SAUNA DIPLOMACY

WHIRLPOOL TUB, SAUNA AND TUKISH STEAM ROOM IN OUT TALLINN APARTMENT




ELYSEE TOOK ME IN THIS UNDIPLOMATIC POSE


Excerpted from my book; OUR SUMMER IN ESTONIA: AMAZON.COM

A famous practitioner of sauna culture was the Cold War Finnish
President, Urho Kerkkonen. He would assemble his Soviet counterparts
in the sauna at his estate and not let them out until agreement was
reached on the items being discussed. A famous story surrounds the visit
of Dean Rusk, at the time US Secretary of State. Rusk had previously
removed from the agenda a visit to the President’s sauna. Perhaps it was
not his sort of activity. Kerkkonen, being the host, persisted, and besides,
it was his sauna time of the day. He showed Rusk around his estate and
they ended up at the sauna. They, along with their ambassadors, sat for
while. The heat came on and Kerkkonen took off his jacket. Naturally,
Rusk did the same, others followed. Soon, off came the shirts, ties, and
other trappings of diplomatic dress. Out came some cold beer, bathing
water, and the American’s experienced a “refreshing” round of Finnish
Sauna Diplomacy.

I don’t want to leave the impression that only the Finns practice the art
of the sauna. It is present throughout the Nordic region. Every hotel Elysee
and I have stayed in, featured their sauna. And, as I have noted earlier when
describing our apartment, we not only have a sauna but a whirlpool bath
and Turkish steam-bath as well. I have become accustomed to taking a
sauna many afternoons, afterwards shaving for the day and showering. It is
very relaxing and sets me up properly for the evening cocktail and the news
of the day. In fact, as part of the bath, I find it much more practical than the
hot-tubs found throughout Florida, which generally are seldom put to use.