The first open saunas weekend took place in July 2011 under the name Haanimaa Suidsusanna Nätäl (Haanimaa Smoke Sauna Week). For fifteen years, the saunas and sauna-hosting families of Võrumaa have been welcoming guests into the warm embrace of their saunas. The event has grown, and the circle of open saunas has expanded from Urvaste to Mikitamäe. In addition to smoke saunas, guests have also enjoyed a steaming in other types of saunas.

On Friday, a sauna trip to the smoke saunas of Karula

On October 9th, an excursion took place to the smoke saunas of the Karula area. Led by sauna traveler Pluuto (Marko Puksing), five smoke saunas in the Karula area were visited. Journeying through the dome hills and valleys of Karula was an experience in itself. We saw old smoke saunas and new ones, built with a warm heart and deep knowledge. Every sauna and every family has its own story to tell. The trip provided inspiration and encouragement to the sauna owners.

On Saturday, the open saunas day

On October 10th, visitors could choose from 29 different offers, from sunrise to late evening hours. The experiences ranged from a sauna at the foot of the Munamägi hill tower to a cave sauna on the banks of the Piusa River. The day was filled with hot sauna stoves, encounters in the authentic countryside, and warm shared moments with local people living near the Latvian and Russian borders as well as fellow sauna enthusiasts.

On Sunday, a grand whisking festival on the shores of Lake Rõuge Suurjärv

On October 10th, a grand whisking festival took place on the shores of Lake Rõuge Suurjärv. More than eighty people whisked together in Estonia_9;s largest sauna tent, with the youngest being five years old and the oldest 81. The sauna and sauna-goers were greeted, people whisked themselves and let fellow sauna-goers whisk them. The atmosphere was set by sauna spells, sauna drums, sauna songs, and whisking tips. Between steam sessions, participants enjoyed a refreshing dip in Estonia_9;s deepest lake. With the playful sauna textile installation "SANNA ÜSÄH" (In the Womb of the Sauna), heritage sauna master and illustrator Sanna Pelliccioni brought greetings from Finnish sauna heritage.

A Finn_9;s homecoming

Hannele Valkeeniemi, Director of the Finnish Institute and co-founder of the Finnish-Estonian Sauna Society, participated in the event for several times already. She noted that the event has changed and evolved, offering new experiences each time and going even deeper into the heritage.

“Finland has a very strong sauna culture, but SANNA! is like a homecoming to one_9;s roots for a Finn. The sauna is our shared heritage. Many sauna traditions that have faded in Finland can still be experienced right here in Võrumaa. Meeting on the sauna bench and sharing the steam brought up new thoughts and ideas on how to share our preserved heritage with one another and learn from each other_9;s experiences.”

Sauna makes everyone equal

Britt Vahter, the Mayor of Rõuge Municipality, is a sauna owner who has hosted guests and participated in the sauna network cooperation for years, precisely because the sauna makes people equal on a human level and brings families and communities together. On Saturday morning at 10 AM, she shared the sauna bench with Americans, Finns, Ukrainians, Estonians, and locals. In the shared steam, joy and faith filled the heart that more collective sauna visits calm and ease the fear of war and the stresses of everyday life. The warmth of the sauna brings peace.

One annual event, but cooperation is daily

SANNA! 2026 is only a fraction of the cooperation between sauna families and sauna communities. Today, 59 sauna families communicate with each other. Even more important than the annual three-day event is the daily communication between sauna families and sauna enthusiasts: workshops, lectures, articles, training, and sharing. This is an enriching, continuous, and reliable exchange of information regarding sauna-related skills, knowledge, experiences, beliefs, customs and traditions, heritage, and practices, as well as the art of sharing.

We go to the sauna together, listen and discuss in lectures, and talk to kindergartens, schools, and Estonians who are not yet sauna believers. The smoke sauna customs of Old Võromaa have been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2014. Through SANNA! sauna visits and learning from one another, we create a practice that broadens traditions respectfully and strengthens health through the sauna-going experience.

Mark your calendar: SANNA! 2027 will take place on October 8–10. The meeting place is Võrumaa. If you want to stay up to date with SANNA! news, join the mailing list: https://rouge-turism.kit.com/abb07dc795

You can follow next year_9;s Facebook event here!

The project "Health Comes from the Sauna" is co-funded by the European Union through the LEADER measure under the strategy of the Võrumaa Partnership Assembly.