That ideally means field stones covering a wood-fired stove onto which you pour water. Electric fired only as an alternative. But the water on hot stones part is absolutely critical - or it is not a sauna. Cedar lined, also good. Closer to 200° F the better. If that’s too hot start cooler.
Stay in past sweat beading up, to dripping. Make that happen faster by sitting on upper benches and regularly adding water to the rocks.
We also add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the rocks. Now you’re opening up your sinuses as well as pores.
Then a cool lukewarm shower. Some folks get temperature shock from a too cold shower. Safer to start a bit warmer than cold.
Hard to explain how clean it gets you. But also how therapeutic it is. The worries of world won’t keep you awake after a sauna before sleep.
I’ve been laid up for 4 days with the nastiest, most debilitating cold I’ve ever had in my life. Sure whish I had a suana at our house to knock the hell out of this cold.
I’m half Finn and grew up taking authentic wood-fired stove covered with field stones saunas, one even a log structure in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
Men and women took saunas in different sifts. The main reasons I observed as a kid? Women wanted to talk and men wanted quiet… and had an unannounced tendency to test who could stay the longest in the hottest sauna.
Different shifts also allowed the sauna-stove heated water tank to recover. Not that anybody takes a hot shower after a sauna.
Now as I approach the age that my grandparents were when I first took saunas, I have never run into anyone who preferred as hot or as long a sauna.
If you look up the history of saunas youll probably find what i found: nudity in a sauna is for a few reasons, one of them being hygeine. Pretty good read, i think theres a good documentary about it too.
Not been to one. Not been to the local nude beach, either (which is NOT unisex) but it ain’t about me, so why should I care? So long as no one is forced to go against their will, where is the problem?
@RiotDemon logically unisex should mean “one sex” but it doesn’t.
u·ni·sex
adjective
1.
(especially of clothing or hairstyles) designed to be suitable for both sexes.
synonyms: gender-neutral, androgynous, epicene; More
When I was studying abroad (or a few) in Germany a few years ago, the group I was with went to a therme haus (basically a spa) that had a bunch of pools and hot tubs on the first floor and the upstairs was nude only. So of course the more adventurous of us went upstairs, being college kids and all. It most definitely wasn’t unisex. And was mostly not people our age. There were about 8 of us total that decided to go upstairs, half male, half female. The girls were the ones that went up first, and the guys followed (naturally). At first it was pretty awkward, the group of us had only known each other a few weeks and now we are all as natural as the day we were born, body grooming was neglected during our time there (due to the difference in showering culture over there), but after a few minutes, it was pretty normal. In fact, it was extremely relaxing in the nude areas. The saunas were nicer, the pools WEREN’T heated, and outside, in the winter, but opened up your pores like you wouldn’t believe.
Long story short, we are all people, and once you get past the fact that you’re naked, it’s quite nice.
@PlacidPenguin Frankly, strange. I opened the drawer in my head marked “semi public nudity, opinions” and found it entirely empty. Usually those opinion drawers are rattling with rambunctious attitudes just spoiling to get out.
If it’s unisex, what’s the point?
@2many2no because
@elimanningface That doesn’t look unisex at all…
Never been to a sauna.
@PlacidPenguin your loss. An authentic sauna.
That ideally means field stones covering a wood-fired stove onto which you pour water. Electric fired only as an alternative. But the water on hot stones part is absolutely critical - or it is not a sauna. Cedar lined, also good. Closer to 200° F the better. If that’s too hot start cooler.
Stay in past sweat beading up, to dripping. Make that happen faster by sitting on upper benches and regularly adding water to the rocks.
We also add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the rocks. Now you’re opening up your sinuses as well as pores.
Then a cool lukewarm shower. Some folks get temperature shock from a too cold shower. Safer to start a bit warmer than cold.
Hard to explain how clean it gets you. But also how therapeutic it is. The worries of world won’t keep you awake after a sauna before sleep.
I’ve been laid up for 4 days with the nastiest, most debilitating cold I’ve ever had in my life. Sure whish I had a suana at our house to knock the hell out of this cold.
Makes no difference to me as I’m nearly blind without my glasses.
@thismyusername One of my favorite tv shows ever.
Just please, in the name of all that is holy, don’t stand when I’m sitting.
I’m half Finn and grew up taking authentic wood-fired stove covered with field stones saunas, one even a log structure in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
Men and women took saunas in different sifts. The main reasons I observed as a kid? Women wanted to talk and men wanted quiet… and had an unannounced tendency to test who could stay the longest in the hottest sauna.
Different shifts also allowed the sauna-stove heated water tank to recover. Not that anybody takes a hot shower after a sauna.
Now as I approach the age that my grandparents were when I first took saunas, I have never run into anyone who preferred as hot or as long a sauna.
@RedOak
Not when we could be messing around with our gadgets anyway.
@mfladd
Nope!
My policy is that if I’m in a place where it’s not illegal to be naked, I’m gonna be naked.
It seems in public nudity situations the uglier the person is the more likely to go nude
@CaptAmehrican
If you look up the history of saunas youll probably find what i found: nudity in a sauna is for a few reasons, one of them being hygeine. Pretty good read, i think theres a good documentary about it too.
Not been to one. Not been to the local nude beach, either (which is NOT unisex) but it ain’t about me, so why should I care? So long as no one is forced to go against their will, where is the problem?
Never been in a unisex sauna. Only ones I have been in were in hotel spas, and they were segregated to the men’s or womans area’s.
@olperfesser that’s unisex. Coed would be mixed.
@RiotDemon logically unisex should mean “one sex” but it doesn’t.
u·ni·sex
adjective
1.
(especially of clothing or hairstyles) designed to be suitable for both sexes.
synonyms: gender-neutral, androgynous, epicene; More
When I was studying abroad (or a few) in Germany a few years ago, the group I was with went to a therme haus (basically a spa) that had a bunch of pools and hot tubs on the first floor and the upstairs was nude only. So of course the more adventurous of us went upstairs, being college kids and all. It most definitely wasn’t unisex. And was mostly not people our age. There were about 8 of us total that decided to go upstairs, half male, half female. The girls were the ones that went up first, and the guys followed (naturally). At first it was pretty awkward, the group of us had only known each other a few weeks and now we are all as natural as the day we were born, body grooming was neglected during our time there (due to the difference in showering culture over there), but after a few minutes, it was pretty normal. In fact, it was extremely relaxing in the nude areas. The saunas were nicer, the pools WEREN’T heated, and outside, in the winter, but opened up your pores like you wouldn’t believe.
Long story short, we are all people, and once you get past the fact that you’re naked, it’s quite nice.
TLDR: German nude saunas aren’t so bad.
As opinionated as I am, there are subjects about which I simply have no opinion. This is one of them.
@moondrake
How does it feel to not have opinions about some subjects?
@PlacidPenguin Frankly, strange. I opened the drawer in my head marked “semi public nudity, opinions” and found it entirely empty. Usually those opinion drawers are rattling with rambunctious attitudes just spoiling to get out.
I can’t stand being in a hot sauna.
The hot air. I hate it…
Add some naked dudes & it would only get worse.