Sauna Day 2025
The National Sauna Day 2025 and the Annual Meeting of the Swedish Sauna Academy. A record in the village sauna, a TV architect new to the board and the inauguration of the new smoke sauna – these were some of the ingredients of the celebration in the sauna village at Kukkolaforsen.
The National Sauna Day, established by the Swedish Sauna Academy, is celebrated on the second Saturday of June. This year it was the 28th time the day was celebrated, and around a hundred sauna enthusiasts from across the Nordic countries had made their way to Kukkolaforsen. Chairman Sven-Erik Bucht inaugurated the new smoke sauna and the newly built terrace, which at the inauguration was fittingly named "the sauna square". On the square, sauna enthusiasts cooled off between all the varieties of saunas during a bathing session that went on for hours beneath the bright evening sky, interspersed with dips in the cool Torne River. During the evening a new record was also set: 78 people fit on the benches of the village sauna and enjoyed the humidity and heat together. In addition, a choir was formed under the leadership of sauna maestro Svante Spolander with an obvious song choice for the year: Bara Bada Bastu. "I was almost moved to tears by the fellowship and joy there in the steam," says Marita Holgersson, who travelled from Gotland to take part in the celebration for the first time.
In connection with the National Sauna Day, the Annual Meeting of the Swedish Sauna Academy was also held. The meeting elected the following board: chairman Sven-Erik Bucht; permanent secretary Svante Spolander. Other members: Lena Callne, Karin Carlsson, Göte Forss, Ulf Hemphälä, Hans Hägglund, Roger Häggström and Ulf Samuelsson. Deputies: Ida Karkkiainen, Susanne Wallin and the newly elected Hillevi Olsson, architect and also known as the presenter of SVT's Bastudrömmar.
Letter to SKR about saunas in swimming halls
The Annual Meeting agreed on a joint letter to SKR (the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions) urging it to address guidelines around the sauna when it comes to building new swimming halls. "The sauna is an obvious part of our cultural heritage, yet it is still often neglected when it comes to swimming halls. SKR has guidelines aimed at Sweden's 290 municipalities regarding swimming halls. It ought to go without saying that there should also be a guide to the sauna as an integrated part of the bathing facility. Many of us have experienced miserable dry saunas at swimming halls around Sweden, where you can't even throw steam. The Annual Meeting was wholly unanimous in backing the letter," says chairman Sven-Erik Bucht.
