Estonian innovation isn't just digital.
Back in 2019, there was a discussion in Estonia about what could be our next e-Residencies (as in: our next big, economy-boosting, global friend-making national initiatives).
I wrote that one good option is the sauna.
After all, it's also an innovation that connects people - and Estonians are already at the cutting edge of it.
In fact, you can often find a better sauna in a typical Estonian home than in the world's most expensive luxury spas.
While the Finnic sauna tradition has become increasingly popular globally as a wellness trend, there's still a lot that's been lost in translation abroad.
Too many saunas around the world are badly designed and the experience has been stripped from some of its original culture and traditions. As a result, a lot of people think of the sauna as a pain to be endured while silently huddled in a poorly ventilated room around a whirring metal box with a few token stones on top.
Worst of all, a lot of health clubs put up signs saying you're not even allowed to pour water on those stones. It's a "dry sauna" apparently.
Estonians will tell you there's no such thing. In fact, the steam is the most sacred element of the sauna. We call it leil.
Estonians have been enjoying good saunas for far longer than records can recall and there's a wealth deep expertise in sauna design principles that have been passed down through generations.
That's led to the emergence of a modern sauna design and technology industry in Estonia, producing iconic saunas and sauna stoves, which are incredibly popular among serious sauna enthusiasts - as well as with plenty of celebrity fans like David Beckham.
While a lot of sauna products sold around the world were getting uglier and further detached from their original culture, Estonians have been building ever more beautiful, quality sauna products that are highly original but still based on authentic sauna principles.
And so we've not only done a lot of PR for Estonian sauna builders and sauna stove manufacturers, but also invested in their continued innovation based on authentic principles.
HUUM pioneered the use of minimal steel to hold the stones as the central focus of the sauna. Saunum pioneered an innovative air circulation technology to ensure an even heat and comfortable air.
Until relatively recently, Estonian sauna exports were often marketed as Finnish or Nordic style saunas. We encouraged them to ditch that so more people can learn about the Estonian sauna tradition and we can together help ensure the world recognises Estonian-made sauna products as the mark of quality that they are.
And so we could talk endlessly about the technical qualities of Estonian sauna design and technology. That helps some people make better purchasing decisions, at least if they are already pretty committed to buying a sauna.
But to really open up the market for Estonian quality sauna products, we knew we needed a much bigger shift in perceptions.
Technology is a cultural export
To export more Estonian sauna design and technology, we must also export more Estonian sauna culture. We need to show how good authentic saunas can be and also show that they belong to everyone.
Too many people around the world don't even have the right words for a good sauna.
The limits of our language are the limits of our world, as philosophers such as Ludwig Wittgenstein have argued. Words create worlds.
And so we embarked on a mission to celebrate the joy of leil and make it the first Estonian word to enter common usage globally.
Since then, we've been subtlety dropping the word leil into as many media interviews as we can, as well as not-so-subtely wearing the English definition emblazoned on our outfits.
And we've received a lot of great media coverage for our mission, including inside Estonia. There was even once a quiz show question here about it!
But while it's great to receive coverage about our mission, it's far better t0 see coverage that casually incorporates the word as if it should already be in English.
The reaction from the sauna enthusiast community around the world has been wonderful, and we especially love seeing others pick up and continue the work to spread the joy of leil.
Down in the English bathing town of Brighton, for example, BeachBox Spa (which has imported Estonian design and technology) has named one of their saunas the Leil.
Then, when the organisers of TedXTallinn asked if I'd give a talk, I used the opportunity to talk about the meaning of leil and why English speakers should embrace it.
I couldn't resist poking fun at some of the infrared "saunas" shown off by big tech bosses that had recently been circulating on social media, all of which ironically were designed for one person.
After thousands of years, the sauna is still our best social network.
Jennifer Fox
For many people, the sauna is now the first way in which they discover Estonia and then learn more about the country and its wider culture.
And so Estonian sauna tourism has been booming too, spurred on by initiatives such as the European Sauna Marathon - for which we've long provided pro bono PR support (in addition to providing one of our saunas as part of the course), ensuring endless coverage over the years in everything from the BBC to the Washington Post.
The Estonian sauna industry has been through a period of tremendous growth during this period, especially buoyed by the trend toward home saunas in places like the UK, but also a boom in creative new community saunas.
As the FT reports, there was just 10 dedicated sauna establishments in the UK back in 2020. There are now 450 in 2025 - and a significant proportion of them have imported Estonian design and technology.
The UK is building a modern sauna culture of its own, partly inspired by Estonia. It won't be a carbon copy of Estonia's but Brits are benefiting greatly from Estonian expertise and experiences.
(Yes, we can talk about saunas in a very simular way to how we talk about digital IDs).
And so if you go visit a nice British sauna these days - like one of those converted horse box saunas on the beach that they are particularly fond of - then don't be surprised if you hear Brits talking about good leil.