SeniorConnectionsHJ . COM Senior Connections January / February 2024
The amazing thing that is a sauna
BY MASHELL BJORGE
Staff Writer
The Finlanders know the importance of the mind-body connection .
When Harvey Barberg ’ s ancestors came to Cokato from Finland in the mid-1800s , his great-grandpa , Isaac Barbra , was going to be a tailor in Minneapolis but decided it was too big a city . So they walked to Cokato to set up a homestead . A sauna was one of the first buildings that Finnish settlers would build upon settlement .
The original saunas were built to be solid , with compound wedges of logs that were hand cut and trimmed to fit snuggly , with a mud paste applied between boards to create an airtight seal . There was no chimney ; instead , there were tiny doors set in the walls to be used for ventilation and opened depending upon the direction of the wind . According to Harvey , they would start a fire that would take all day to heat , and they would heat a tub of water over the fire . When it was ready , they would put the fire out , shut the ventilation doors , and take turns having their sauna . Sauna behavior The behavior in the sauna was very sacred , almost like a church service . The primary use of the sauna was for bathing . Entire families would bathe together . But saunas were also used for medicinal purposes and birthing . The atmosphere in a sauna is heated enough to be a sterile environment in which to birth , and it was a good place to have a baby when a tiny cabin was full of people in a warm and clean environment . The sauna was used to help people cleanse their bodies of respiratory and other illnesses and even to prepare the bodies of loved ones who have passed away in preparation for their funerals . Safe space While settlements were being built among families , the sauna was centrally located and used by all families . The idea of the sauna was completely without any “ hanky-panky ,” according to Harvey , and was considered a safe space to wash away stress and derive benefits physically , spiritually , and psychologically . Today Today , the sauna is considered beneficial for everything from cardiovascular health to skincare and improved immunity . There are mobile saunas hauled on trailers , like a camper . Restaurants in the metro offer sauna options , and there are even small , single-person saunas to be set up right in your living room . There are events , such as The Great Northern Sauna Village at the Market at Malcolm Yards in Minneapolis in January . Visitors can participate in various sauna traditions and take in the healing powers of thermal therapies .
PHOTO BY MASHELL BJORGE Savu meaning “ Smoke ” Sauna , first established in Cokato territory in1868 .
SeniorConnectionsHJ . COM Senior Connections January / February 2024
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