Finnish Bath

Last night long after dark we were again at Burntside steaming ourselves in the bathhouse of Harry DeWolf. It is not the bath itself which is so important or enjoyable, but the aftermath: after a plunge in the lake, to lie under the birches and look at the stars. There is where the real luxury comes in. All sense of struggle and effort is gone; one is overcome with lassitude and a feeling of contentment and complete relaxation. The stars seem close and the milky way soft and enveloping. The lapping of the waves is a soothing finale and one feels as though nothing in the world could be very disturbing. After a Finnish bath the whole world seems at peace. Events in Europe are far away and impossible.

I lay there under the birches last night, stretching myself, breathing deeply, caressed by the cooling night winds, wondering if the Finnish baths were not responsible for the toughness of the Finnish soldier and the people, their ability to struggle against tremendous odds to face overwhelming force and then after the battle to settle down with renewed courage and optimism to rebuild their world. Perhaps it was the knowledge that there is an escape, that through their ancient custom there are still places in the world where they can find escape and peace.

Perhaps that is the secret, perhaps that what keeps them going. I know this, that as I lay there last night under the trees, watching the stars and listening to the sounds on the lake, that I realized perfect composure, perfect peace and relaxation as seldom is permitted one in this day. No matter what might have happened during the day or what worries confronted on in the future, I knew then that for the moment at least everythig was right with me and with the world, and that sometime again I could find it if I wished. Knowing that, having that realization, nothing could completely disrupt my calm or the assurance that there was something worth living for.

The psychologists can say what they wish about there being no peace except inward, but those of us who have taken a Finnish bath know that this inward peace can be invoked and that the best way to do it is to go to some lakeside for a good steaming and then afterward a dip in the water, then cool off slowly under the trees without anything to keep away the breeze. That is pure physical luxury and one of those things that in the north makes life worth living, and surely one of those things that gives the Finlander his toughness and his devotion to his beloved Finlandia.