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Updates. And more updates.

Premiering with the soaking culture. From France there are mostly threats being identified.

As if social media reports themselves aren't already leading to hot springs being overrun, there's a rash of recent entries on Facebook concerning Central France's Source Croizat. Concerning what?

It starts off on Feb. 8 with a comment on a reportage on TF1 from the day before, which idolized the local hot spring for a national audience (prime time as well). But it though ommits local regulations, which actually forbid soaking.

The dilemma: is the reportage for the good (i.e. how can the authorities now fine bathers?)? Or for the bad (will the source now be utterly overrun and destroyed?)?

Time will tell, but seeing where the European soaking scene (and tourism in general) has headed in the last decades, we're not holding our breath on this one.

More to the south, situation seems same-same.

La Dépêche de l'Aude shares two vdo's (both Feb. 22, here and here) on Facebook from Rennes-les-Bains. One with nearly 250.000 views and nearly 150 comments, many of which deplore the decision to broadcast this: it's attracting too many / too many undesirable activities.

Viajandonuestravida (Jan. 28) takes a look at Ariège (likewise France), with special attention to Ax. Translated from Spanish:

'One of its best kept secrets is its free natural pools located in the middle of the town squares, which we will tell you about below. So, on your way through this area of the Pyrenees, Ax-les-Thermes would be one of the essential towns to see in Ariège .
...
One of the best things to do in Ax-les-Thermes is to try out its hot springs, and you can do so for free . The thermal water runs through the entire town, and just by walking around you will find fountains, foot baths and thermal pools where you can sit and relax your feet while enjoying the sunset or eating an ice cream.
The waters are over 70ºC in some cases and are beneficial for your health. A perfect time to try them is after coming down from the ski slopes of Ax 3 Domaines. Just outside the cable car you will find one of the pools and it is perfect for taking off your boots and putting your feet in a dip. A pleasure that you have to try. Here are the rest of the locations:
Bassin Les Ladres
Bassin Pl. Saint-Jérôme
Bassin rue du Cimetière
Sitting down to try these hot springs surrounded by mountains is one of the essential things to do in Ariège'.

Hungary Today reports (13 Feb.) of what they note as a small spa town which has now been rated with 4 stars:

'A four-star rating has been given to the Bihar Termálliget Spa and Beach Resort. This could make Berettyóújfalu rise in popularity, therefore becoming a tourist stronghold along the Hungarian-Romanian border, reported Világgazdaság.
...
Péter Zámbori, the CEO of Herpály Vagyonkezelő Kft., discussed the criteria for obtaining the four stars. He said that 73 conditions had to be met. The qualification was awarded for three years, and maintaining it will be a motivation for future improvement. The company manager reported that this January started quite strongly for the four star hotel and spa, as the number of guest nights in the city increased from 5,900 to 8,300, an increase of 70%'.

23b~log seeks answers (Feb. 21) to Europe's hottest hot spring:

'Superlatives are supposed to be a unique thing. But that has never stopped a heroic proclamation of being the best, first or fastest by some that yearn to stand out among the ordinary: thermal springs in this case'.

Current answer:

'The Ministry of Tourism [Bulgaria] claims Separeva Banya to be Europe’s hottest spring at 103ºC, bringing us right into geyser territory. Is is possible that the water has an higher than 100ºC boiling point due to mineral composition?

nudeblogru

2wИстория грузинской бани.
8 лет пыталась сделать цельный заход и собрать инфо о феномене купаний в райском районе Абанотубани.
Смоглась экскурсия с @begunov.tbilisi и поход в новый номер у Гуло.
1. При прокладке метро повредили скважину и за 30 лет она иссякла, поэтому Гогило заброшена, хотя вода там была полезнее по содержанию солей.
2. В 1953 река в инжирном ущелье разошлась и потопила в банях около 500 человек. После ее закатали в асфальт, сделав дорогу, Саакашвили разрыл ее в 2015.
3. Никаких документов и архивов за 19 век не сохранилось, мы на самом деле не фига не знаем.
4. Баня Мирзоева носила именитую фамилию только для рекламы, управляли ей всегда другие люди.
5. Чтобы работать в бане моя Саида сказала, что мне нужно открыть ИП Терщицы.
Новый номер красивый, но бестолковый.
Связная история еще будет.
Слово Самарканд на плитке Орбелиановской бани ищем.

Taste

The Dutch issue of Cosmopolitan has a small list (Feb. 14) of the countries most beautiful sauna's. Interesting.

More Dutch, but in English.

CN Traveller focuses (Nov. 11) on the spa's of Amsterdam, which surprises with just 2 sauna experiences. Less interesting.

Nacktleben heads (Feb. 9) to the Emser Therme in Bad Ems. And reports the use as good:

'Insgesamt fand ich den Saunapark bei meinem Besuch sehr ansprechend und auch nicht überlaufen. Für meinen Geschmack dürfte es noch mehr Pools im Saunabereich geben und Zeiten, in denen die Therme textilfrei genutzt werden kann, wären natürlich top'.

Saunachannel has a new offering: a vdo on sailing and saunaing through the Finnish isles. The showing coincides with Finlands National Sauna Week:

'⛵ Join Sauna Channel for "Sailing and Saunas: A Journey through the Finnish Archipelago," a 7-part series airing daily during National Sauna Week, February 16th-22nd.
🔗 https://www.saunachannel.com/sailing-the-finnish-archipelago
Explore the hidden gems of Finland's southwest coast, uncovering the rich tapestry of local life, traditions, and the integral role of sauna in Finnish culture. Meet the people, experience the beauty, and discover the magic of the archipelago, sailing to six unique islands'.

art.of.wild.swimming

Is it coincidence that many cold water dippers seem to be sauna fans as well? Embracing the cold water is akin to embracing the heat of the #sauna. It’s still on my wishlist to go to Finland and take a icy plunge in the lake afterwards.
.
#saunatime #coldwaterswimming #winterzwemmen #vinterbad #kallbad #isbading #wildswimming #coldwaterdip #bastubad #saunaculture

France24 reports (Feb. 17) on the news from Turkey:

'Turkish authorities have sealed off a luxury spa run by a five-star Istanbul hotel that was set up by illegally modifying a 1,500-year-old cistern, officials told AFP on Monday'.

Less fine news items. Men trying to get away with everything (sigh).

Schwaebische has a report (Feb. 15) on police intervention when a sauna user refused to put away his phone. Police told the user to clear off which finally helped.

'Dass Handys selbst in die Sauna mitgenommen werden, kommt immer häufiger vor, auch wenn die meisten Bäder und Thermen ähnliche Verbote, wie das Bad Blau, in ihren Hausregeln verankert haben'.

In Holland a recent court case reported by news channel AD (Feb. 23) on a sauna user caught using a camera in a drinking bottle. I mean what? Sixty hours community work.

Gentle

The ipaper looks (Jan. 18) at Latvia's culture. Or better said they report on a visit to a traditional Latvian sauna:

'In the past, most Latvians would have a pirts in the family, in which they would gather weekly to cleanse. The warm, clean and private pirts were also used as birthing chambers. Gentle welcome ceremonies (pirtīžas) were performed for newborns, and it is easy to understand how a ritual, using healing herbs, would be appreciated by new mothers. Fathers were subject to a hotter ritual with more thwacking to help them appreciate their responsibilities towards the family.
These old rituals, with links to a pagan past, are gaining in popularity, and many Latvian families are reintroducing pirts. Formally, it was strictly a family ritual but today, friends might gather for one, and there are public pirts in towns and cities for those who don’t have space for their own'.

huumsauna

The naked sauna experience 🌿
In Estonia, going into the sauna 𝘢𝘶 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭 is quite common—especially when you’re among family, friends, or when men and women go separately. Of course, sometimes we’ll wear swimsuits (particularly in mixed-company or public saunas), but more often, it’s nothing at all or just a towel. It’s all about letting the body breathe and really immersing yourself in the authentic sauna ritual 🔥
Elsewhere around the world, we’ve seen just about every kind of sauna attire—from bathing suits (quite common) to full workout gear and even shoes! Yikes. However, we definitely recommend letting your body sweat freely, so skip the extra layers whenever you can.
How do you prefer to sauna? Do people in your country usually wear swimsuits, towels, or nothing at all? #saunaheater #saunatime #saunalife #saunaexperience #saunatraditions #saunanaked #saunalife #saunatime #saunasuit

The Irish Journal looks (Jan. 4) at the nation's sauna upswing:

'Sauna attendance is on an upward trend, especially when combined with the popularity of sea swimming.
Mentally, it feels great. It totally blows away the cobwebs.
Connolly said sauna usage has a range of health benefits associated with heat-shock protein development.
Speaking to the PA news agency, he added: “It’s good physically and mentally, it feels great. It totally blows away the cobwebs.
“If you’re in any way stressed or or hungover, hop in the sauna for half an hour, 45 minutes and you just kind of feel like you can take on whatever your day has in front of you a bit more.
“Or if it’s in the evening, you can decompress.”

It basically reports on 1 sauna which has been running for about a year now. Perspective.

A recent (?) blog by Mostly Amélie on a visit (Dec. 21) to one of Germany's premier wellness resorts, Vibali in Berlin and highlights the differing sauna culture:

'In my quest to experience a culture to its fullest, I obviously decided I wanted to get naked in Berlin too and visit a naked German spa for the first time. My very first naked spa Germany experience, yay! Might seem trivial, but for the prude North American that I am, it’s a bit of a leap.
...
Friends go to vabali spa nude. Dates go to vabali spa naked. Colleagues go to the German sauna nude. In the soaking tubs, in the mineral pools, getting exfoliation scrubs, in the spa areas, it is all nude bliss. Who doesn’t go to vabali wellness center naked, you may ask?
...
Whereas I came here to experience what nude resorts were all about, at the end of the day, these were all very trivial points in the grander scheme of things. I had the most relaxing day ever with good food and sunshine and, if anything, being naked simply contributed to making me feel really awesome about myself and super relaxed. Not what I expected!

Odd then that the comments are from years before...

From Germany's Nordkurier (Jan. 6) an article on the differing sauna culture of Poland and Germany in which one reader describes how she came to words with another guest to the use of bathing attire where none is the de-rigeur. Management were also reluctant to step in.

'Es darf nicht sein, dass jeder macht, was er will'.

Reddit (Feb. 24) asks what's it like experiencing the German sauna as a foreigner. Answers: no worries, nobody cares, etc.

'Don’t overthink it. It’s natural and all good.
...
My little sister (from Iran) was nervous at first, too - it helped that I was with her and acted as a buffer and could explain the rules to her. Do you have a friend who could go with you the first couple of times? The place we went to back then was my favorite spa, where everyone was really respectful and nudity just wasn't an issue - there was no staring, eyes stayed on your face, and everyone could just relax and have a good time'.

Finally, CN Traveller highlights (Feb. 7) what they describe as a "whacky" ritual:

'This one’s tricky to explain, so hear me out. You and several others are in a super-sized sauna. You’re naked. A sauna master, clad in theatrical garms, throws spheres of ice, infused with essential oils, on the rocks. It’s 82.5°C. The steam rises. Said master then wafts the evaporating aromas into your face using a host of acrobatic towel twirls that call on the skills of a nunchucking ninja. There’s music and a light show; there are props and a storyline. But, most importantly, there’s a moral teaching to take home.
This, friends, is aufguss. And, permitting you’re happy in your birthday suit, it’s a hoot. Because beyond the sensorial blast, it transforms you from a silent, sedentary sweatosaurus into an active participant, clapping and whistling as part of the performance. Wafting salubrious smells has been a mainstay of sauna culture in central and northern Europe for a hundred years. But am-dram aufguss – with its narrative arcs and emotive scores – is a millennial invention, created by the saunarati of Italy’s Sud Tyrol region'.

The above from Italy, though the article also lists the best places to experience Aufguss in Europe.