| The sauna was a part of our lives from our first | | | | The only time we did not use our sauna was |
| memories as a child. It was an outdoor sauna that | | | | during the heat of the short summers when we |
| was located about 30 yards behind the house and | | | | would swim and bath in the lake. The rest of the |
| about 10 yards from the lake we lived on. It was | | | | year our outdoor sauna received regular use. |
| constructed of Northern white cedar and | | | | Winter was a special time for taking a sauna. The |
| measured 12 feet by 10 feet in size. It featured a | | | | hardest part was getting to the sauna will the |
| traditional sauna stove that was made in Bruce | | | | minimum amount of clothes that we hung on |
| Crossing Michigan a little town in Upper Peninsula. | | | | pegs outside. The best part was running the |
| Our outdoor sauna also had a cold water spicket | | | | temperature up to almost 200F degrees and then |
| that was used to fill the water bucket for making | | | | stepping outside to jump in the snow several |
| steam, cool downs and for rinsing the sweat off | | | | times during the sauna. We frequently would have |
| before you headed back to the house. | | | | winter sauna parties or family saunas to break |
| The floor of our outdoor sauna was also cedar | | | | the dreaded cabin fever that showed up in late |
| and was raised about a foot off the ground. | | | | winter. Our house would be full of friends and |
| Underneath was a pit filled with stones that would | | | | family that took turns in the sauna until everyone |
| allow the water to drain into the soil. We were | | | | was accommodated. |
| lucky that we did not have the clay soil that | | | | The benefits of having an outdoor sauna are |
| some of our neighbors had which would require a | | | | many. One of the functions of our family sauna |
| special drain to remove excess water. | | | | was to treat illness. This allowed the sick individual |
| The main reason for having a separate outdoor | | | | to use the sauna without spreading the cold or |
| sauna was due to tradition but more importantly | | | | sickness to the rest of the household. According |
| to reduce the fire hazard. More than one of our | | | | to our mother having an outdoor sauna kept a lot |
| friend's sauna has burned down during the past | | | | of dirt out of the house. While the house was |
| 40 years. It is interesting that we all used wood | | | | kept by our mother the men frequently would be |
| to heat our homes but aside from a chimney fire | | | | responsible for cleaning and maintaining the |
| or two none of our friends or neighbors homes | | | | outdoor sauna. |
| burned down. Some people have linked the over | | | | In these days of high speed life we do not use |
| use of alcoholic beverages, another sauna | | | | our outdoor sauna as frequently as we should. |
| tradition, to the high number of sauna fires. Many | | | | However we do manage a good sauna at least |
| times an outdoor sauna stove is allowed to get | | | | one or more times a week. The health and well |
| very hot in preparation for the sauna and that is | | | | being benefits are still very important to all our |
| something that we seldom allowed with home | | | | family. |
| woodstove. | | | | |