Alba a Fordongianus, Sardegna ‘25#sardegna #waterfotography #portrait #turismosardegna #terme #hotspring #nowness #fordongianus #canon
A somewhat more concise edition. And as habitual lately, little on soaking itself. Just these snippets.
Starting off in Italy.
French Nature st source chaud has been off (Jun. 8) to Italy's volcanic island of Ischia. As usual his blog entries are very long and full of details. Eleven volcanic and or thermal visits are described. A translated snippet:
'Ischia is not thermal by chance: the island rests on a still active hydrothermal system , linked to its volcanic history. Under the ground, the waters circulate in fractures, heat up deep down, become charged with gas and minerals, then rise to the surface.The scale of the phenomenon is impressive: a scientific inventory lists approximately 264 groundwater extraction points on the island, the majority of which are wells. This figure, which testifies to the incredible activity of the subsoil, should not be confused with the number of visible natural springs. Ischia actually has 29 groups of thermal springs, in addition to numerous fumarolic phenomena. The 264 points thus encompass different realities: historical springs that have been developed, but above all, wells, boreholes, and water intakes that supply the island's thermal and tourist establishments'.
He also has a section dedicated to the islands natural pools (as opposed to the many private entities).
Spabusiness (Aug. 2) reports on improvements at Saturnia, Tuscany. But only on the developed side of the termi. The public side remains over touristed.
Hot springers has an entry (Jul. 30) on Lukács in Budapest:
'There were a lot of soakers in the small space, so it felt a bit noisy.However, when I closed my eyes and focused on the water, it turned out to be the most satisfying soaking experience I’ve ever had among bathhouses in Budapest'.
Hot spring-ish. Greek news website news247 has a feature (Aug. 9) on taking a mud bath at Krinides. Translated:
'The interaction of thermomineral waters, organic materials, microorganisms and inorganic components formed a mature therapeutic clay, which is used in clay therapy and has recognized applications in musculoskeletal and skin diseases.......In recent years, the space has been attempting to change again.The goal is to stop operating exclusively during the summer months and transform it into a destination that can receive visitors all year round.As part of the upgrade, an outdoor swimming pool with warm thermal water is being created, while indoor mud therapy and hydrotherapy areas are being constructed'.
Hmm, despite the included (old skool) photo, it seems bathing costumes are also being allowed.
I looked at more recent sources. f.i. discoverkavala (Jun. 11):
'Practical Tip: Remember to pack a swimsuit, towel, and flip-flops. Please note that wearing a swimsuit is mandatory for hygiene and safety reasons'.
Is it the official line? The official website makes no mention of a dress code.
From 2 years ago there's this review (on google):
'The males and females are separated into different mudbaths and the overall experience was excellent (everyone was nude, but you can purchase some small underwear for €1). Skin feels very clean and rejuvenated!
There's also at least one review from 2025 which mentions nudity.
There's this youtube from last year (Feb 13, 2025; so probably vdo from 2024), it shows with and without situation:
Attention
Over to sauna (culture).
Czech expats tries to explain (Aug. 14) the situation concerning nudity in the Czech Republic.
On the local sauna (cluture):
'Czech sauna culture has its own set of unspoken rules, and here the expectation is often that you won't be wearing a swimsuit at all....She says people have very different attitudes toward nudity, and that mixed saunas can sometimes put women off because of unwanted attention.“I often feel sorry that saunas are a bit sexualized here. I've talked to girls several times who don't want to go to the mixed sauna because the guys look at them lustfully.”
It's all quite complicated.
Thekit ("tells stories that matter to women" (in Canada)) has a sauna experience report (Aug. 21) from Austria:
'Stripping down wasn't just about shedding my clothes—it was about dropping my emotional baggageI didn’t notice the flopping penises until I stepped into the sauna.Was I at a nudist retreat? A wellness commune? Neither. Just a regular spa resort in Austria....Then suddenly, everyone was naked—and my friend Stacy and I were the only people still dressed, sitting awkwardly on the wooden bench in our bikinis.“No bathing suits in the sauna,” the sauna master explained gruffly. “It’s unhygienic,” he added, presumably for my benefit.Stacy and I were silent.“I’ll do it if you will,” Stacy dared me. Not wanting to look like a wimp, I nodded. We shimmied out of our bathing suits right there, in the middle of the sauna—which, in retrospect, I don’t think was proper protocol—and arranged ourselves on the bench as casually as two newly naked North American women possibly could. Help, I said to myself....If anything, I was the weird one, sneaking glances around the room because I was still trying to decode the rules....Maybe that was what I had been nervous about all along—not merely being naked, but being exposed as somehow abnormal. Instead, I discovered that I was just like everyone else'.
Nicht so frei wie die Deutschen, weniger prüde als die Franzosen: Wie es um die hiesige #sauna kultur und das Nacktsein steht (Text: Sarah Pepin, Foto: @atelierimages )
Baseball
A reel from German comedian (!) Marioadrion (Jul. 31) on the differences between his sauna culture (German in Sweden) and that of the US. Live-ish from the sauna itself. It gains a lot of traction, 200+ comments. Such as:
I just had this experience! I went to a sauna in a new place (in the states, in a women’s locker room), and they had a sign that you cannot be naked! I couldn’t believe it. There was also a lady that was fully clothed, wearing tennis shoes, a baseball hat and watching a movie on her phone. Yes, really. It was a very surreal experience....I remember the first time I went to a sauna in Europe (Norway. Was living in Spain at the time) and there were schlongs EVERYWHERE! Schlongs to the left. Schlongs to the right. Tiddies right in front of me! I was intimidated at first but quickly acclimated to letting my schlong go free 🤗 when I got back to the US, I forgot that my bare schlong made people uncomfortable at the sauna but idgaf. I always go into the sauna and steam room bare schlong and don’t care what the American prudes think anymore 🙌
From Medium Slavicuncovered on how to enjoy a naked sauna (Jun. 27):
'During my travels — and trust me, I’ve sweated in more sauna cabins than I can count — I’ve discovered something rather amusing: almost every country believes it has ‘perfected’ the art of sauna....What’s fascinating is that many of these traditions flatly contradict each other. In some countries, mixed-gender nudity is completely normal, but talking during a session is practically a crime. In others, conversation flows freely, but everyone’s expected to wear swimwear (! eww!). Some places lean into essential oils and elaborate ceremonies, while others keep it plain and simple....As someone who lives a fair chunk of her life uncovered, I can tell you people often assume naturists choose nude saunas to make a statement. The reality is far less dramatic: a sauna is designed to heat the body, full stop....That doesn’t mean everyone must be nude in every sauna — local customs vary, and that’s part of the fun of exploring them. But in traditional sauna cultures throughout much of Europe, nudity combined with proper towel etiquette is considered the most hygienic and practical approach. Not scandalous. Just sensible....The best sauna etiquette isn’t really about rules at all. It’s about consideration. Shower before entering. Use a proper, full-length towel. Respect the atmosphere of the room. Trust the sauna master. Cool down properly. Stay hydrated. None of these habits exist to make your life harder — they exist to make the experience better for everyone, including you.For me, sauna culture is just one more layer of “uncovered” living — the same philosophy behind everything I do with SlavicUncovered, whether that’s the podcast, the videos, or simply walking around without my clothes on more often than most people would expect. It’s about shedding the unnecessary and the performative, and getting honest with your body, your comfort, and the people around you. That’s intimacy in its own quiet way — not always romantic, but always real'.
A post (Aug. 26) on the instagram account of Diese_reisegefeahrten asks the question:
'Sauna auf Kreuzfahrtschiffen – textilfrei oder mit Badeanzug?
At least 50 (mostly free) answers.
Finally, over in Scotland, sauna's are all the rage. The all-encompassing Culture on bathing reports (Aug. 13) on the Edinburgh's Fringe festival effort in combining sauna and theater. Which the Aufguss in reality is.
'For over two decades, theatre director James Grieve and designer Lucy Osborne have brought shows to highly unconventional spaces....Jane Withers talks to Lucy and James about using sauna’s superpowers to redefine how we experience storytelling and their ambitions for building an art and culture ecosystem around bathing....But we only recently started thinking about the similarities between sauna and theatre. They both evolved from sitting around a campfire telling a story. They both give people communal sensory experiences in a world that has become increasingly screen-orientated and disconnected. We’ve been talking about how these two worlds could merge for three years and now we’re opening Sauna Theatre in Edinburgh....JAMES: Aufguss is how we’ve been introduced to theatricality in a sauna space and we have seen a lot of show aufguss which is governed by rules and regulations. As theatre-makers, we are naturally rule breakers and enjoy subverting theatrical form. So what we are most excited about is bringing theatre artists together with sauna masters and finding new ways to create worlds'.
La cabra tira al monte, y nosotras pal norte#rinconesconencanto #viajedechicas #brujas #meigas #comodiosnostrajoalmundo
