Last updated: 13 August 2026
Suomen Saunat respects the privacy of visitors, sauna owners, businesses, professionals and other people who use suomensaunat.fi.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal data may be processed when you browse the website, use the sauna directory or map, contact us, suggest or correct a sauna listing, or submit a sauna repair or renovation request.
Suomen Saunat processes personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”), the Finnish Data Protection Act (1050/2018) and other applicable Finnish and European data-protection legislation.
1. Data controller
For processing carried out through suomensaunat.fi, Suomen Saunat acts as the data controller unless another controller is expressly identified.
Privacy and data-protection requests can be submitted through the Contact page on Suomen Saunat.
If Suomen Saunat is operated under a separate registered legal name, that legal entity is the controller and should be identified on this page together with its official contact details.
2. Personal data we may process
The information processed depends on how you use the website.
Contact enquiries
When you contact Suomen Saunat, we may process:
- your name;
- email address;
- telephone number, if provided;
- city or municipality;
- subject of the enquiry;
- message and information you choose to include;
- photographs or files you choose to upload.
This information is used to read, answer and manage your enquiry.
Sauna repair, maintenance or renovation requests
When you request help finding a relevant professional, we may process information such as:
- your name;
- email address;
- telephone number;
- preferred contact method;
- city or postal code;
- property type;
- sauna type;
- type of problem or work required;
- description of the problem;
- photographs you voluntarily provide.
Do not upload photographs containing people, documents, addresses or other personal information unless those details are relevant to the request and you have the right to provide them.
Submitting a repair request does not constitute a booking with Suomen Saunat or with a third-party professional.
Sauna and business submissions
When you suggest a sauna or request a listing correction, we may process information about the sauna or business, including:
- business or sauna name;
- address and municipality;
- coordinates or map link;
- business telephone number or public email address;
- website and booking links;
- opening hours;
- facilities and services;
- photographs;
- information supplied for publication.
We may also process the submitter's name, email address and relationship to the sauna or business.
Information specifically identified as being for the Suomen Saunat team is not intended for publication.
Information submitted as public business information may appear on the directory after review.
Location information
The map includes an optional location feature.
Your browser is asked for location permission only after you actively choose to use the location function. Suomen Saunat does not intentionally request continuous or background location access.
Location information is used to help show relevant sauna listings near the location provided by your device.
You can refuse or revoke location permission through your browser or device settings and continue using the directory without the nearby-location function.
Technical and security information
When the website is accessed, the hosting, network and security infrastructure may process technical information required to deliver and protect the service, including:
- IP address;
- browser and device information;
- date and time of requests;
- requested pages;
- server and security logs;
- error and diagnostic information.
Such information may be processed for website delivery, security, abuse prevention, troubleshooting and technical maintenance.
Publicly available directory information
Suomen Saunat may collect or maintain factual information about saunas and related businesses from publicly available sources.
This can include business names, public contact details, location, opening information, ratings, review counts and other information associated with a publicly operating venue or company.
Where such information constitutes personal data, for example information relating to an individual entrepreneur, it is processed only where there is an appropriate legal basis and subject to the rights provided by the GDPR.
Visitor reviews and editorial content
Suomen Saunat may use publicly available review information as source material for aggregated statistics, rankings and editorial articles.
Editorial reviews are intended to summarise recurring visitor observations rather than republish individual reviews word for word or identify individual reviewers.
3. Why we process personal data
Personal data may be processed for the following purposes:
Responding to enquiries: to answer questions, correction requests and communications initiated by users.
Processing service requests: to understand a sauna repair, renovation or maintenance request and identify relevant options.
Managing directory submissions: to review new sauna submissions, corrections and requests to manage a listing.
Operating the website: to provide search, directory, map and other requested functionality.
Protecting the website: to prevent spam, fraud, abuse, unauthorised access and technical attacks.
Improving the service: to diagnose technical problems and understand how the website performs, where permitted by law.
Meeting legal obligations: where processing is required by Finnish or European Union law.
4. Legal bases for processing
Depending on the activity, Suomen Saunat relies on one or more legal bases permitted by Article 6 of the GDPR.
Steps taken at your request
When you ask Suomen Saunat to respond to an enquiry, review a service request or perform another action you requested, processing may be necessary to take steps at your request.
Legitimate interests
Suomen Saunat may process limited personal data where necessary for legitimate interests such as:
- operating and maintaining the directory;
- responding to legitimate communications;
- keeping listing information accurate;
- protecting the website and its users;
- preventing spam and misuse;
- maintaining technical security.
Where legitimate interests are relied upon, those interests are assessed against the rights and freedoms of the individuals concerned.
Consent
Consent may be used when required, including for certain non-essential cookies, optional technologies, location functionality or other processing where consent is the appropriate legal basis.
Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing lawfully carried out before consent was withdrawn.
Legal obligations
Information may also be processed where necessary to comply with a legal obligation applicable to Suomen Saunat.
5. Repair requests and third-party professionals
Suomen Saunat is a directory and information service and is not itself a sauna repair company.
Information submitted through a repair or renovation request is used to understand the request and identify relevant professionals or businesses.
Personal contact information will not be sold.
Suomen Saunat will not disclose your contact information to a professional merely because you completed the form unless disclosure is necessary for a process you requested and you have been clearly informed about how the information will be shared.
Where you choose to contact a listed professional directly, that professional becomes responsible for the personal data you provide to them under its own privacy practices.
6. Cookies and similar technologies
Suomen Saunat may use cookies, local storage or similar technologies required for the website to function correctly.
Strictly necessary technologies may be used without consent where permitted by applicable law. They can include technologies required for security, technical operation or remembering privacy choices.
Non-essential technologies that require consent are not intended to be activated before the user has made the relevant choice.
Where used, these may include technologies for:
- analytics;
- optional embedded content;
- advertising;
- third-party integrations;
- non-essential personalisation.
Users must be given a practical way to accept or reject non-essential technologies and to change their choice later.
Consent to non-essential cookies is separate from acceptance of these Terms or continued use of the website.
7. Map services
The directory contains map functionality.
Map components or map-tile providers may receive ordinary technical information required to deliver map content, such as IP address, browser information and requested map resources.
Where a third-party map feature requires non-essential cookies or another technology requiring consent under Finnish law, that technology should not be activated before the required consent has been obtained.
8. Newsletter
Suomen Saunat does not currently collect email addresses through the newsletter field while that feature is marked as coming soon.
If newsletter subscriptions are enabled in the future, this Privacy Policy and the relevant subscription information will be updated before addresses are collected.
Marketing emails will require an appropriate legal basis and will include a method for withdrawing from future messages.
9. Who may receive personal data
Personal data may be processed by service providers that Suomen Saunat uses to operate the website, such as providers of:
- website hosting and infrastructure;
- security and spam prevention;
- email or communications;
- file storage;
- website maintenance;
- analytics or consent management, where enabled lawfully.
Such providers may process personal data only for the purposes for which they have been engaged and subject to applicable data-protection requirements.
Information may also be disclosed where required by law, a court, competent authority or lawful legal process.
10. International data transfers
Whenever a service provider processes personal data outside the European Economic Area, Suomen Saunat will use a transfer mechanism permitted by Chapter V of the GDPR where one is required.
Depending on the destination and provider, this may include an adequacy decision adopted by the European Commission or appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
11. How long information is kept
Personal data is not kept longer than necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
The retention period depends on the type of information and may take into account:
- whether an enquiry remains open;
- whether follow-up is reasonably expected;
- whether the information is required to maintain or verify a directory listing;
- security and abuse-prevention requirements;
- applicable legal obligations;
- the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
Data that is no longer necessary and has no continuing legal basis will be deleted or anonymised.
A person who submitted a repair request or enquiry may also request deletion where the conditions of Article 17 GDPR are met.
12. Data security
Suomen Saunat uses reasonable technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
Access to non-public submissions and communications should be limited to people and service providers who need the information for the relevant purpose.
No internet service can guarantee absolute security.
13. Your data-protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing, the GDPR may give you the right to:
- obtain information about how your personal data is processed;
- request access to your personal data;
- request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
- request deletion of personal data;
- request restriction of processing;
- object to processing based on legitimate interests;
- receive certain data in a portable format;
- withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
- object to direct marketing;
- lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.
Some rights are subject to conditions and exceptions established by law.
Suomen Saunat does not intend to make decisions about website users based solely on automated processing that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR.
14. Requests concerning business listings
If a directory listing contains inaccurate information about you or your business, you may request correction or review through the Contact page.
Suomen Saunat may verify the request before changing or removing information, particularly when necessary to prevent unauthorised alteration of a legitimate business listing.
15. Complaints
If you believe that personal data has been processed unlawfully, you may contact Suomen Saunat first so the matter can be investigated.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data-protection supervisory authority.
In Finland, the supervisory authority is the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman (Tietosuojavaltuutetun toimisto).
16. Third-party websites
Sauna listings may contain links to websites, booking services, social media profiles, map services or other third-party services.
Those services are operated independently from Suomen Saunat and may process personal data under their own privacy policies.
Suomen Saunat is not the controller for personal data that you independently provide directly to those third parties.
17. Changes to this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated when the website, its data practices or applicable legal requirements change.
The current version will be published on Suomen Saunat with its latest revision date.
Material changes affecting how personal data is processed will be communicated in an appropriate manner where required by law.
18. Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy, requests concerning personal data and requests to correct personal information appearing in a directory listing can be submitted through the Contact section of Suomen Saunat.
Website: suomensaunat.fi