Alright, let’s talk about something I got curious about a while back: how to talk about going to the sauna in English. It sounds simple, right? But when you actually try to describe the experience or the things in it, you realize you might be missing a few words. So, I decided to dive in and figure it out, and I thought I’d share what I learned along the way.

My First Steps

It all started because I was chatting with an online friend from an English-speaking country, and I wanted to tell them about my relaxing sauna session. I just said “I went to sauna,” which is okay, but I wanted to say more. I realized I didn’t know how to describe the act of throwing water on the stones, or even what those stones were called properly!

So, my first step was just thinking about the whole process. What do I do when I go to a sauna? I sit, I sweat, I sometimes use a ladle. I started making a mental list of things and actions.

Digging for Words

Next, I did what most of us do these days – I started looking things up. I wasn’t looking for super technical terms, just the common words people actually use. I typed in things like “sauna equipment English” or “what do you do in a sauna English phrases.”

I also thought about different types of saunas. I know there’s the dry kind and the steamy kind. So I looked those up too. I found out about the Finnish sauna (the dry, hot one) and the steam room (which is more about, well, steam!).

Putting It Together – My Little Glossary

After a bit of searching and making notes, I started to build a little collection of useful words and phrases. Here’s some of what I jotted down:

• Sauna heater or sauna stove: This is the main thing that heats up the room.
• Sauna stones: The rocks you put on top of the heater.
• Ladle: The scoop you use to pour water.
• Bucket or pail: To hold the water for the stones.
• Bench: Where you sit. Usually there are different levels, like the upper bench (hotter) and lower bench.
• To throw water on the stones: This creates the steam, often called löyly if you want to be specific with the Finnish term, but “steam” or “burst of steam” works fine in English.
• To sweat: A very important part of the sauna experience!
• To cool down: What you do after a round in the heat, like taking a cold shower or a dip in a plunge pool.
• Towel: Essential, of course!
• Describing the feeling: “It’s so relaxing,” “It’s very hot in here,” “I feel refreshed.”

Trying It Out

Once I had these words, I started practicing. I’d sort of narrate my own sauna experience to myself in English. “Okay, I’m going into the sauna now. I’ll sit on the upper bench. It’s getting nice and hot. Time to throw some water on the stones with the ladle.” It sounds a bit silly, but it really helped!

I also tried to use the new words when I next chatted with my friend. It felt good to be able to describe things more clearly. Instead of just “sauna was good,” I could say something like, “I had a great sauna session. I really enjoyed the heat and the steam when I poured water on the stones.”

Still Learning, But It’s a Good Start

I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on all things sauna in English now, but I feel much more comfortable talking about it. It was a simple thing to do, just spending a little time looking up words and practicing, but it made a difference. It’s always satisfying to expand your vocabulary, especially for things you enjoy doing.

So, that was my little journey into the English of saunas. Just a bit of curiosity and a bit of practice. Hopefully, if you were wondering about some of these terms too, this gives you a little head start!