How you might be pronouncing ‘Sauna’ is correct
Did you know that the Filipino way we pronounce sauna — as in “sao-na” and not “saw-na” — is in fact its correct pronunciation?
“Sauna,” which Sweden ambassador to the Philippines Annika Thunborg pronounces like so during the IKEA x Marimekko launch in Ikea Pasay, “is the most exported Finnish word in the world.”
It’s no surprise that sauna culture in Finland was declared an Intangible Heritage by UNESCO in 2020. IKEA’s home Sweden and Finland, being the Nordic neighbors and partners that they are, have long swapped cultures with each other way before that. The ambassador has fond memories of wearing Marimekko dresses as a child and her Sundays spent as sauna days with her family after activities, followed by a cold plunge, just before sitting down for dinner.
Elsewhere in the world, the sauna trend has come and gone. Today, 79 percent of Filipinos look to prioritize taking care of themselves physically and emotionally while 70 percent look to improve how they live their life at home (compared to global statistics according to IKEA’s Life at Home Report). As we focus on cleanliness and self-care, why not integrate sauna culture into our rituals?
“Part of the top concerns of Filipinos today include their personal health and wellbeing, along with their housing situation,” IKEA Philippines store manager Daniel Rivero shares from the report during the launch. “Filipinos also have a family culture. We share the same values as them; we want a better everyday life.”
Now that summertime makes anywhere without air conditioning feel like a sauna itself, the IKEA x Marimekko collab “Bastua” — a play on the Swedish word for sauna, bastu, and its Finnish equivalent — is a cheerful encouragement towards these goals.
The signature giant rhubarb patterns by Marimekko, unique to the collab and a first for the Finnish design house, is sure to make showers or a cold splash with your tabo more fun this hot summer. It comes in a shower curtain (P590), as round 43cm trays for refreshments (also P590), and as a carrier bag (retire your good ol’ reliable blue one at only P190) — among 29 pieces with wooden textures and patterns leafy prints elements that call to mind traditional saunas and the greenery that surround them in the Nordics. Bastua is a well-rounded and thoughtfully considered collection for the Filipino home.
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The Bastua collection is now available at IKEA Pasay City. Follow @ikeaphilippines for updates.
