Finns use saunas for relaxing and socializing. -- Photo courtesy fo Marianne Sjoblum, Helsinki City Picture Bank

Finland has millions of addicts. But this is one passion they are not going to give up cold turkey. In fact they must encourage the pleasure. You do the math. The country is home to five-million people -- and two million saunas.

It's beyond catching on. It's a way of life.

"It's definitely great," says former NHL great Jari Kurri, who introduced the pastime to his Edmonton Oiler teammates when he played there in the 1980s. "I had the guys over to my place sometimes."

Maybe it wasn't just Gretzky who helped them win all of those Stanley Cups.

For a tourist it's a memorable event because if you haven't been to Finland you may never have been in a real sauna. You may have experienced something similar in Thunder Bay or Sault Ste. Marie -- both hubs of Finnish Canadians.

But hotels and health clubs don't count. And if it has electric controls, there are some here who would argue that its not a real sauna, either.

Saunas fired up by by an operator of a giant wood stove are the only way to go.

"It's just what we do," said Aki Arjola. "We love it."

A member of the Finnish Sauna Society, Arjola's a good guy to know when you're visiting Finland. You need two members to take you to a special sauna in Helsinki that is unrivalled anywhere in the world. If you have contacts in Helsinki, many will know someone who can help arrange a special visit.

Rustic Sauna club near Helsinki. -- Photos by Joe Warmington

Your hotel will have a proper sauna, with coals and steam for sure. And they are great, too. But this one -- located on the Gulf of Finland -- is the Taj Mahal of saunas, attracting many famous visitors.

"We had Bill Clinton here and George Bush Sr.," said Arjola, who adds that the last three presidents of Finland are also members.

"No politics (are) allowed in the sauna," Arjola says. "But the truth is a lot of politics is still talked about."

But no heated conversation.The only heat is from the coals. Everyone is there to relax and forget about reality for a while. Even world leaders, who also all followed the "no clothes" rule.

"Nudity is no big deal here," said Arjola. "We don't even think about it."

"Conan O'Brien was here too," Arjola says with a laugh. "But he wouldn't take a sauna or go for a dip in the Baltic."

Turns out American paparazzi were hanging around and he wasn't interested in that kind of exposure in the press back home.

Inside the rustic looking club are a dozen saunas of different temperatures. You work your way up the Celsius scale as you go. In between each temperature you head outside to a wooden pier and dive into the waters of the frigid gulf. Exhilarating.

The last sauna is perhaps the best. There is a special room with a fire pit where you can enjoy a beverage -- beer, wine or pop --a bratwurst or smoked salmon sandwich, and dessert before you head back to the real world.

"We encourage you eat and drink something," says the hostess Marianna. "You lose a lot of salt in the sauna."

And a lot of toxins.

"It cleans out your pores. After you leave here you feel great," Arjola says. "And you can't wait to come back."

This is what happens when you are hooked.