On 24 February 2022, Ukraine faced a devastating attack from its neighbor, Russia. The conflict brought forth a barrage of missiles and artillery, mercilessly pounding residential areas, compelling millions of women and children to flee the war-torn country. I was hiking in the Nevada desert thousands of miles away when I heard the news and it felt like the ominous beginnings of World War 3.
Faced with a world seemingly falling apart I felt helpless and yes, scared. A memory of an incident that occurred years ago during the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan gave me hope. The Japanese Sauna Society had swiftly responded by setting up a large tent sauna on-site. Not only did it provide a practical means to decontaminate thousands of people exposed to radiation but it also offered solace, community, and a way to relax amidst an exceedingly stressful time. The circumstances were different, but why couldn’t we extend a similar gesture to aid Ukraine? My fear transformed into resolve.
I reached for my smartphone and composed a short email to Risto Elomaa, president of the International Sauna Association (ISA) based in Helsinki, Finland. I wrote: “Risto. Do you think it’s possible that the International Sauna Association can help organize a mobile sauna convoy to the border to the Ukraine refugee camps?”
Risto immediately contacted key members of the association with the idea and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Rimas Kavaliauskas, President of Lithuania Bath Academy, organized a teleconference and within a few days a dozen or so of us from all over the globe were brainstorming what to do on a near-daily basis.
We agreed on a name, Sauna Aid, and Kim Petersen, former President of the Danish Sauna Society created a website while the designer Yana Kaiser fine-tuned our social media graphics. Jussi Niemelä, an ISA board member, set up a fund-raising pipe-line. Rimas and his colleague Birutė Masiliauskienė, President of Professional Bath Masters Association, with support from Lasse Eriksen, president of the Norwegian Sauna Association, created a guide for bath masters dealing with trauma. Rimas and Birutė hosted free bathing sessions for fleeing Ukrainian women and children in Lithuania.
Ukraine was our immediate concern but we quickly envisioned Sauna Aid as a long-term initiative with a global scope and our mission statement expanded to “providing movable sauna facilities and supportive services to people facing natural and man-made disasters.”
With hands on support from Mika Meskanen, and Wendy Liu, Co-founders of the British Sauna Society, Jussi Niemelä and Kimmo Raitio as well as a generous grant from the Japanese Sauna Society, Sauna Aid in collaboration with Arctisauna, led by Markko Hämäläinen designed and built a robust tent sauna that is currently operating in the center of Kharkiv. The tent sauna was tested as a fundraising event in Helsinki in March 2022 before it was sent to Kharkiv. It uses an efficient wood burning stove and accommodates up to 20 bathers, making the cost of bathing one person the same as the cost of bathing many. Lukas Kubica and Pixxla Sauna donated a container sauna which we transported to Ukraine where it is currently being used near the eastern border with Russia. We are in the process of transporting a 12-person sauna with a wood burning stove donated by the Therme Group to the Ukranian village of Staryi Sambir where it will be placed at a youth sports center. We are also working with a citizens group in Kharkiv to build a sauna complex on the shore of a public lake on the outskirts of the city.
Our fundraising efforts include hosting a major event: a benefit screening of Perfect Sweat on 15 January 2023 in central London which was organized by the British Sauna Society with generous sponsors from the Therme Group, Design For Leisure, Kyro Distillery, The Bath House, Heartwood Saunas, The Saunaverse, and Paus Cambridge. This was followed by donations from the Saunaverse during UK’s first Sauna Festival in February. Furthermore, under the guidance of Glenn Auerbach, the editor of SaunaTimes, we mounted a World Sauna Aid Moment fundraiser on 11 March 2023.
Over the last year, several public bathhouses in England and the US, including the Community Sauna Baths, Water & Stone Wild Spa, Archimedes Banya, and Uusi Sauna, hosted Sauna Aid fundraising events. Along with other generous grants from the Japanese, the Swedish Academy and Finnmark Sauna have been active in raising money for our cause. Through our web-site we have also accepted many small donations from contributors around the globe.
Our biggest fund-raising challenge comes from potential supporters who ask: “There is a war going on and you send saunas? Why don’t you just send flowers?” For me, the answer is obvious.
There is no war in sauna.
Throughout my life I have witnessed how the sweat baths such as the Finnish sauna, Slavic banya, Islamic hammam, and Native American sweatlodge can heal not only the body but also the mind and spirit. These baths offer a profound sense of connection with oneself and nature, fostering a space where people can come together, share stories, and build a deep sense of community. Most Ukrainians know what I am talking about. For them the banya or laznia is an important part of everyday life and is not considered a luxury.
Though Sauna Aid primarily aims to help civilians, in a country where everyone is affected by the conflict, the boundaries blur. We have partnered with Saunas 4 Ukraine, an Estonian group led by filmmaker and military officer, Ilmar Raag, whose complimentary focus is on delivering complete mobile sauna sanitation units directly to soldiers fighting on the front.
In the end, Sauna Aid is more than an initiative of the International Sauna Association, it is an idea, a concept that can be applied anywhere in the world, by anyone who wants to see the world a better place.
Your help and contributions are welcome.
www.sauna-aid.com
https://saunainternational.net
https://mikkelaaland.com