As the cab slows to a stop, I scrape some of Jack Frost’s handiwork from the window and peer into the depths of the polar night. We’re only 15 minutes from the center of Helsinki, yet dense forest ...

In Finland, saunas have long been a way of life. But getting hot and sweaty is growing in popularity elsewhere.

Finland is a country of extreme contrasts—summers of dizzying, full-time light, followed by depressingly long, dark winters. The sauna regulates it all, offering the benefits of winter in summer and ...

The Finnish tradition of a sauna followed by a plunge into icy water or a roll in the snow is spreading around the world. What does science say about the claimed health benefits? Sometimes I wonder ...

“How does that feel?” asks Siiri, as the spikes of the juniper branches relieve the itch on my back and the spicy scent surrounds my body. “Peaceful,” I respond, so relaxed that one-word answers are ...

I’m in the eastern reaches of Finland, in the Lakeland region that includes scenic Lake Saimaa, which has 14,000 islands and more shoreline than all of France. As the sun sinks slowly into the ...

It’d be sacrilegious to visit Finland without experiencing two of the country’s most beloved pastimes: karaoke and sauna. While belting Frank Sinatra songs in a crowded bar may come naturally to you, ...

THE SAUNA AT THE FINNISH PERM REP, BRUSSELS — It’s very hot in here. But not hot enough, according to my Finnish hosts. The time has come for a ladle’s worth of water to be poured onto the pile of ...

The world's eyes may be on the Olympics, but Finland dominated another hot competition: the Sauna World Championships. The men's champion stayed in a sauna heated to 230 degrees for more than 18 ...

This is Finland’s Archipelago, a maze of sea and stone between Finland and Sweden. It feels endless, dotted with red cottages ...