European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 20, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Finland s simmering saunas far More than a sociable sweat Bath Iby Steve Lohf new York times s dark cramped and 200 degrees  naked you Strain for breath fighting i reheat your lungs searing. The sweat runs off in Rivers collecting it Little puddles on the wooden floor. Feels Terri ii does t it says Ahti Sirkia Pun Romeling himself Wilh a Birch whisk. Welcome to the sweltering Hub of finnish family and social life the simmering cauldron of finnish decision making the Sauna. Finland is a nation of just under 4.9 million people and 1.3 million saunas More saunas than cars. The  snarls Early with most mothers taking their children into the Little hot boxes before they Are 6 months old. Erma Bombeck americana Are apparently developing a taste for he finnish Sauna. Today there Are an estimated 200.000 saunas in the United Stales with sales rising about 30 percent a year. The illness Boom affluence and a Post Jacuzzi search for new bathing pleasures have helped sales. But in America unlike Finland the Sauna is still considered a luxury and most owners want them to look the part. The saunas typically Cost $2,500. Fashioned from Redwood or Cedar instead of he Mote mundane Birch and resinous Pine the finns use. The american versions Are quite different from the rustic smelly ones in Finland said George Strame president Al Helo inc. In Stamford conn., the United states  of Finland s leading Sauna maker. Here in has to look  Over the years the Sauna has been Central to finnish life serving As far More than a sociable sweat Bath. Well Inlo this Century saunas doubled As hospitals and maternity wards in Rural areas. But the Sauna also plays a crucial role in finnish business and politics. For it is in the Sauna that Many of the deals sustaining the finnish consensus the close knit cooperation of business labor and government often cited As the Bedrock of Finland s political stability and impressive economic growth Are forged. Before a Sauna Compromise May seem impossible said Sirkia. President of  of a leading finnish trading company. But afterwards in is Otten not so impossible. In Finland you cannot be Good friends with someone until you have been in the Sauna  any finnish company of note must have ils repress Talion Sauna for entertaining Oul Sidra and bolstering in House Murale. Evon the parliament building has two saunas underneath the debating Chambers. Tradition has been tested a bit by the Rise of More finnish women to the upper echelons of business and government in recent years. Finns keep their Sauna clubs segregated by sex so women take Thrif saunas separately and join the men for the irad Lional Post Sauna Beer and sausages. Accordingly there seems to be some discrimination in the ritual. But finnish women Are not particularly eager for change. Who wants to go in there nude Wilh a Bunch of sweaty men one executive observed. The Sauna has been enshrined in the local currency the one Markka Coin Worth about 20 cells is adorned with the likeness of a couple of Birch Sauna whisks called vistas. Another indication of the government recognition of the Sauna s importance came during the Oil Price shocks of the 1970s. Though Finland imports nearly All its vol and Sauna Heaters consume Large amounts of electricity no cutbacks in Sauna use were Ever imposed or suggested no crisis can reach our saunas said Pirkko Valt Akari executive Secretary of the finnish Sauna society. No government would Ever try that we Wou a die without our  typically Sauna sessions involve a Low rounds of roughly 15-Minuta stints interspersed with vaults into a nearby Pool or Lake to Cool Oil. The physical a flecks of the superheated experience have been widely studied and debated Wilh Lew definitive conclusions. It is a Beauty treatment that opens the pores and rids the skin of impurities according to Val Lakari a 50-year-old whose appearance tends credence to her View. However people with heart trouble Are Besl advised to Check with tit or physicians before braving the Sauna s heat. Most Sauna Veteran agree thai the main benefits Are to the psyche. According to Kalla acute a psychiatrist at University Central Hospital in Helsinki Sauna heat is Apt to be experienced subconsciously by tha bathers As a symbolic Mother harking Back to Early infancy with the Elfeel of bolstering sett esteem and reducing aggressiveness and promoting the achievement of a Calm and peaceful Frame of  still the finnish Sauna gets mixed reviews from foreigners. Afler visiting the finnish Sauna society s club on the Baltic sea in 1983, vice president George Bush Send a Handwritten note of thanks thai might serve As a Model of diplomatic Courtesy equally suitable for enthusiasts and sceptics. Hanging on the clubhouse Wall the note says the True Sauna will be in my memory until i die. What an experience gratefully George  like most women. I have become paranoid about  lock my House every time i go to the garbage can t set the burglar alarm when i Gofer the mail and i lock my car every Lime i gel Gas. To Dale. I have been locked out of my House 14 times have been charged for five false alarms and have required the services of a Locksmith on eight occasions so i could get into my own car. That proves something the world is Safe from Mel if there is one thing that licks me off about the whole crime scene it is the Way other people whom i Don l even know have had a profound effect on my life. To begin with. I carry around More keys than a school janitor. I have a key for my Luggage a key or the Gas tank a key for the safety Deposit Box and a key to the Box that holds All of my extra keys. The keys have two things in common. They All look alike and they never open what i want to get Inlo. Secondly i have been forced by bad people roaming the streets to get a dog that barks whenever he hears a noise. Unfortunately this noise can be As inaudible As the chirp of a bored Cricket at 3 . This will cause the dog to jump higher than the Windowsill. The dog never barks at strange people Only at family members. Thanks to the evil thai is lurking around every Corner. I have had to install dead Bolt locks on All the doors. Dead bolts were be Jet meant to be taken seriously As a deterrent against crime. They were originally invented to measure the limits of human stress at one Point wednesday August 20,1966 when i could no Lind a key i found Mysell on my hands and Knees signing for a Flower delivery through the dog door. Robberies have also turned me into a crazy Parson every Lime 1 leave the House. The House must look like in is occupied by five or six people who work out of the House. There should be no exposed windows but Lols of lights no newspapers in the driveway a car in the garage always and a sign on the front Lawn that says an alarm will break your eardrums if you turn the Doorknob. Possibly the worst thing crime has done for me is Force me la gel an unlisted phone number to have a Mailbox without a name on a and to be a person who is afraid to open the door to a person who might need help. Sometimes i think the rats Are winning. C 1938, Loi Angl Les Tirana Syndicate the stars and stripes Page 17