Undesirable activities, like prostitution, were, however, increasingly connected to saunas, the tradition secularized and disappeared. These negative phenomena never reached the Finnish sauna, since the Finns have always regarded sauna as an almost sacred place, where immorality was not allowed. Sauna is an essential part of the Finnish life. The mean age of a Finnish child taking his first sauna bath is 4.5 months and an average Finn goes to sauna more often than once a week. Sauna is frequently mentioned in the Finnish national epic, practically all our authors have described sauna in their books, sauna appears as a motif in paintings and Finnish composers have made songs about sauna.
Sauna occurs also in Finnish films and at present, one of our most popular TV shows is set in sauna.
Scientific research on sauna has elucidated physiological and folkloristic aspects of the bath and technical aspects of sauna building. Unfortunately it is not always used in its original meaning. The original Finnish sauna has nothing to do with sex. In Finland women and men do not bathe together, unless they are of the same family. Earlier it was important for practical reasons, a place to give birth to babies, a place to treat diseases, a place to prepare food and of course a place to wash the body after heavy work.