If you visit a Finnish sauna in summer, you may be offered a vihta or vasta — a bundle of fresh birch twigs tied at the handle, which bathers gently sprinkle with water and beat rhythmically over their skin. The two words mean the same thing and vary by region, and the practice is one of the oldest parts of the whole tradition.
What it is
A bundle of leafy birch twigs
A vihta is made from young birch branches with their leaves on, gathered in early summer, tied firmly at one end to form a handle and left loose and feathery at the other. It is used only once for best effect, which is why fresh bundles are made every summer.
How it is made
Spear leaves, then tie and hang
The birch is cut while the leaves are tender but strong. The twigs are gathered into a fist-sized bundle, the base is bound tightly, and the finished vihta is often hung in a shed or stored in the freezer so some can be used beyond the short summer season.
Why it is used
A gentle beating that opens the pores
Beating the skin with the leaves increases blood flow, spreads the sauna's heat evenly over the body and cleanses and massages in one motion. The birch leaves give off a clean, green scent that is part of the experience. Done properly it is a light, rhythmic tap — never a hard blow.
A ritual woven into bathing
Whisking is almost always social: bathers help each other, or one person takes a turn beating another's back and shoulders. In many households the vihta is simply part of how the sauna is done, no more remarkable than soap or a towel.
A tradition kept alive
From farm ritual to summer habit
The vihta is one of the easiest sauna traditions to keep, because it needs no equipment beyond a handful of birch. It continues across Finland each summer, and visitors are often surprised how natural and pleasant a light birch beating feels.