[en] Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to investigate inhabitants of Finland and their continuing efforts tonarrate a national identity within the constraints imposed by discursive meanings of Finnish culture throughthe experience of sauna.Design/methodology/approach – Data collection comprised semi-structured interviews with Finnishlocal residents and entrepreneurs; these were supplemented with secondary data including books, articles,advertisements and documents referencing sauna in the context of Finland.Findings –The analysis and interpretation by the authors show that the symbolic resource of saunaconstitutes the legitimation of Finnish nation branding discourses at three levels : regulative, normative andcultural-cognitive; we label these sauna governance, communal identity creation and mythmaking, respectively.Originality/value –The research contribution reveals that nation branding discourses are also forms oflegitimation work. Finnish nation branding discourses are interwoven with sauna as the symbolic resource of“Finnishness”and become conduits for the expression of discursive meanings. This demonstrates thatinstitutional legitimacy is an intrinsic aspect of the ways place branding discourses can be used as a mode ofgovernance (i.e. a policy instrument).