Jasper Pääkkönen is a Finnish actor and sauna entrepreneur. According to Jasper, sauna is the Finnish equivalent of going to church – not so much for spiritual element but the fact it is a weekly routine of every Finn’s life. Many American families go to church every weekend. Instead, Finns go to sauna every weekend to relax and purify mind, body, and soul.
As the founder of Löyly, a public sauna in Helsinki, Jasper Pääkkönen with his business partner wanted to revive the communal sauna culture that used to thrive in Finland. The public saunas were communal gathering places, but that culture had almost disappeared. Another goal was to offer tourists an opportunity to experience traditional Finnish sauna.
Did you know that Löyly as a building has been protected by law by city of Helsinki (the youngest building in Finland to receive this honor!)? It was also named on Time Magazine one of the world’s 100 greatest places list!
Jasper is a passionate fly fisherman and passionate for protecting our fisheries. Sustainability and responsibility were important parts in designing Löyly as well.
Jasper is often asked tips for building a sauna. He could see himself working on a project in exporting the Finnish sauna experience in the future. He says Finnish people are the experts in building a perfect sauna. High-quality and some technical details are important. For example, the benches must be high enough in relation to the heater.
See what else Jasper had to say about sauna and Finnishness.
