During 2010-2011, I explored the fast shrinking public sauna communities in Tampere, Finland. Communal saunas served as both bathhouse and venue for dialogue and resolution concerning their communities. Today, a typical house or an apartment features a private sauna, and therefore the communal sauna has all but disappeared from Finnish cities.

The city of Tampere is an exception perhaps because of its working class roots. It is over 100 miles north of the capital, Helsinki, and the strong communities fostered by communal saunas during the industrial era has held together the sauna establishments. The set of photographs document the men at various communal saunas around the city. It includes Rajaportin Sauna, the oldest operational public sauna in Finland (most likely the world), as well as six other public sauna locations.

Sauna is a sacred place where participants leave behind the chaos of everyday and aspire towards a sense of tranquility and refinement. The experience is a transformative practice in cleansing, purification, renewal, and healing, both mentally and physically. In the past, the communal saunas served as both bathhouse and venue for the community to meet and discuss important issues. Although sauna is a very Finnish centric culture, the ritual is revelatory to all of us, who are seeking relief and solace in various aspects of our lives.