This week, we have…

• Trainwreck Teachers is now live!

• A fun fact inspired by Globle

• Answers to last week's games

• Reader survey

The steamy history of Finland’s saunas

There’s one Nordic country where saunas outnumber cars. This underscores how deeply embedded sauna culture is in Finland (Globle country for March 1), a country that is home to more than 3.3 million saunas, and 5.5 million people. Sauna bathing in Finland is an integral part of the culture, and has been practised for over 2,000 years. Sauna is about both physical and mental relaxation, and sauna use has been linked to health benefits including improved cardiovascular function and stress relief.

Saunas are also a gathering place for friends, families, and communities to connect and socialize. While most people have a private sauna in their home, there are also public saunas scattered throughout cities and towns where people can come together to engage in the benefits of löyly, the steam that rises from sauna stoves.

Finnish saunas began simply as holes in the ground filled with hot stones, helping people stay warm during the long, freezing winters. These ingenious warming spots date all the way back to the Stone Age! As time passed, saunas moved from underground pits to become special rooms within homes, where they gained deep cultural importance. Finns considered these spaces so clean and sacred that they became more than just places to warm up—they were even trusted settings for women to give birth.

Sauna may be the key to happiness - Finland is often ranked one of the happiest countries in the world, and 90% of Finns sauna at least once a week. Helsinki, Finland’s capital, even has bars with saunas so you can have a sip and a sweat all at the same time. Talk about luxury!

Learn more: National Geographic, PBL Magazine

Trivia

Answers to last week's games

Monday, February 24 to Sunday, March 2.

Linxicon

The following are the shortest paths from last week:

• #378 argue → debater → spokesperson → specialist

• #379 hunting → gambling → odds → possibility → possibly

• #380 ugly → beauty → beautician → specialist

• #381 economist → economics → demand → obligation → ought → should

• #382 educator → graduation → march → may → might

• #383 uncle → family → belief → beliefs → criteria

• #384 detect → investigate → decide → either

• #385 Play now!

Elemingle

• #33 Technetium

• #34 Samarium

• #35 Zinc

• #36 Selenium

• #37 Manganese

• #38 Thallium

• #39 Gallium

• #40 Play now!

Forgeous

Play Forgeous for Mar 3