Newsgroups: rec.scouting
Subject: How to build a Sauna

Date: Thu, 15 Dec 94 17:09:00 +0200

In article , STOVER ENG writes in 
rec.scouting:
SE> I had the opportunity to enjoy a Finnish Sauna at the last World Jamboree
  > in S. Korea.  It was a tent with a small sauna box (wood stove) and stove

I have built and used more tent saunas (well, we call it 
badstu, and one non-english word is as good as the other, so I use our 
language's word for it). It doesn't have a stove, but a stone oven 
without a chimney.

I'd set up a tent on a framework, that can easily be lifted up by 4-6 
people and moved away some meters. The ground should be cleared of 
grass and roots in a square of approx. 1m x 1m; the ground should 
preferrably be sand, gravel or clay in that fireplace area. Collect a 
lot of stones, and build an oven (the fire may and should be able to 
leak between the stones, but there should be a cave in the middle). Get 
lots of wood fuel, make a fire in the cave, and heat it for several 
hours. When you think it's ready, you may be wrong, but let's assume 
you are ready. Then you carry the rest of the fire out with a shovel 
(so the cave opening must be wide enough for the shovel); sweep it with 
a brush e.g. of birch twigs, carry the tent to stand with the stone 
heap in the middle, and there you are: the badstu is ready for use. 

You'll have a bucket of water available and a scoop so you can sprinkle 
small amounts of water on the stones. Somebody must stand guard by the 
tent opening so that whoever wants to, can be helped to find her/his 
way out. 

If the scouts are allowed to cut birch twigs, they might like to use 
one for whipping themselves lightly with it. It makes a fine scent in 
the badstu, and in their skin. If it isn't fresh, it can be softened bu 
standing with the leaves in the water.

You'll want to have a shower of some kind outside - or a bathing place.

Make sure the tent isn't of a cloth that will burn of a spark or melt 
by the heat if it comes near the stones, fireproofed cotton is fine. 
It should not be so heavy that it's dark inside.

I suppose that most of the usable heat is gone after some hour or so - 
it depends on how much stones you've carried together and how hot you 
let them get.

I've used such a badstu during my advanced leader training (Gilwell 
course) and later during a couple of summer camps (jamborees).
speiderhilsen / good scouting
           Jan
 Kirkeoy sea scouts, Norway

 * 1st 2.00b #1407 * Scouting is a way of life

