The Guide to Finnish Sauna Maintenance set to launch on the 24th September
Saunologia will make its first international book release on September 24th, 2026. The new book authored by Dr. Lassi A Liikkanen is called The Guide to Finnish Sauna Design. It will be published in association with the International Sauna Congress 2026 at Oslo, Norway.
What does it talk about?
The Guide to Finnish Sauna Maintenance is a handbook for anyone who owns, operates or cares for a sauna.
Drawing on extensive research, numerous interviews and years of hands-on experience, Dr. Lassi A. Liikkanen explains how to keep a sauna clean, safe, functional and attractive for years to come.This volume covers more than fifty maintenance procedures for both home and public saunas, from everyday cleaning to the care of benches, heaters, sauna stones, and much more.
What is the book like?
The book will initially appear in paperback and hardcover formats. The book will be available for purchase through several channels, prominently most Amazon marketplaces globally.
At the ISC event, I will be delivering the first hardcover copies for pre-ordered customers to pick up. The book is expected to appear simultaneously available for mail orders across various platforms, not only Amazon.
Customers based in Finland can from October order signed copies from the Saunologia web store.
Pre-orders for Oslo release (hardcover only)
ISC26 advance orders for Oslo in-person pickup from Saunologia.fi webshop (contact me if you have issues). Place your order by September 11th, late orders are not guaranteed for delivery and will be refunded.
There will be a small batch of books to buy direct from the author in Oslo, but pre-orders are strongly encouraged to guarantee availability.
All ISC deliveries are personally signed by the author.
Buy using this form over PayPal :
or from the Saunologia webshop (credit cards accepted, use auto translate if occasional Finnish UI elements confuse you)
Ordering online
Online retailers will be listed here by early September as the title is confirmed on the platforms.
Summary of key book features
- 104 pages in full colour
- More than 100 previously unpublished photos and illustrations
- More than 50 practical maintenance procedures
- 10 pages of equipment data sheets featuring 40 current products from six major brands
- 7 Finnish public sauna case studies
- All human created text, photos and illustrations
Table of contents
Table of Contents
- The Mindset for Sauna Maintenance 10
What is a Finnish sauna, and what maintenance does it need? 10
The maintenance cycles 11
Goals of sauna care and the opposite of clean 12
How often and how much to clean? 14
Scheduling, planning and budgeting for cleaning in a professional context 20 - Daily Maintenance of Public Saunas 22
The foam scrub in detail 26 - Periodic Maintenance of Public Saunas 30
Short-interval periodic maintenance (from weeks to months) 30
Long-interval periodic checks and maintenance (from months to years) 31
Miscellaneous issues: stains and rust 35
End of lifecycle: decommissioning or remodelling a sauna 36 - Private Sauna Cleaning and Inspections 37
- Preserving the Benches 39
Protecting the benches 39
Sanding the bench decking 40 - Sauna Heater Inspection and Stone Replacement 43
Sauna stone replacement for electric and wood-burning heaters 43
Taking action 45
Heater replacement 49 - Special Cases: Wood-burning, Seasonal and Smoke Saunas 51
Wood-burning saunas 51
Sauna cabin essential checks (long-interval; annual maintenance) 53
Seasonal sauna shutdown and re-opening 55
Smoke sauna maintenance 55 - Maintenance Examples from Finnish Public Saunas 57
- Upgrading Your Sauna Heater 62
Upgrade and replacement considerations 62 - Sauna heaters on the North American market in 2026 66
Reference and Acknowledgments 68 - Bibliography 68
