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Smoke sauna: the original form of the sauna
The smoke sauna – Finnish savusauna – has no chimney. While it heats, smoke fills the room and is only let out before bathing. This is how people in Finland took saunas for centuries.
Updated: September 2026 · independent guide, sources linked
A smoke sauna is hard to do in a residential area. A wood-fired heater with a chimney also brings the character of a wood fire to your garden sauna.
Wood or electric heater guide →At a glance
| Origin | Finland and the Baltics |
|---|---|
| Chimney | none – the smoke is let out after heating |
| Heating time | many hours, often most of a day |
| Interior | soot-blackened walls; the heat lasts a long time |
| Heritage | smoke sauna tradition of Võromaa, Estonia (UNESCO, 2014) |
How a smoke sauna works
In a smoke sauna, a large pile of stones sits above a fire. It is heated with a lot of wood – according to the literature about 6 to 8 hours, often most of a day. As there is no chimney, smoke fills the room. Once the sauna reaches the right temperature, the fire is allowed to die down and the room is ventilated. Only then do people bathe: the stones and thick log walls hold the heat for a long time.
The smoke blackens the walls with soot and has a disinfecting effect. Smoke saunas are therefore considered simple to build and durable – provided fire safety is taken into account.
History at a glance
- OriginsThe first Finnish saunas were smoke saunas: a pile of stones (kiuas) heated with large amounts of wood.
- Chimney stoveWith the chimney stove, the wood-fired sauna becomes a convenient alternative.
- 2014The smoke sauna tradition of Võromaa (southern Estonia) becomes UNESCO heritage.
- TodaySmoke saunas are being built more often again – as a special experience rather than an everyday sauna.
A painting by the Finnish artist Eero Järnefelt shows an old smoke sauna by a lake, on our page about the Finnish sauna.
A smoke sauna in the garden?
In a densely built Swiss residential area it's difficult: the smoke, the long heating time and the fire risk don't sit well with neighbours and fire safety. In most cantons a sauna needs a permit anyway, and authorities look particularly closely at anything with a fire. If you love a wood fire, choose a wood-fired heater with a chimney – crackling and the scent of wood, but no smoke in the cabin. Tips on placement: location & foundation.
For a sauna in the garden, each canton handles the building permit differently, for example Solothurn, Thurgau and Neuchâtel. All 26 cantons: Building permit.
A smoke sauna is hard to do in a residential area. A wood-fired heater with a chimney also brings the character of a wood fire to your garden sauna.
Wood or electric heater guide →More sauna types: Finnish sauna · Wood-fired sauna · Electric sauna · Barrel sauna · Sauna cabin · Infrared sauna · Bio sauna · Steam room · Kelo sauna · Kota sauna · Mobile sauna
Sweat baths of other cultures: Banya (Eastern Europe) · Roman baths · Hammam · Sweat lodge (North America) · Temazcal (Mesoamerica) · Qargi (Yup'ik & Inuit) · Steppe nomads (Scythians) · Hanjeungmak (Korea) · Mushiburo (Japan) · Sweathouses (Ireland)
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