The words on the walls.

• SisuSEE-soo · FinnishQuiet grit. The resolve to sit with discomfort, and come out better for it.
• FikaFEE-ka · SwedishA deliberate coffee pause. Permission to slow down, ideally with something sweet.
• KylpyKOOL-pu · FinnishThe bath. In Finland, the cold rinse completes the ritual.
• Roroh · Danish and NorwegianStillness without effort.
• SamværSAHM-vair · Danish and NorwegianTogetherness. Simply being in the same room.

• LöylyLUR-lu · FinnishThe steam that rises when water meets the stones. Also the feeling of it. The whole point of a sauna, according to Finns.
• KiuasKEE-oo-ahs · FinnishThe sauna stove. Ours heats to 90°C in about 30 minutes.
• VihtaVEEH-ta · FinnishA whisk of birch branches you tap on your skin in the heat. Smells like a forest. In eastern Finland it is a vasta, and they will argue about it.
• SaunatonttuSOW-na-TONT-too · FinnishThe sauna elf. Lives behind the stove, protects the sauna, and expects you to keep it clean and calm. Do not test him.
• AvantoAH-van-toh · FinnishA hole cut in lake ice for a dip between rounds. The snow out back is the Rockland Park version.
• Hyviä löylyjäHOO-vee-ah LUR-lu-yah · FinnishGood steams. What you say to someone heading into the sauna.
• TervetuloaTER-veh-too-loh-ah · FinnishWelcome.
• VälkommenVEL-kom-men · SwedishWelcome.
• LagomLAH-gom · SwedishNot too much, not too little. Just right. The Swedish answer to almost everything, including how long to stay in the heat.
• HyggeHOO-gah · DanishCosy contentment. Candles, a blanket, a slow evening. The living room after the sauna.
• FriluftslivFREE-loofts-leev · NorwegianOpen-air life. The idea that being outside, in any weather, is where you reset. Bearspaw Reservoir is three minutes away.
• KiitosKEE-tos · FinnishThank you. Say it to the sauna on your way out.

Pronunciations are the friendly version. Our Finnish friend Mosse says close enough counts, as long as you say it with conviction.