Saunas stay hot around the clock at Jukola relay

Four saunas at the Kotka-Jukola relay event will remain heated nonstop until Sunday afternoon, with a team of about 30 volunteers maintaining the fires and ensuring a steady supply of steam for an expected 10,000 bathers over the weekend.

Each sauna has four stoves, and the facilities can accommodate roughly 200 people at a time. Volunteers like Anna-Maria Osola Tähtinen monitor the flames continuously, hauling firewood in carts and large durable bags to keep the heat going. She describes the work as physically demanding, requiring both strength and careful coordination to keep operations running smoothly.

The sauna area also includes a new outdoor pool, converted from a forest pond, where lifeguards like Santtu Sivula—trained in water rescue through his work with the Kymenlaakso Rescue Department—stand watch over the 30-by-50-meter swimming area.

Beyond the saunas and pool, volunteers run a porridge bar serving an estimated 1,500 liters of porridge in 3,000 individual portions. Tiina Sallinen, a first-time volunteer, began cooking at 4 a.m. Saturday, with the bar opening at 7 a.m. The largest porridge pots hold over 100 liters each.

Organizers have prepared for international visitors, though many foreign competitors are already familiar with Finnish sauna culture. The sauna team focuses solely on maintaining the fires, leaving the actual steam-throwing and washing to the bathers themselves.