VIDEO: K-pop star Eric Nam tries an Estonian smoke sauna on Korean TV
They even joked about opening an Estonian sauna in Seoul.
Estonia and South Korea are two of the world’s most technologically advanced nations — and they’ve been getting a lot closer recently thanks to new trade and technology links.
Both countries enjoy saunas too, but in very different ways.
Known as a jjimjilbang, a Korean sauna is a large gender-segregated bathhouse with pools of water at different high temperatures.
Koreans have now had the chance to learn about Estonian sauna culture though thanks to Korean TV show The Wizard of Ozi, which broadcast an episode about Estonia yesterday. The purpose of the programme is to introduce Koreans to an unknown part of the world.
Their latest episode took Korean celebrities, including K-pop star Eric Nam, to Mooska smoke sauna in south Estonia:
After being beaten with birch leaves, the stars were even more startled to discover that they were expected to jump in an ice hole:
The Koreans and Estonians later joked about the possibility of opening an Estonian smoke sauna in Seoul.
The saunamasters then served their Korean guests shots of handsa — a south Estonian drink similar to vodka, but almost twice as strong.
After watching the Estonians drink it without showing any discomfort, the Koreans were initially unprepared for the strength of the drink:
You can watch more clips from The Wizard of Ozi, including their adventures in Estonia, on the MBC YouTube channel.
There will be an increasing number of exchanges taking place between Estonia and South Korea thanks to their strengthening relationship in politics and business. We hope many more Koreans will be inspired to try Estonian saunas — and perhaps someone will build that smoke sauna in Seoul one day.
About ‘Estonian Saunas’
Thanks for reading. The Estonian Saunas blog is run by Anni and Adam, explorers and exporters of Estonian saunas.
Anni is a green building specialist who grew up here in Estonia immersed in sauna culture, while Adam is a väliseestlane (‘foreign Estonian’) whose family were exiled to the UK during Soviet times but he has now returned and is still trying to understand the sauna — and everything else about his Estonian heritage.
Together, we love finding weird and wonderful saunas all over Estonia and telling the world about them. Check out our plan to make 100 Estonian saunas more famous around the world.
We also offer two saunas in Tallinn that you can visit. Both are based on the best of Estonian design and technology, although in very different ways. The first is our smoke sauna, Rangi saun, which combines an ancient sauna heating technique with a contemporary Estonian design. The second is our WiFi-controlled e-sauna, Tondi Saun, which is part of our apartment that you can book through Airbnb.
In addition to reading our blog, you can follow Estonian Saunas on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. There’s also a Facebook group for fans of Estonian saunas where you can share advice and stories.
Finally, you can email us at tere@estoniansaunas.com.
