The Poetry and Power of Peat in the Sauna: A Trip to Montana's Sauna60
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| Excerpt from Kinship by Seamus Heaney (Photo: Courtesy Cambridge Archaeological Unit) |
Irishman Seamus Heaney's poem Kinship uses the peat bog as a metaphor for being at one with the ancient and mysterious landscape. In my sauna bathing, that kind of connection is important; whether it's a visual immersion in the natural surroundings of the sauna itself, a rough roll in the snow or a bracing plunge in the nearest lake. When I first heard about a Finnish peat sauna, the thought of immersing myself in "the ruminant ground" from a bog was actually appealing. Admittedly, there is something paradoxical about the bog that, as Heaney points out, is cold, slimy and forbidding and, at the same time, offers softness, peace and insight. The challenge was to find a local experience that combined bog peat and sauna.
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| From the History of Mudbaden, Scott Historical Society |
Of course, mud and clay are pretty common in spa and beauty treatments. In the early 1900's, Minnesotans could trek just an hour south of the Twin Cities for therapeutic sulphur mud treatments at the Mudbaden spa near Jordan. It closed down many decades ago. Today, hot springs out west are famous for their mineral rich mud treatments. Typically, mud is applied with capsaicin (chili pepper extract) added for a "warming" effect and combined with massage or a wrap and rest. The thing is--peat is not mud.
While there are similarities between mud from dirt and peat muck, the main difference is that dirt has more mineral content and peat is decayed plant matter, in particular, bog-loving sphagnum moss. Peat moss is the darkest, deepest layer of decayed organic matter, compacted over thousands of years in a watery morass. The very conditions that make bogs forbidding places--cold, boot-sucking muck--result in something that is virtually free of bacteria, fungi and viruses and rich in humic and fulvic acids. Research has found that it exhibits anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-free radical properties--but more study is needed to confirm the complexities of Mother Nature’s recipe.
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| Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park Photo: Jack Steinmann, 2026 |
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| Garnier Creek must be crossed to reach the sauna. Photos: Jack Steinmann, 2026. |
The trip west to Columbia Falls, Montana from St. Paul, Minnesota is a thousand miles or so. We rented a cozy cottage at Blue Star and, after settling in and, at the appointed time, I walked the path to the sauna, across a bridge over a clear water creek, past the metal sculpture of a goddess into a forest clearing where the sauna is situated. I met Tanjariitta at the shop, like an apothecary, where she stocks essential oils, herbs and leeches. She is trained and licensed in hirudotherapy. (My next level of earthy embrace will include leeches. However, not this time.)
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| A sweet resident, one of the rescued miniature horses, at Blue Star Resort. Photo: Lisa Steinmann, 2026 |
Among Tanjariitta's many talents and titles, the term therapist best captures most of them. Originally from Forssa, Finland, as a young adult, she ventured forth in the world and found herself in the U.S. Over the years since, she has trained and worked as a psychotherapist and in various body-centered treatments including Finnish cupping and sauna therapy in Turku, Finland. She feels at home in the mountains of Montana and enjoys her life as an entrepreneur and purveyor of good and healing things. Her sauna is authentically Finnish as is her peat. She explained that she imports the peat from her own land in Finland. Peat is like wine, each has its terroir--unique qualities related to the composition of the landscape. As Tanjariitta pointed out, she grew up on the land where the peat is harvested. She knows it and trusts it. She directs its harvesting, processing and testing.
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| Sauna60. Photos: Jack Steinmann, 2026 |
My session started with an hour in the sauna heated to a friendly 180 degrees by a column-shaped stove loaded with rocks that produced a soft löyly (steam). The sauna was built by Tanjariitta. She mentions that much of what she learned about sauna construction came from her father, now passed away. His picture is on a shelf in the corner. It is a lovely wooden building with an entry parlor for hospitality, a bathroom, a shower space for several people and a large sauna with a ceiling of live edge cedar slabs. During my sweat, I took periodic cooling plunges in a tub on the deck surrounded by forest. Tanjariitta provided lingonberry juice and salty trail mix. After an hour of leisurely sauna bathing, I was ready for the peat. A bowl of gelatinous, dark turf was provided, black as coffee, smelling vaguely earthy but almost odorless. I was guided in applying a thick layer, "like frosting." Tanjariitta did my back. I slathered it into my scalp and hair and even onto the bottoms of my feet.
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| "I grew out of all this / Like a weeping willow" [Heaney] Photo: courtesy Tanjariitta Anttila, 2026 |
Next, I had time to relax in the sauna. Tanjariitta had opened the door to cool it down to about 140 F. I returned to the sauna bench, draped with cloth to protect it from stains. A bowl of extra peat and some water were provided so I could keep the application slick and moist. I found myself regularly adding water to maximize the peat's active properties.
The mud rinsed off quite easily after 40 minutes when I was done. I was told that for the next couple of days I would likely experience the after effects which would range from a pleasant afterglow to detox sweating and vivid dreaming. I returned to our cottage for a relaxed evening. What I most noticed was a vague tingly sensation on my skin that persisted through the night and into the next day. I thought that I might experience dry skin afterwards but my skin and hair felt surprisingly soft. I resisted the impulse to apply lotion. It is believed that peat bathing restores the skin's protective acid mantle.
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| Our cottage at Blue Star Resort Photo: Jack Steinmann, 2026 |
My experience did not end with the sauna treatment. Two days later, the evening before our departure, I was invited to join a meditation group that meets in the community building in the grove near the sauna. I lay on a yoga mat and gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window as Velvet and Jen, our meditation guides, created a vibrato chorus of singing bowls and large gongs. Jen came around and anointed each of us with scented essences. Despite the immersion in sound and fragrance, I found that I could not clear my thoughts; I squirmed to keep my left arm comfortable. I have had a frozen shoulder for months and it requires adjusting my position often to be comfortable with it. I gazed at a tall tree weeping with rain drops outside. My thoughts freely wandered to my mother and grandmothers; they are often present in my mind. After some minutes, I found a position in which I could lie still. As I relaxed, I became aware of pressure on my arm as if someone was holding it, firmly, and telling me, firmly, to be still and let it feel better. That is all. I shed a few tears. There was no miracle. I think my arm is better today. I'll give it a chance.
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| An angel by artist John Benedict offers strength and lightness Photo: Jack Steinmann, 2026 |
Sauna culture offers an opportunity to open ourselves up to experiences that are enshrined in folk healing such as the peat sauna. Somehow in the process we gain access to a type of wellness that we don't fully understand. It is like poetry that digs out truth more powerfully than any other form of language. Dalva Lamminmäki, Finnish folklorist, writes about Väki, a traditional Finnish belief in the power of spirits found in the elements fire, earth and water. Slowly, science is helping us understand the chemical elements of peat. For many generations, we already knew that peat carries Väki's healing power. Applying peat in the sauna amplifies its effect because, as Lamminmäki writes, the sauna is "'loaded' with the power of ancestors and deities."
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