, and all are very, very hot.
Saija shared that the sauna wasn’t just a place to wash—it is sacred to the Finns. It was a site for births as well as where bodies received their final cleaning, which shows that Finnish life almost literally began and ended in the sauna. It was a place where the meaning of being Finnish was passed down through generations, and still is. We were welcomed with reverence and song, and some guests even received traditional whisking treatments from sauna practitioners in natural-fiber garments. It felt more like stepping into a spiritual story than visiting an attraction.
Here, we ran into Eero Kilpi, President of the Finlandia Foundation New York Metropolitan Chapter, and Chairman North American Sauna Society. We’ve collaborated before through Finlandia Foundation’s National Sauna Week, but meeting here, in Saunakylä, felt powerful. Sauna is building bridges across oceans. We enjoyed a savusauna or three, and even found one of them to be too hot to handle, even for Mr. Sauna himself!
During the media tour, we also had the chance to meet Robert Heinevetter, founder and managing director of Aufguss Roots. Through his passionate work training sauna professionals across Europe, Robert has helped shape the creative and theatrical sauna experiences that are especially popular in Germany. While we Finns may have a hard time fully grasping the idea of ritual or performance in sauna, it’s undeniably a powerful tool to introduce more people to the magic of sauna—and for that, we’re genuinely delighted!
Floating Igloos and Peat Moss Dreams
Our next stop was Juurikkasaari, home to Finland’s only floating igloo sauna—on the second floor of a boat! This venue sits nestled along the longest lake in Finland, surrounded by outdoor art, hot tubs, and quiet beauty. It’s a dreamlike setting for private events, with a sense of creativity that mirrors the future of sauna itself.
Then came Tupaswilla—home to the world’s largest smoke sauna, accommodating up to 150 people. After changing into swimwear, we gathered for a turvehoito—a traditional peat moss treatment. We warmed in the heat, applied the rich, earthy peat to our skin, and then returned to the smoky warmth. I could almost feel my Finnish ancestors in the air with us. A cold lake plunge sealed the experience. Honestly, it was pure heaven.
Final Reflections at Revontuli
Our last destination was the Revontuli Resort, nestled beside Lake Iso-Virmas in what’s known as the darkest part of Central Finland—perfect for Northern Lights in winter. But even in summer, the light show didn’t disappoint. We bathed in gold and pink skies, the midnight sun painting everything in a dreamlike glow.
The resort featured five distinct saunas—including a glass igloo and a smoke sauna—with hot tubs dotting the peaceful shore. It was the perfect ending: a moment of stillness, community, and deep gratitude.
One of the more inspiring connections we made during the media tour was with Patricia Garcia-Gomez, the visionary creator of RewildRestore™. Patricia is an internationally recognized water practitioner and sensory immersion artist who invites people into water not just to refresh, but to reconnect—with nature, with ritual, and with their own wild selves. Now a year-round open-water swimmer—even in near-freezing temperatures—Patricia blends movement, meditation, ritual, and ancestral wisdom into a wholly unique wellness experience. Her presence reminded us that, like sauna, water can be a sacred space for deep connection and restoration.
Sauna Culture in Motion
After a full day immersed in sauna experiences, I was ready to join the hundreds of attendees who had gathered for two days of thought-provoking talks exploring every facet of sauna culture. Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Eastern Finland and sauna researcher Jari Laukkanen shared compelling insights into the health benefits of regular sauna use. Timo Harvia unveiled an exciting innovation—the world’s first hydrogen-powered sauna. And voices from Norway, Japan, Great Britain, Estonia, Germany, North America and beyond painted a vivid picture of how sauna culture is evolving and taking root across the globe.
What struck me most about the World Sauna Forum wasn’t just the sauna tech or tourism potential. It was how sauna creates space for real connection: across industries, cultures, and languages. Even competitors worked side by side toward a shared mission: preserving and promoting the sauna as a space of healing, authenticity, and humanity.
Sauna, when done right, is where innovation meets tradition. It’s where business meets well-being. And it’s where we meet each other, as equals, as humans, and as friends.
This wasn’t just a conference. It was living sauna culture in motion.
– Minea Lindqvist Herwitz
Communications Director, Finlandia Foundation National
Visit worldsaunaforum.com to learn more.
