Which country is known for inventing the sauna?

Finland is known for inventing the sauna. Although heated bathing traditions developed in several parts of the world, the sauna became a distinctive and enduring part of Finnish culture.

Early Finnish saunas were often smoke saunas: a wood-fired stove heated a pile of stones, and bathers poured water over the stones to create steam. The room could serve several purposes, including washing, relaxing, and—historically—even childbirth. The Finnish word sauna is also the international term used for this type of bath.

Japan, Russia, and Sweden all have important hot-bathing traditions, which can make the answer seem less obvious. Russia is associated with the banya, Japan with sentō and onsen bathing, and Sweden with its own sauna culture. However, the sauna is most strongly identified with Finland, where it remains a regular part of everyday life. Finland has millions of saunas—roughly one for every couple of residents—and Finnish sauna culture was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.