The instructions help sauna service providers, such as hotels, spas, health clubs, and public saunas, to step up their cleaning protocols to meet the high hygiene standards of the time of an epidemic.
Many services, including public and guest saunas, had to close their doors during the spring as a result of the restrictions brought by the COVID-19. Now in many parts of the world restaurants, cafes, museums and such are cautiously opening their doors again with added clean up operations in mind. Sauna businesses are no exceptions from this—the service providers have to reconsider hygiene protocols of the complete sauna experience to prevent viruses from spreading.
”Cleanliness was already the starting point of an enjoyable sauna experience before the pandemic, but the current situation has put an emphasis on the hygiene and clean up operations of sauna services. We have received numerous contacts from service providers who wonder how to boost the cleaning processes and tell the returning customers that everything is done to ensure the cleanliness of sauna bathing. They want to know how to provide the customers a clean sauna experience from beginning to the end,” says Pekka Krook, the chairman of Sauna from Finland.
To support Finnish sauna service providers around the world, Sauna from Finland has formed a guide for cleaning up sauna rooms and wet areas, such as shower rooms, during an epidemic. The instructions are written in co-operation with a Finnish cleaning expert association SSTL Puhtausala ry. The instructions include information about correct methods, equipment and detergents, and environmental and Green Key standards have also been take into account.
In addition Sauna from Finland and SSTL Puhtausala ry instruct how to let the customers know about the increased clean up operations.
”You can never communicate too much about the cleanliness of the sauna service. Service providers should emphasize the high hygiene standards on their website and give concrete instructions for customers when they arrive. It gives the sauna bathers a feeling of safety, which is a foundation of an enjoyable sauna experience,” Krook says.
How to instruct the customers to a clean sauna experience, then? Sauna from Finland and SSTL Puhtausala ry created a printable “Sauna Bather’s Checklist” to hang to the dressing room or frame on the reception counter. Service providers should complete the instructions with ones specific to their saunas and let the customers know e.g. about the use of seat covers or washing protocols of rentable towels.
”Now or never is the time develop the service to meet the needs of returning customers. Everyone’s looking for comprehensive wellbeing services and it’s certain that the demand of high-quality sauna services will increase in the near future”, Krook says.
Sauna from Finland recommends to actively follow official guidelines and directives and adjust the services accordingly.
