Inside a sauna, there is a special stove called a kiuas (say 'kee-oo-ass'). It is covered in dark, smooth rocks that have been heated all day until they are almost glowing. When the stones are ready, someone pours a small ladle of water onto them. With a loud hiss, the water turns instantly to steam, and a wave of damp heat fills the room. This steam is called 'l枚yly'.
The sauna is a place to slow down. People sit quietly on wooden benches, sometimes for 10 or 15 minutes, just letting the heat soak in. There are no phones. People often don't talk much - just sit and breathe. Then they go outside to cool off, splash water on themselves, or even jump straight into a freezing lake or pile of snow.
Finnish saunas come in all kinds of shapes. There are sauna huts beside almost every summer cottage. There are saunas in apartment buildings, in offices, at sports clubs, and in swimming pools. There is even a special sauna at the Finnish parliament building, where politicians sometimes have meetings.
Going to a sauna is something Finns learn from very young. Children visit them with their families from the time they are little, splashing water, drinking juice, and chatting on the cool side of the room. UNESCO - the part of the United Nations that protects important world traditions - now lists Finnish sauna culture as something for the whole world to treasure.