22 March 2022
For Immediate Release
Sauna Aid Receives Support from Japan
Sauna Aid, a multicountry initiative sponsored by the International Sauna Association (ISA), has
just received a generous donation of 10,000 Euro from the Japanese Sauna and Spa
Association and its members. https://www.sauna.or.jp The donation is earmarked for themanufacturing of a custom designed and built movable sauna and to support the ISA`s Sauna andHealth project.

According to Risto Elomaa, the president of the ISA, “The movable sauna is currently underconstruction in Mikkeli, Finland by the same manufacturer who builds heavy duty tent saunas for
the Finnish military. It was designed together with Arctinar, a family-owned businessspecializing in tent saunas and will be completed by the 26th March. https://arctinar.com. Thesauna fits 20 bathers and is complete with benches and a Finnish wood burning stove as well a s
a separate wood fired water heater. Sauna plans and user instructions are available on request.”
The tent sauna will be publicly initiated at a benefit event on Saturday the 26th March at
Lapinlahden Lähde, a center for mental well-being and cultural events located in the old
Lapinlahti psychiatric hospital in Helsinki. https://lapinlahdenlahde.fi/en/ Proceeds from theevent, which will also feature borscht soup and other Ukrainian foods, will go to theInternational Red Cross to support Ukrainian refugees.
Sauna Aid is currently providing and supporting sauna facilities in select locations in Finland,
Poland and Lithuania. Other countries accepting Ukrainian refugees will follow. ISA affiliates in
Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Denmark, United Kingdom, and Finland
are coordinating the movement of the saunas, as well as recruiting and organizing volunteer bathattendants to run and maintain them.
The sauna, or laznia/banya, as it is known among Ukrainians, is an important part of everyday
life and provides a means of hygiene, stress relief, socialization, psychological comfort, andsocial identity. It is not considered a luxury, nor is it only about cleanliness. It is a social eventthat brings together the young and the old, the rich and the poor and promotes peace and acommon sense of humanity. Ukrainians call the laznia their “second mother”.
Providing sauna support during disasters is not new to the ISA. During the 2011 Fukushima
tsunami and nuclear plant accident, ISA and the Japanese Sauna Society maintained a tent sauna
for five weeks and used it for decontamination and cleaning of over a thousand locals in areas
where no electricity was available.

Sauna Aid is accepting monetary donations and equipment as well as recruiting volunteers to
help staff the saunas.
To donate money, go to: https://sauna-aid.com
To volunteer your time as a bath attendant or to provide movable saunas or sauna accessories,
sign up here: https://sauna-aid.com
To follow Sauna Aid on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saunaaid

About the Japanese Sauna and Spa Association
The JSSA was founded in 1990 to promote good health and an energetic way of life bydeveloping and nurturing a healthy spa industry. It sets spa standards, holds training seminars,
does research on developing technologies and communicates with governmental organizations.
It represents over 150 spa organizations spread throughout Japan and is a member of theInternational Sauna Association. https://www.sauna.or.jp/index.html

About The International Sauna Association (ISA)The International Sauna Association (ISA) is a non-profit association of over 20 national sauna
societies. The ISA was founded in 1958. Its goal is publicizing the sauna and promoting its use
on a global scale by rallying supporters of sauna activities in different countries as well as
promoting the scientific studies of the history, sociology, and medical benefits of the sauna.
Participating organizations:
Lithuanian Bath Academy, British Sauna Society, Finnish Sauna Society, Polish Sauna Society,
German Sauna Association, Japan Sauna and Spa Association, Norwegian Sauna Society, DanishSauna Society, Finnish Embassy in Poland, North American Sauna Society, Swedish SaunaAcademy, New Zealand Sauna Society, The Australian Sweat Bathing Association, FinnlandInstitut Berlin, Austrian Sauna Society, and the Czech Sauna Association. (More organizationsto follow.)
You can find links to the individual participating organizations here:
https://saunainternational.net/members/
For more information contact:
Risto Elomaa, President International Sauna Association
sauna@kolumbus.fi
Mikkel Aaland, author/host, Perfect Sweat documentary series
mikkel.aaland@gmail.com
Mika Meskanen, Chairman of the British Sauna Society
mika@britishsaunasociety.org.uk

Jussi Niemelä, Board of Directors, ISA
jussi.p.niemela@gmail.com
Kim P. Pedersen, President of Danish Sauna Society
kim@saunaselskab.dkRimas Kavaliauskas, President of Lithuania Bath Academy rimas@bath.academy
Lasse Eriksen, chairman of the Norwegian Sauna Society (Norsk Badstulaug)lasse.eriksen@farrisbad.noMikko Fritze, Director of Finnland-Institut Berlin mikkofritze@gmail.com
Birutė Masiliauskienė, President of Professional Bath Masters Association birute@laumiupirtis.lt