• Estonia is flat land, half hidden by forests, and has remarkably clean air.
• It also has more supermodels per capita than any other nation.
• Thomas W. Hodgkinson visits and tests a smoke sauna near the Latvian border
• This involves boiling steam mixed with the aroma of smoldering wood.

Inscribed in 2014 (9.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The smoke sauna tradition is an important part of everyday life in the Võro community of Estonia. It comprises a rich set of traditions including the actual bathing customs, the skills of making bath whisks, building and repairing saunas, and smoking meat in the sauna. The sauna is a building or room heated by a stove covered with stones and with an elevated platform for sitting or lying. It has no chimney, and the smoke from burning wood circulates in the room. People usually visit the sauna together and remain until the body sweats. Water is thrown on the heated stones to produce hot steam-laden air and bathers beat their bodies with whisks to scrub off dead skin and stimulate blood circulation. After sweating, whisking, relaxing and possible healing procedures, people cool themselves outside and rinse their bodies with water. The procedure is repeated. The smoke sauna tradition is primarily a family custom, practised usually on Saturdays but also before major festivals or family events, whose main function is to relax the body and mind. Families take turns hosting each other. Usually an older family member is responsible for preparing the sauna, accompanied by children who gradually acquire the necessary skills.

https://youtu.be/3WoIQWWhifY

At a service provider who has joined the Goodwill Agreement, you can be sure that:

• The visitor's code of conduct and information on the Covid-19 virus prevention activities implemented by the service provider are available for all clients;

• all employees are aware of the guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus and follow them in their daily work;

• the indoor ventilation system is working properly;

• there are enough disinfectants, they are available in places visible to everyone;

• frequently touched surfaces are cleaned and disinfected regularly;

• employees and guests are required to wear a mask or alternative personal protective equipment in accordance with applicable national regulations;

• the possibility to maintain the necessary distance both with each other and with the service providers is ensured;

• people with signs of illness are not allowed to be in public places or in the service area;

• people who have come into contact with a client or employee with signs of illness are informed of the exposure without disclosing personal data;

• the service provider participates in COVID-19 prevention webinars organised by Enterprise Estonia.

While we really enjoyed every activity we participated in during our road trip through Estonia, the our time at Mooska Farm Smoke Sauna was definitely the most memorable. Forget everything you know about saunas, this is a far cry from the steam room at your local gym. In Estonia, people take saunas very seriously. Perhaps no one more than our gracious host, Eda Veeroja. After all, she spent a 10 years working to get the Estonia smoke sauna added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

We did half a day in the traditional black smoke sauna, which get its name from the lack of chimney causing the smoke to circulate through the room, and the experience is not for the faint hearted. Firstly, you strip down to your birthday suit, jump into a 100+ degree room and get whisked with dried bundles of leaves. There are salt and honey scrubs, chanting and lots more!

If you’re really adventurous you can jump into a freezing cold lake in the middle of the property to jumpstart your system. The whole experience was one of a kind and gave us a much deeper understanding of the local history and culture. Estonian black saunas have been central to local life for centuries, used to mark special occasions like weddings, deaths and the end of the year. At the end of the ceremony we gave thanks to our bodies, to the sauna and let go of something negative we’ve been holding onto. We left feeling lighter, possibly because we just sweated a few kilos, and much more connected to Estonian culture.

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Source: Don't Forget To Move - Adventure Travel

Read more: ESTONIA TRAVEL GUIDE: WHAT TO SEE AND WHERE TO GO

https://youtu.be/M2f08IE-YZM