WELCOME
International Sauna Association (ISA)
The International Sauna Association (ISA) is an association of national and other sauna societies, organisations and private people. It was founded in 1958 with the office in Germany . After 20 years quite slow activities it was reborn in 1977 in Helsinki Finland and the office was agreed to be in Helsinki.
The founding members were Austria , Germany , Finland and Japan and they are continuously members. Besides those there are 20 other members including all the important sauna countries. The President has been all these years from Finland.
ISA and its members shall pursue the goal of publicizing the sauna and promoting its use on a global scale by rallying supporters of sauna activities in different countries.
This goal is served e.g. by acceptance of the Definition of Sauna recorded in Aachen , Germany 1999 as well as promoting the scientific studies of the sauna from e.g. such viewpoints as social history, folklore, medicine and technology. A particular emphasis is given to the collection and compilation in archives of the results of such scientific studies as well as other written material on sauna.
Sauna – How to take a sauna bath?
Leave your clothes in the dressing room. Also remember to take off your eye glasses because the heath of the Sauna can damage them. Take off your watch also even if it is waterproof – you are here to relax, not to measure the time. You should also have a clean set of clothes to wear after the sauna. Take something to sit on, e.g. a small towel, into the sauna.
SAUNALETTER 6 2019
Dear ISA members and other saunalovers Because there are so many things happening we make this extra Saunaletter in order to be able to distribute information to You. The company and member presntations we have been planning to this Saunaletter are published a littel...
SAUNALETTER 6B 2019
Dear ISA Members and saunalovers Additional information to Saunaletter 6 Please note the new events listed here. Glenn Auerbach from US visited Finland. Here is his interesting material....
NEWS
Finnish Sauna Culture Added To The Unesco List
Finland’s sauna culture inscribed on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List Finland’s sauna culture was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 17. December 2020. The decision was made by an intergovernmental...
BATHING PLACE AS PUBLIC SPACE: BODY, LANDSCAPE, ART
Thursday November 26th 7-8:30pm EDT / 11-12:30pm Sydney / 4-5:30pm San Francisco / 9-10:30am Tokyo Bonnie Tsui, author of the 2020 book Why We Swim Josée-Ann Cloutier, international sauna researcher, creator of Steam Space Astrida Neimanis lecturer in Gender and...
Sauna – how to take a sauna bath
A Recommended Sauna Procedure NOTE: In some illustrations below the bathers are depicted sitting on bare wooden sauna platform. This is not recommended, but for hygienic reasons a cloth or similar should be used by each bather to sit on. Reserve enough time, at least...
Regarding the sauna and the coronavirus
There is a lot of misleading information circulating on the subject of the sauna and the coronavirus. Here is a statement the International Sauna Association drafted. It has been reviewed by medical experts for accuracy.