It's hot, it's steamy, it's fleshy and now it's on video

A Finnish company has launched video conferencing facility in saunas.

The internet link is currently being offered to Finnish companies by Media Tampere, a digital media consultancy based in Tampere, Finland.

The company is building a sauna with an internet connection in its own office, but said any customers wanting to develop their own corporate sauna facility can get the technology tailored to their specific needs. Companies can also hire out Media Tampere's sauna for their conferences.

Media Tampere installs a web cam through a small custom-built window in the sauna along with speakers and amplifiers. The firm had some trouble making the technology resistant to heat and humidity.

The Nokia-backed company's CEO, Jarkko Lumio, claims it makes sense to have the internet link in saunas.

He said: "All important decisions in Finland are made in saunas. Another important issue is the time difference. Typically when the Americans begin their business day, the Finns are having a sauna, which makes it ideal to have a conferencing link between the two continents."

However, Lumio also stressed the need for greater understanding of cultural differences - especially as Finns tend take a sauna in the nude.