Steam Rising In A Sauna

Steam curls upward from a stone-topped stove at the center of a wood-paneled sauna, twisting past a metal flue toward the rafters. Around the room, friends wrapped in patterned towels sit on tiered wooden benches, chatting and cooling their feet on the floor while one man ladles water from a wooden bucket onto the hot stones. Birch whisks lean against the stove's base, and small glass bottles of oils and scrubs line shelves near the entrance. Through frosted windows, snow-covered pine trees and a trio of small birds are visible outside in the winter light. Striped rugs cover the floorboards between the benches, and a second bucket and ladle sit ready nearby. The circle of benches keeps every towel-wrapped figure in easy view of the glowing stove at the room's warm center.