The sauna in Estonia is not a hotel amenity. It is closer to a domestic institution, historically the place where people were born, washed, treated for illness and laid out after death. The smoke sauna tradition of Võromaa, in the country's south-east, has been on the UNESCO intangible heritage list since 2014.
What a smoke sauna is
A suitsusaun has no chimney. A fire is lit under a large pile of stones and burns for five to eight hours, filling the room with smoke that blackens every surface and, incidentally, sterilises it. When the stones are hot enough the fire is allowed to die, the smoke is let out, the benches are washed down and the sauna is ready.
The heat that follows is soft and even, quite unlike the sharp dry heat of an electric sauna, and the room smells of smoke and wood. The whole process takes most of a day, which is why smoke saunas are a weekly ritual rather than a casual activity.
Viht
The viht — a whisk of birch twigs, soaked in warm water — is used to strike the skin lightly, which sounds alarming and is in fact pleasant. It improves circulation and fills the room with the smell of birch. Juniper and oak whisks exist too; birch is standard.
Etiquette
Saunas are normally taken naked, separated by gender or with family and close friends. In public and hotel saunas swimwear is usually accepted, but ask. You sit on a towel. You do not wear anything on your head unless you want to — the felt hats are Finnish and Russian more than Estonian.
The cycle is heat, then cold — a lake, the sea, a bucket of water or snow — then rest, repeated several times. Do not rush it, drink water between rounds, and get out before you feel unwell rather than after.
Where to try one
The authentic version is in the south-east, in Võru and Setomaa, where farm guesthouses run smoke saunas for visitors and often heat them properly for a booked group. This is worth planning a trip around.
In Tallinn, the Kalma sauna, operating since 1928, is the historic public bathhouse, and the Iglupark floating saunas at the seaplane harbour let you jump straight into the Baltic. Almost every rural guesthouse in the country has a sauna and will heat it if you ask when booking.
A note on winter
The full experience involves going from the sauna into snow or a hole cut in the ice. Estonians do it as a matter of course. If you have any heart condition, don't — and in any case go in gradually rather than jumping.