Style: Sauna Country By Judith Lawson.

SAUNA C UNTRY

By Judith Lawson

"Y ou won't be hurried in the sauna, and you won't be hurried out f 't "0 1. - Richard Jarvi

InFinland, it is claimed, there are more saunas than cars.J or a population of just under five million, the legendary land of the midnight sun, Lapps, reindeer, and. hardy citizens has a million of the h~af baths, as much a part of daily life as commuting is in America.

In Maine, according to sauna master Richard Jarvi (J arvi is the Finnish word for "lake"), there are more wood-fired saunas per capita than in any other state. And no one knows better than Jarvi, whose enchanting Richmond Corner Sauna Baths inspired a kind of pilgrimage into Maine's sauna country, a mystical territory roughly bounded by the- hamlets of Patten to the north, Richmond Corners to the south, and South Paris to the west.

Herein lie six public saunas of very differentcharacter indeed, for the sauna, like the pub in the British Isles, takes its character from its owner. The sauna master is one part woodsman, one part priest, one part therapist, one part handyman-of-all-trades. Clients tend to be "regulars," in another touching similarity to the local pub, intensely devoted to their sauna and even possessive of "their" sauna master!

Why in Maine? As a visiting Finn remarked, "I have not felt so much at home since I was a boy in Finland." The granite ledges, spruce forests, sparse population, laconic manner of Maine natives, but most of all fragrant woodsmoke curling from the chimneys of the baths, almost all of them in tiny Maine hamlets and villages off the touristic routes, evoke the spirit of the high latitudes.

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Finns, Scandinavians, and White Russians emigrated to the northeast corner of the United States in search of cordial employment (many were stone cutters and carpenters, others farmers) and a sense of place. Richard Jarvi's parents came to Vermont to settle in a small rural mill town. Their son's move to Maine was a natural attraction: Inspired by memories of his grandparents' smoke sauna, Jarvi opened the Richmond Corner baths on the spring equinox in 1977. Except for Dave's Sauna in South Paris, his is the oldest continuous operation in the state and has set the pattern for almost all of the rest.

The genuine Finnish sauna, you must understand, is more than a sweat bath for the body. It is a ritual, a tradition, a bonding experience (for families and friends) and occasionally, when conditions are right, a mystically altered state. The state of ecstacy may be induced by the rapid move from a very hot (over 215 degrees F.) sauna to a very cold pool or a roll in the snow, repeated three or more times, beneath a black velvet sky spangled with the stars of a winter night. The blood sings, edges dissolve. One is reborn, reincarnated, renewed, and purified. This "high," which is certainly not achieved every time, is what the purist is after, and there are purists in Maine sauna country, although most come for the cleansing and relaxation induced by the bath.

Every public sauna has a waiting room, and here - towel-wrapped you may find the likes of legislators, poets, Bath Iron Works roustabouts, fishermen, and city-weary travelers quietly discussing everything from nuclear weapons to the classic way to bag a deer with bow and arrow, to well ... how wonderful the sauna is. A typical note from a client at Richard Jarvi's says, "Your little paradise here quickly took us in and soothed all those city worries we had brought. This is a wonderful place, and definitely like no other we've found."

The sounds of the sauna gently enfold the cooling bathers upon reentry. Crickets in the stacked, split wood (a cord a day is usual for most saunas), water gurgling in the barrels welded to the heavy iron stoves (to humidify the air), the low roar of a redhot fire. Jarvi plays the sounds of Windham Hill artists or a little Vivaldi in the background. The effects are neither soporific nor invigorating: They are revitalizing.

Bear in mind that in Finland the sauna is regarded with genuine reverence. There is a Finnish saying that "One must behave in the sauna as one would behave in church." All noise, shouting, music, swearing, and loud talking are ritually prohibited.

Group outings to the saunas are increasingly popular. Not infrequently they come from far afield to the baths of Maine. Jarvi has a group of young professionals that come from Boston every year, combining a weekend at the sauna with the Common Ground Fair in Windsor and breakfast at a favorite Hallowell restaurant. That's the kind of low-key, low-cost, out-of-the-ordinary holiday favored by aficionados of the sauna. In winter bathers may plan a couple of days cross-country skiing to be close by a sauna. Continued on page 47

If you think television news is just headlines

then you haven't watched TV 8 News lately ...

Medical Issues. Dr. Dean Edell keeps you and your family upto-date with the latest medical breakthroughs from across the country ... with reports from . the experts and the latest medical journals.

Thursday's child. Each week TV 8's Marguerite Jordan-Blair introduces you to a new child in the area looking for a big brother or big sister ... someone to talk to ... an adult friend to pal around with. Meet Maine's children, each Thursday, in this special report from the heart.

New England ski reo ports. Dave Irons' special end-of-the-week ski reports give you a complete update on conditions from all the major areas. Consumer Health Tips. From the corner drugstore Pharmacist Max Leber reports the latest breakthroughs on drugs ... from aspirin to diet pills. Some medications are better than others, so Max provides the information you need to make sound decisions about the drugs you use.

Local entertainment. TV 8's John Roll covers the performing arts in Maine with previews and reviews of movies, community. theater, the Portland symphony, art sbows, concerts and more.

local Stocks. Daily listings from the New York Stock Exchange ... TV 8 News updates the hottest local stocks, from Boise Cascade to Shaw's Supermarkets.

Senior citizen issues. TV 8's Marge Blood and Margaret Russell, of Maine's Committee on Aging, take a close look at the issues facing Maine's older people, and ofter advice to help the elderly avoid rip-ofts.

So, if you haven't watched TV 8 News lately, take a look at us now. Have we got news for you ... 7 nights a week at 6 and 11. Because there's more to news than headlines.

'NEWS

Together with YOU!

8840

Continued from page 45

All but Dave's Sauna and Durham Leisure Center have followed Jarvi's lead by installing a hot tub and a pool, although the standard way to wash down and cool off is by the showers within each individual sauna room. Most serve juice, soft drinks, and water at a tiny bar or from the 'fridge. Privacy, vital to the sauna experience, is fiercely protected. Although nudity is optional (and a natural state for the bather), a few saunas discourage it. Jarvi says he has never had a serious incident provoked by nudity, and has several times asked overly interested men to leave when a woman client felt she was being stared at. Among his favorite groups are a covey of divorced women; and local college students from Bates and Bowdoin and families are common.

There will always be arguments over what constitutes a~'_genuine"sauna, but the last word comes from the International Handbook of the Finnish Sauna, which allows that, "Having a serviceable imitation is far better than having no sauna at all. Just how far one can deviate from the true sauna before the imitation becomes worthless is difficult to detennine. Suffice it to say that the closer one can come to the atmosphere of a log-walledsmoke sauna, the better!" To Learn More: Black Bear Sauna 1856 Hotel Road Auburn,. Maine 04210 (207) 782-0273 $4.50/hour Dave'sSaunaParis Hill Road South Paris, Maine 04281 (207) 743-7409 $2.50/hour Durham Leisure Center Route 136, Box 276, RFD #3 Durham, Maine 04032 (207) 353-4353 $4/hour for sauna $1O/hour for sauna & hot tub Old Massachusetts Homestead Campground Route 1 Lincolnville Beach, Maine 04849 (207) 789-5135 $4/hour Owl Rock Sauna Patten, Maine 04765 (207) 528-2095 $4/hour weekdays $5/hour weekends Richmond Corner Sauna Bath Dingley Road Richmond, Maine 04357 (207) 737-4752 $5/hour

Judith Lawson has written for People, The Washington Post, US, Cruising World, and many other publications. A Bowdoinham resident, she is a professional sailor and self· admitted sauna addict.

Sunbuilt® glass

FREE Color Catalogue

iii

P.O. Box 2327 Scarborough, ME 04074

883-4675 ,~LASS " SYSTEM-;

OF NEW ENGLAND

~(l-l][fUbilt.. CREATIVE SUNROOMS

CALL FOR SHOWROOM HOURS

IT IS THE ROOM EVERYONE WILL ENJOY - ALL YEAR.

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL ENCLOSURES.

Come celebrate life in the Northern Italian style at Ristorante Regina.

Whether it be a weeknight event, a weekend, a special occasion or a holiday, Ristorante Regina offers the finest in Northern Italian cuisine in an intimate, romantic, candlelit setting. For Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve we will offer special menus perfect for an intimate party or a family celebration.

FOR INFORMATION ON DINNER RESERVATIONS OR WEEKEND

PACKAGES CALL 967-5333.

The Schooners

The Inn & Restaurant on Grannie Harding's Wharf