Thanks to Eurovision stars KAJ, saunas are being celebrated at the song contest in Basel

(14 May 2025)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Basel - 14 May 2025
1. KAJ, Swedish representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, singing “Baru Bada Bastu”
2. Wide of sauna lounge
3. Dorothee Schulte-Basta, sauna ambassador from Vörå entering sauna
4. Various of Schulte-Basta in sauna
5. Close of fire
6. Schulte-Basta in sauna
7. Sauna chimney
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Dorothee Schulte-Basta, sauna ambassador from Vörå:
"This is the so-called Finland Lounge, it's where the city of Tampere, the municipality of Vörå, together with the Finnish Sauna Society joined forces and built up this lovely place with a, yeah, of course, with a real wooden heated sauna, not just for decoration, but you can come here every day and have a sauna and then afterwards you can go and have a nice swim in the Rhine River. So you can chill here. You can, yesterday, you could also meet some of the artists, you could meet Erika Vikman and Käärijä. So yeah, and just hang."
9. Fans taking photos with KAJ
10. Fans taking in front of the banner reading "ERIKA"
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Dorothee Schulte-Basta, sauna ambassador from Vörå:
"Personally I love Finnish sauna culture because it celebrates the freedom of choice, no rules in the sauna. You know, come as you are, everyone's equal in the saunas and you can have a towel on, you can have, like, swimming suits on, you can come naked, you go, like.. or women, or men, or, you know, together. So, yeah, you just do as your body tells you, actually. And that's one thing. And the other thing is, Finland has quite a long culture, also, they call it sauna diplomacy. So it always used to play a role also in politics, in negotiations. So it's yeah, you know, a country with 5.5 million people and 3.3 million saunas."
12. Various of Schulte-Basta and others dipping into the Rhine River
13. Schulte-Basta and others standing after swimming
14. Poster at the booth
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Dorothee Schulte-Basta, sauna ambassador from Vörå:
"You know, sometimes people ask themselves why Finland is the happiest country in the row for eight years. I'd say it has a lot to do with sauna. But also with like their, it's called "talkoot culture." It's like, you know, when people come together, the community comes together and works for the community, for the greater good. You know, cleanups, like fixing old houses, building up, like... sauna from the neighbor."
16. Various of Schulte-Basta chatting with KAJ
17. Fans taking photos with KAJ
18. Close of sauna hat
STORYLINE:
KAJ are tipped to win Eurovision with a song about saunas – so it’s appropriate that they made a guest appearance at a Finnish bath at the event on Wednesday.

The day after clinching their place in the grand final, by going through in Tuesday’s first semi-final, the Swedish trio treated sauna-goers and fans in Basel to the chorus of their hotly tipped song.

"Baru Bada Bastu" is a celebration of Finnish sauna culture because while KAJ are representing Sweden, they are from Vörå, a Swedish speaking area of Finland.

Dorothee Schulte-Basta is a sauna ambassador and one of the people who set up the hot wooden hut near to the Rhine river in the host city.

All day people of all nationalities enjoyed sweating in the sauna and then cooling off in the river nearby.

Schulte-Basts reckons that sauna culture is one of the reasons why Finland is repeatedly named the happiest place in the world to live.

And, to play it fair, the pop-up is also supporting the Finnish contestant Erika Vikram who is competing for her place in the contest at the semi-final Thursday.
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