Sauna is Life: Sauna Culture in Finland

Sauna is Life: Sauna Culture in Finland exhibition, October 18, 2024 – March 9, 2025
Step into the steam-filled world of Finnish Sauna when Sauna is Life: Sauna Culture in Finland opens at the American Swedish Historical Museum in FDR Park this Fall.

From the start of one’s life to one’s final days, the act of taking a sauna is an inherent part of the Finnish culture. The sauna is a sacred space that brings families, friends, and even diplomats together. Finns bring sauna wherever they go, including the United States, and the tradition still thrives in certain regions of America where many Finnish people have settled. Sauna is Life: Sauna Culture in Finland explores the Finnish sauna tradition with a model sauna and sauna objects as well as stories, photos, and videos shared with us from home and abroad. In addition to Finnish sauna, the exhibition presents related sweating practices from cultural groups around the world, including the Japanese and the Lakota in the United States, highlighting their similarities and differences to Finnish sauna. Visit Sauna is Life: Sauna Culture in Finland to experience this special cultural practice and create your own sauna memories.

Sauna is Life: Sauna Culture in Finland will be on view at ASHM from October 18, 2024 to March 9, 2025. Admission is included with ASHM general tickets. ASHM is open Tuesday through Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and weekends 12:00 - 4:00 pm.

Sauna is Life: Sauna Culture in Finland was organized by Nordic Northwest, Portland Oregon and made possible by the generous support of Finlandia Foundation National.