Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna

Does sauna make people happier? Finland has been named the world’s happiest country for seven straight years. There are also 3.3 million saunas in Finland for a population of 5.5 million people. Coincidence? We think not. In today’s episode — our Season 3 finale — we’re discussing the link between regular sauna use and happiness. We’re also sharing our own personal experiences with sauna and happi...

Sauna has exploded in popularity in the UK over the past five years, with more and more Brits seeking out authentic sauna experiences everywhere from five-star luxury spas to grassroots mobile saunas. Even more unexpected has been the rise of “aufguss” — the art of using rhythmic towel movements to circulate heat, air and essential oils in the sauna — and today’s guest has been leading the charge....

Part art installation, part sauna village, Public Sweat took over Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre for close to two months last year using an unexpected medium: the sauna. Inspired by sauna and global sweat-bathing traditions, Public Sweat featured five different sweat-bathing spaces — each designed by a different artist — that attracted more than 6,000 people, many of whom had never set foot inside...

Nordik Spa-Nature in Chelsea, Quebec, has long been considered one of North America’s premiere destinations for authentic Nordic sauna. So when Groupe Nordik recently opened a sister location near Toronto, you know Alan was one of the first in line to try it out! With over five acres of thermotherapy — including North America’s largest aufguss event sauna — Thermëa Spa Village is already making a...

Finland has been named the world's happiest country for seven years in a row. It’s also home to 3 million saunas for a population of 5.5 million people. And roughly one-fifth of Finns take part in something called “cold water” or “winter” swimming. Coincidence? We think not, and our guest, Katja Pantzar, agrees. A Canadian-Finnish journalist based in Helsinki, Pantzar first discovered cold-wa...

Sauna is just the beginning of the Finnish cultural experience that awaits visitors to Vettä Nordic Spa.  Not only can you relax and recharge with Finnish-style thermal therapy, but you can enjoy farm-to-table Finnish fare, take part in a “vihta”-making workshop and even sauna with a Finnish guide.  How did this authentic Finnish sauna oasis — located just one hour outside Toronto — come to be?  I...

Today’s episode is smokin’ — literally! That’s because we’re talking about the original Finnish sauna: the smoke sauna, or “savusauna” as it’s known in Finland. While the modern saunas we’re familiar with today have only been around for the last 100 years, smoke saunas date back to the 9th century — over 1,000 years ago. So what exactly is a smoke sauna and where can you find one? To answer these...

A sweat-bathing renaissance is underway in Ireland and Northern Ireland, with saunas popping up from Dublin and Belfast to Cork and the Causeway Coast. How did all this happen? During Alan’s Irish sauna travels last year, one name kept coming up: Shirley Fitzpatrick. As the owner of Bosca Beatha — the first mobile sauna in Ireland back in 2012 — Shirley has been at the forefront of the Irish sauna...

Can you imagine being naked in a sauna with strangers? Or maybe you can’t imagine it any other way? Nudity in the sauna is a polarizing topic. For some, the idea of going “au naturel” is unthinkable, while for others, “textile-free” is the only way to go. Why the divide? To get to the, ahem , bottom of the issue, we’re speaking with Dr. Ruth Barcan, a professor in the Gender and Cultural Studies d...

It’s taken the European sauna world by storm, and it’s starting to make waves in North America, too. Aufguss is the art of using rhythmic towel movements to circulate heat, air and essential oils in the sauna, creating a thermal experience like no other. While aufguss can be calm and meditative, it can have a huge performance aspect as well — with music, lights, costumes, singing, choreography and...

Christopher and Julie Rice were at a low point in their relationship. After 10 years of marriage and four kids, the Minnesota couple had lost their spark, and were increasingly growing apart. Then they discovered sauna — and everything changed. In this episode, we’re speaking to Christopher and Julie about how their shared love of sauna helped reignite their love for each other — and how they went...

We’re BACK! The Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna podcast returns for Season 3 — with hosts Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell bringing you 12 new episodes packed with sauna hot topics, expert guests and so much more. Where in the world have we been, you ask? Well, Alan has been travelling the globe, checking off his sauna bucket list, and on today’s episode, he’s spilling the tea on all his adventures —...

During this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna , Alan and Elissa get to do more than just talk about sauna... For this, our special season two finale, Alan takes Elissa to one of his favourite local sauna houses: KW Sauna   in Kitchener for an afternoon of sweat bathing bliss. KW Sauna describes itself as a place for visitors to "relax, rejuvenate and re-energize," and they deliver! A...

During this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna , your hosts Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell are thrilled to take a virtual sauna with co-founders of Hamam: The Magazine of Letting Go , Editor-in-Chief Ekin Balcıoğlu and Steve Weiner. Hamam: The Magazine of Letting Go , is dedicated to the " bathing obsessed, " and is all about giving into the essence of what sweat bathing represents...

"Sauna satisfies the social, spiritual, and physical under one roof.  There aren't a lot of things that do that." - Mikkel Aaland In this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna , your hosts Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell are taking a virtual sauna with a man who has traveled the world researching, experiencing, and learning about sweat bathing and bathing cultures.  He is known wo...

We are thrilled to take a virtual sauna with Lisa Jaster! A self-described Heat Seeker, and the founder of The Lost Faucet Sauna House located in Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada. Join your hosts Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell as they learn more about Lisa's passion for sauna and how following this love of heat brought her to more than 80 spas and hot springs in 13 countries. Lisa'...

We are honoured to have the Sauna Superwoman joining us on this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Saun a.  Your hosts Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell take a virtual sauna with Carita Harju , the founder and Executive Director of Sauna from Finland . She is also the author of three books on the subject,  The Soul of Sauna , Sauna: The Way of Finnish Life , and most recently Saunafulness. Join us as...

Dave Inglis and Tim Muza began Secret Sauna as a way to bring the authentic sauna experience to people in southwestern Ontario. Secret Sauna was available for rent and delivery and was a great way for many to have their first sauna experience in the safety and privacy of their own backyard.  At times, the beautiful barrel sauna would be ordered by couples who wanted a relaxing retreat delivered to...

Welcome to the second half of the two-part 'everything you need to know' when building, buying, or installing a residential sauna episode! Previously, we focused on the outdoor sauna , and now we turn our sights indoors . In this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna , our expert Alan Jalasjaa is at your service.  With an abundance of experience, he knows what to consider, what to avoid,...

Is your garden shed begging to be turned into a backyard sauna? Maybe you're interested in an adorable pre-fab barrel sauna? Or building one with your own two hands...    In any case, if you are considering the addition of a sauna to your outside space, do not miss this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna .    This is the first part, of a special two-part episode. This first episode is dedi...

To fear the unknown is normal, but if it is preventing you from enjoying the sauna, then Alan has a big problem with that. This episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna is dedicated to squashing those fears by answering all of your frequently asked questions! Join your hosts, Alan Jalaasja and Elissa Lansdell as they take on all of your burning sauna queries.  Alan is more than happy to provide the k...

 To sauna is to sweat, and to sweat, as we'll learn, is fundamentally human... and yet, most of us know very little about it.     What is sweat,  why do our bodies do it, and why do we spend a collective fortune on products to hide or prevent it, but gravitate toward activities like sauna, where we openly sweat together?    In this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna ,  your hosts Alan Jala...

Welcome to Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna! Joining our hosts, Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell, from Finnmark Sauna , the UK's sole official distributor of the world's leading Finnish sauna brands, are two instrumental brothers in the promotion of authentic sauna experience, Jake and Max Newport! To say these guys are sauna enthusiasts is an understatement. Together, Jake and Max have worke...

We are back with our second season of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna , and things are really heating up!  Helping to kick off season two, all the way from Helsinki Finland is our very special guest, award-winning, internationally acclaimed actor, conservationist, environmentalist, entrepreneur, fly fisherman, and sauna enthusiast, Jasper Pääkkönen . You can catch Jasper playing the role of Halfdan the...

Is Elissa all talk or, can she take the heat!? Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell are taking their hosting duties offline, and into the sauna for this very special episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna .  And not just any old sauna either! Elissa will be travelling to Alan's home, where she'll be treated to the full Alan sauna experience - with one exception: there will be swimsuits worn!...