Finnish barrel saunas pick up steam as alternative to bathhouses
GWANGJU, Gyeonggi Province — Saunas aren’t just a toasty respite.
That’s according to Oh Seung-youl, one of the local entrepreneurs who have capitalized on barrel saunas -- an outdoor activity involving a wood stove with small rocks, a changing room and most importantly, something to snack on.
“The barrel sauna is like a heat therapy. It’s warm enough to open us up physically, with a better blood flow, as well as mentally as relaxation renders a candid talk much easier,” Oh, a man in his 50s, said of his yearslong observation of people frequenting his Inside Finnish Forest in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.
Since 2022, Inside Finnish Forest has operated as a cafe with giant sauna barrels, five in total, each accommodating between four and eight guests for a two-and-a-half-hour session, three times a day.
Reservations fill up quickly, especially in winter when Seoulites seek a nearby warm escape.
“Proximity was our No. 1 concern in deciding where to go,” said Yoon Myung-soo, a Seoulite who lives in Gangnam-gu. The less than an hour drive to Inside Finnish Forest is “a definite plus,” making it a clear winner among similar facilities in the Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces. They all promote a “Finnish sauna” experience, a trend increasingly picking up steam.
For Yoon, travel distance mattered the most because he was the driver; his wife’s priority was post-sauna snacks.
What they both wanted, however, was “a genuine but casual talk” in a setting that boosts intimacy, according to the couple. “The online reviews of this place were pretty good, talking about the kind of private space that we thought of, decent and not too shabby,” Yoon said.
It is hard to concentrate on each other when talking over a meal, according to Yoon and his wife, surnamed Heo.
“I like how snacks here like bagels are above average, to my taste at least,” Heo said of her satisfaction in having picked “the right place to rejuvenate and have a talk.”
At an extra cost, guests can have sweet potatoes and sweet rice drinks called sikhye while inside the sauna.
For many, health concerns were the primary reason for coming out for the sauna.
“I used to like relaxing in a hot tub because you could feel your aches ease immediately once you get in the water,” said Pyo Jung-jin, a sauna enthusiast who attributed the switch to sauna to his suspicion that bubbly spa tubs may not be as germfree as they looked to his naked eyes.
“It’s nearly impossible to clean inside the jet spray pipes, like bacteria, which would be everything antithetical to a therapeutic break I want,” Pyo said, adding there is no water quality to maintain in barrel saunas.
Sprinkling water on the rocks on the stove is all it takes to raise the temperature and humidity inside the sauna barrel, a convenience Pyo doubts will have adverse health effects.
The temperature inside the saunas averages 80 degrees Celsius, twice that of typical hot tubs, another feature Pyo says appeals to sauna enthusiasts seeking intense heat.
Oh, the Inside Finnish Forest owner, testifies to the quality of light-colored wood each sauna barrel is made of, which can withstand wide fluctuations in heat and humidity.
Red cedar and pine are used to build a single barrel, which Oh says is worth at least ten million won ($7,000). The barrels made at a factory he runs nearby are sold to sauna facilities nationwide.
Expanding the distribution network wasn’t what motivated Oh, however.
He recalled his many trips to Finland, a country known for saunas, that inspired his shop. “Even apartment units come with a built-in sauna,” Oh said of the ubiquity of saunas in Finland and how a sauna means more than an escape from freezing winter.
“I'm after building a culture,” he said, “where people come together to talk about anything, light to heavy, and bond while doing it.” Saunas will lead the way, he added with a radiant smile.
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com
