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FINLAND has a staggering three million saunas to its five million residents.

So, when my guide tells me “sauna isn’t just our culture, it’s our way of life”, I believe him.

The tradition has been around for thousands of years here, with many treating these mini hot houses as a place to socialise, much like we would in the pub on a Friday night.

These saunas aren’t like the ones you find at your local gym, though. They are on a whole other level — think electric, wood-burning and the oldest kind, smoke saunas. And you’re expected to sit in the heated cabin, where the air is a sweltering 100C, for hours.

My adventure to the Nordic country takes me to Jyvaskyla in central Finland and the city of Tampere, which is known as the sauna capital of the world.

There are over 50 in the city centre alone. Sataman Viilu is one of the best, with two-hour sessions costing just €17 for use of its three saunas, two hot tubs, and lake-water plunge.

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My advice for newbies is to make sure you start with a sauna first. Being hot makes the transition easier because you will still feel warm when you brace the lake water.

I’d also recommend wearing a pair of thick socks, which will slow down the rate at which the cold takes over.

And while it may seem obvious, remember to breathe. Controlling your breath can be hard when you’re submerged in icy water, so focus on inhaling and exhaling through the chill.

You might think this activity is the kind to be enjoyed during the summer, when both Jyvaskyla and Tampere transform into a flowery paradise, but it’s popular all year round. The cool weather doesn’t matter to those living in Finland, even when temperatures go well below 0C.

One local told me: “We don’t have bad weather, just bad clothing.”
They’re out and about all the time, ice skating on lakes or hosting car and horse rallies on the frozen waters.

Magical bedroom

So, no surprise that in Finnish language there are hundreds of words for snow, depending on how it falls, whether it turns to slush, or if it lays like a thick blanket.

You may think warming stews, therefore, would be the focus of Finnish cooking.

And although these are popular in many parts, Finland is largely known for its blueberry farming. Throughout the year you can pick up tasty jams and blueberry juice — pay a visit to Lepomaki Farm if you’re keen to learn more.

Rich fish such as salmon, perch and herring are a staple in these diets, too.
Kuokkala Manor in Jyvaskyla is an excellent spot to sample local dishes — the beef tartare was delicious and came with a wintry topping of crunchy kale and cranberry.

If you’re staying close to Tampere, I loved Ravintola Kajo, a Michelin Guide restaurant in the city centre. While it is fancy, offering an 11-course tasting experience, wine pairings and tea-based drinks, there’s no pressure whatsoever to dress up.

Make sure to explore the Tampere Market Hall while you’re here, too. It’s the largest indoor market in the Nordic countries and dates back to 1901. Inside, you’ll find locals picking up fresh fish, coffee and pastries like Karjalanpiirakka, which has a thin rye crust and a savoury filling (usually rice porridge).

For dessert lovers, I’d highly recommend a cardamom donut from Pyynikin Munkkikahvila, a cafe within the market. It’s delicious and not too sweet.

If you’re worried about the chill getting too much, then book a stay at Lapland Hotel Arena, a ten-minute drive down the road where some of the bedrooms feature private saunas.

I enjoyed an early morning session each day while reading a book.
If you’re keen to stay closer to Jyvaskyla, The Boutique Hotel Yopuu has a cosy, family-run feel to it with each of its 26 rooms designed to look completely different.

But nothing could compare to my stay at the Hankasalmi and Revontuli Lakeland Village on the outskirts of Jyvaskyla.

I slept so cosily inside my All Sky Aurora Glass Igloo, which came with a little kitchen and living area — although the highlight was undoubtedly the magical bedroom, surrounded entirely by windows and with a glass roof to soak up the views.

You may even be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights from the comfort of your bed.

Sadly, it was cloudy the day I was there, but watching the snow fall across the glossy, white landscape was spectacular.

ACTRESS Helen Flanagan has spilt the tea on her relationship with former Towie star James Argent – and what happened with a big X Factor singer.

As well as detailing behind-the-scenes beef on the Coronation Street set, Helen, 35, has lifted the lid on her time on Channel 5 reality show, Celebrity Super Spa.

Helen took part alongside Towie’s James Argent, celebrity chefs Rusty Lee and John Burton-Race, Shameless actor Jody Latham and Most Haunted’s Yvette Fielding.

The show aired in 2013 and followed six celebrities as they worked in a real-life spa in Liverpool.

The actress has now spilled the beans in her explosive new memoir, Head & Heart: Break-ups, Breakdowns and Being Rosie on her romances on and off screen.

The former Corrie star, who shares three kids with ex fiance Scott Sinclair, spoke about chemistry with Towie star Arg while they were on Channel 5’s Celebrity Super Spa.

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She revealed: “I became firm friends with James ‘Arg’ Argent from The Only Way is Essex and we would spend all our time together. 

“I know the producers were hoping for a show romance to develop and they’d try to push me towards him, dropping hints like, ‘Ah, you and Arg are so cute together…’ 

“But I was too mixed up over Scott and I didn’t even know if I actually fancied Arg although I did like him a lot. 

“He definitely wasn’t my usual type. I usually went for sporty guys who were into their health and fitness whereas Arg would eat four Greggs sausage rolls for breakfast. 

“I think he was probably more into me than I was him, but there was a brief moment of heat between us which felt… weird. 

“We were in my hotel room, lying on the bed while he was stroking my back – I think it could have spilled over then, but there was something holding me back. 

“And when that moment passed, it was like it was done. I wasn’t over Scott so it would have been a mistake to use Arg as a rebound.”

Opening up about a flirtation with former The X Factor star James Arthur, she said: “When I got back, I was booked to do a BBC Three comedy panel show called Sweat the Small Stuff which was presented by Nick Grimshaw and had Rochelle Humes and Melvin Odoom as the team captains. 

“The episode I was on also happened to feature James Arthur who had won The X Factor in 2012 and you could say that we, erm, hit it off. 

“Egged on by Grimmy, me and James flirted pretty outrageously throughout the filming and swapped numbers afterwards with a loose arrangement to meet up for a drink in the not too distant future. 

“Nothing ever came of it apart from the exchange of some harmless WhatsApps, but once the episode aired a few days later, the press got hold of it and ran multiple stories saying we were dating.” 

The Celebs Go Dating star added: “Scott was livid about it and tried everything he could to get hold of me, ringing my mobile and calling my parents’ landline. 

“I didn’t want to speak to him. He’d been so horrible to me and I was trying to get over him, something I felt like I was making good progress with.”

The soap star split from her “toxic” relationship with her footballer ex in October 2022 after 13 years together and share three children – Matilda, Delilah and Charlie.

Following her split from footballer Scott, Helen enjoyed a “situationship” with boxer David Hayes.

While she first met David on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here back in 2012, things didn’t turn romantic until 11 years later – but they broke off their fling in December 2023.

She also revealed that she once batted off the attention of disgraced influencer Andrew Tate after matching with him on a dating app.

The actress shot to fame as a child star on the ITV soap playing tearaway Rosie Webster.

The mum-of-three now works as an influencer and model, and has starred in reality shows like Celebs Go Dating.

The Rosie Webster star on the ITV soap opera also confirmed a rift with Corrie co-star Ryan Thomas at the time of her soap departure.

She revealed she told him to “f*** off” during one tense moment on set before she quit altogether.

Helen’s book Head & Heart: Break-ups, Breakdowns and Being Rosie is out now

Ray J is under doctor’s orders to stay on bed rest, take all his prescribed medications and avoid drinking alcohol or smoking because of his damaged heart.

The R&B singer, who revealed this week that his heart is pumping at far below capacity because of damage from his heavy use of alcohol and other substances, shared those directives with TMZ in an interview published Thursday. Doctors told him he likely has only months to live, with the former “Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood” star predicting that he would die by 2027.

Doctors told Ray J — real name William Ray Norwood Jr. — that he should prepare for the chance that he might need a pacemaker or defibrillator soon, the singer told the celebrity site. He expects to get an update when he goes back in two weeks for a check-up.

The brother of actor-singer Brandy said that if he manages to survive his current health crisis, he expects to emerge a “stronger and a better person.”

Ray J told followers in a video posted Sunday that he wanted to “thank everyone for praying for me.”

“I was in the hospital,” he said. “My heart is only beating like 25%, but as long as I stay focused and stay on the right path, then everything will be all right.”

He said elsewhere that his heart was beating at 60%. The number likely refers to Ray J’s heart’s ejection fraction, which measures the volume of blood coming out of the heart’s left ventricle or being drawn into the right ventricle when the heart beats. Right-sided heart failure is far less common, according to WebMD.

The man who was with Kim Kardashian in her career-launching sex tape said in other video livestreams that the right side of his heart was “black. It’s like done.”

“I thought I could handle all the alcohol, I could handle all the Adderall,” he said. Now, he told TMZ, he’s been taking eight different drugs, including Lipitor, Jardiance and Entresto, and physicians’ warnings for him to avoid smoking and drinking are a challenge.

Doctors have told him he has only months to live, Ray J said in his recent livestreams, and he believes he won’t last past this calendar year.

He is 45.