“I’ve become the Nordic sauna ambassador”: Take a tour of Finnish legend Arja Saijonmaa's summer retreat

Cradled by an endless forest of fragrant birch and pine trees and perched on the crystal clear waters of lake Korpijärvi in southeast Finland, a string of quaint wooden cabins dot the shoreline. Wild greenery, blueberries and lingonberries blanket the ground, the untamed and lush surroundings reflecting the spirit of the woman who, for decades, has kept this four-acre land as her safe haven and creative sanctuary. It’s the cherished summer retreat of legendary Finnish artist and author Arja Saijonmaa, who escapes to its tranquil bliss whenever she can.

“Hello! You found your way here!” Saijonmaa exclaims as she bursts out of one of the cabins. Fresh from the sauna, she’s wrapped in a navy bathrobe with a woven sun hat resting atop her dewy, sandy-blonde tresses. She greets each of us – myself and the rest of the team who have arrived for our Vogue Scandinavia shoot – with warm hugs and two pecks on the cheek (a distinctly non-Finnish greeting if there ever was one). It’s an uncharacteristically balmy autumn morning, with nature still in full bloom and a gentle breeze stirring tiny waves across the lake. “Do you want to take a quick dip and sauna first?” Saijonmaa asks, leading us into the cabin. “It’s fine if you didn’t bring a swimsuit – there’s no one around, and here at my summer house, no one wears one anyway.”

Though we’re meeting for the first time, Saijonmaa welcomes us with the ease of old friends reuniting. Over the course of the day I spend with her, it becomes clear that her quirky candour is central to her charm.

“This place is my lifeline and my lungs,” Saijonmaa says as we set off on a comprehensive tour of the estate, which comprises two larger cabins, a guest house and a traditional sauna. As we stroll along the swirling forest paths, Saijonmaa shares that it was her parents who originally purchased the first patch of land here in the 1950s. On that plot still sits the picturesque, brown pinewood villa – complete with teal shutters, contrasting white window trims, and eaves – once sketched and built by Saijonmaa’s father and his architect brother. Today, it’s protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency.

Nestled beside the villa is an authentic wood-fired sauna, the birthplace of Saijonmaa’s enduring passion for the Finnish tradition. This nook – wafting with the nostalgic aroma of charred birch and lingering smoke – is also the heart of Saijonmaa’s widely successful 1997 book Sauna, which zeroes in on the tradition as a way of life and a source of spiritual and bodily revitalisation from a woman’s perspective. “This is a sauna with a soul!” she proclaims. “I tell everyone that this is the simplest way of life – how people make the sauna here – and they fall in love. Sauna isn’t about appearances – it’s not about how your sauna looks. It’s about creating magic with the elements inside – the löyly [the Finnish practice of pouring water over the stove to perfect the heat and humidity].”

Related: Full steam ahead: Everything you need to know about Finland's sauna culture