Finnish Sauna 101

FINNISH SAUNA 101

Elizabeth "Helvi" Brauer teaches Finnish language and culture. She shares one of her favorite aspects of Finnish culture - the sauna - with participants. This class is part lecture, part sauna-time, and part relaxed question-and-answer.

In this hands-on workshop, you will learn some of the vast history of sauna as a part of Finnish culture and its role on the United Nations' list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Class participants will also come to know some of the “unwritten rules” of sauna best practice in relation to sauna traditions, as well as, sauna safety.

You will learn how to identify quality sauna experiences among the sea of options that are available to us in Minnesota in 2026. Some of this class will be spent in the woodburning sauna that Norway House is hosting.

After the class, you can book a future sauna session at Norway House for a 50% discount to be used through March 21st, 2026.

Please bring a swimsuit, a towel, and flip flops.

Note: Norway House does not provide refunds. If you cannot attend the class, please consider giving a friend your seat in class. There is no fee for transferring tickets.

To learn more about your instructor and to link to her blog on saunas and Finnish lifestyle, please see below:

Elizabeth “Helvi” Brauer

Elizabeth “Helvi” Brauer is a founding member of the 612 Sauna Cooperative in Minneapolis and a Finnish cultural and language specialist. Her original role following the coop’s formation was Chief Sustenance Officer (CSO). Elizabeth spent the summers of her youth and early adulthood learning and then teaching Finnish language at Salolampi Finnish Language Village in Bemidji, MN, where she is known as Helvi.

Elizabeth graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a double-major in Scandinavian Studies and Sociology & Anthropology. While a student at Gustavus, she reignited interest in the Sauna Society there, bringing the organization up to newly enacted risk management standards. She has also lived and studied in both Tampere and Oulu, Finland and continues to teach about Finnish language and culture through her business, Luumu - Finnish Living. Elizabeth has written extensively about Finnish sauna practice on her blog Fiercely Friendly + Aggressively Nordic.

She is involved in the promotion of Finnish sauna practice in North America and has forged relationships across sauna business and cultural practice communities. In addition to her writing on the topic of sauna, Elizabeth was a guest on The Upper Bench podcast in 2024, sharing her experiences and theories about the Finnish vs American conception of nakedness in the sauna. Her favorite sauna is Rauhaniemen kansankylpylä located in Tampere, Finland.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Norway House