It's surprising how content for this blog at certain times is a challenge to scrape together, while the next time content is popping up non-stop. Maybe it's a seasonal thing. Anyway, apologies, it's now the latter.
Common though, it seems that hot spring news is slowly dwindling, whereas sauna and wellness news is being heavily pushed.
So let's start off with alink to an article that looks at both.
GB's Guardian asks (Nov. 17) its readers for their favourite European spa's and sauna's. Why they lump these together is not totally clear. The tip for Scotland's Portavadie is the winner, but there's additional to mention:
'[Albania's] Bënja thermal baths in the south of the country are a true gem....My favourite hot spring spurts into the sea at Edipsos on the Greek island of Evia...We had the most wonderful time at the Salt and Ember mobile sauna on a quay on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Bundoran, County Donegal.
Other mentions are from Italy, Andorra, Wales, Poland, Germany and Hungary. Truly European thus.
Further then with the hot springs.
Thinkgeoenergy mentions (Nov. 17) Greek Macedonia and hot springs while looking into thermal energy:
'Testing of a large-diameter geothermal research borehole Sd17PN in the Sidirokastro geothermal field in Serres, Greece has indicated temperatures of around 78 °C from a depth of 153.8 meters. This represents the highest temperature recorded in the low-enthalpy [close to earth's surface] geothermal fields in the Prefecture of Serres'.
Over on soakersforum (a forum 99,9% of the time dedicated to North American soaks), a report (Nov. 17) on soaking in Georgia (the country):
'Oh, Georgia! Magical soaking situations to be had for the laziest or most intrepid of hot springs explorers. We did a 2 week road trip and hit 5 of them, all divine. Would recommend the country as a whole and the hot springs! Has anyone else been and if so, what springs did you find?
From Archaeoreporter (Nov. 18), an Italian professional magazine reports on the further discovery of marble statues. Translated (from Italian):
'After the bronzes, here comes the marble. In San Casciano dei Bagni, archaeologists have made it known that in the countryside of recent months - as the summer photos released by the minister of culture Gennaro Sangiuliano show - a statue of almost two meters of Apollo Sauroctonos was found, that is, the god who plays with a lizard. The model of the Roman copy is Praxiteles....In fact, the travertine altar with a bilingual inscription in Etruscan and Latin is important , the rarity of which is well known and reduced to a few dozen examples....The statue, beyond its value as a classically understood artefact, is an important piece in connecting the site to the presence of Apollo. And the lizard can be linked to the healing claims of eye diseases'.
The original find has resulted in a prize for the involved archeologists. Stories & Archeostories has an article (Nov. 3) on the award. Translated (from Italian):
'The International Archaeological Discovery Award "Khaled al-Asaad" goes to Italy for the first time, the prize awarded for the best archaeological discoveries of the year: the winner was the 24 bronze statues from the Etruscan and Roman eras found in the extraordinary sanctuary of San Casciano dei Bagni , in the province of Siena'.
Sorgente San Michele wants to make it's mark on the tourist trail. From last year (Aug. 25, 2022) Il Tirreno reports. The Italian Translation:
'Now the municipal administration of Pomarance wants to enhance that area of approximately 184 hectares, and has given the Ponsacco company Smaf srl the research permit for mineral and thermal water called Sorgente San Michele'.
Changing climate? The thermal Maibachl stream in Austria tends to run in spring, but such is the weather that the Maibachl has streamed in November (link, Nov. 5).
being alone can contain opposite sensations: well-being or discomfort. It all depends on whether loneliness has been conquered or not.#nikonitaliaofficial #fivestars_people #fivestars_sunset#shareyourhobbywiththeworld #nothingisordinary_#tv_hiddenbeauty #italia_cartoline #gwlakes #shotz_of_emiliaromagna#igpic_emiliaromagna #throug_the _travel_lens #emiliaromagna_in_grande #italians .traveling #igpic_emiliaromagna #fav_squares#nature_picphoto95#new_photoitaly #ww_natura #travelstoitaly #yallersemilia_romagna #europe_photogroup #your_destinations__#lagos_world # loves_united_emiliaromagna #ispontaneous #world_still_life_photography #sunrise_n_sets #fpi_landscape
Moving to the fringes of soaking.
4plus, a collection of writings from Armenia looks into natural salt baths (Oct. 1):
'When I first visited the lake, I had an extensive topic, connected with salt for a photo story and a clear aim of making it definite. French-Armenian guests hurried to explain to me the difference between the two lakes: one of them has a salinity of 13 percent, where it’s easier to swim, and the other one has a higher level of salinity – 25 percent. On that day I was also informed that the rocks were illustrated by an architect named Sedrak, who lived in Sari Tagh. Lastly, they added that a naked woman often swam in the lake with the salinity of 25 percent'.
A very exceptional photo essay.
An earlier 4plus article (Feb. 20, 2018), looked at the local salt caves.
Banos de Vilo as highlighted by Tierrassinfronteras (Oct. 23). Translated:
'Los Baños de Vilo is a hidden natural corner in the province of Malaga, a pool of sulfurous waters open to bathing and completely free.A small place, full of life and special to enjoy medicinal waters, in a beautiful natural environment and with a unique history....These waters have medicinal properties. They are nitrogenous, hydrogen sulfide and magnesium-calcium waters that are born at 21ºC and are especially indicated for treating skin conditions'.
Frío y calor yendo juntos de la mano 🤍
Miserable
The Guardian has an article (Nov. 26) on Britains boom of seaside sauna's:
'There are now 70 such saunas operating in the UK according to the British Sauna Society, mostly at beaches or lakes, fuelled by the growth in wild swimming and healthy living....But if the customers have sweated, so have the owners. Finding land, dealing with slow-moving councils and wild seas have all taken a toll. And as the number of saunas increases, local opposition is emerging'.
Further, the Guardian notes (Nov. 26) that a Finnish sauna in Kent needs better preservation:
'A modest prefabricated hut that sat almost forgotten in suburban Kent for more than half a century is at the centre of an international preservation campaign, after it was recognised as a “hugely important” piece of sporting history – and Britain’s oldest operating sauna....[Finnish] Ambassador Jukka Siukosaari was alerted to its existence by the Finnish Olympic committee, which had in turn been contacted by sauna enthusiasts from Aylesford, near Maidstone.They had been quietly enjoying the sauna’s charms for many years until it failed a safety inspection in 2020, leaving them unable to afford repairs and forcing them to mothball the building'.
World of Sauna has a topical article (Oct. 31): how to sauna - energy efficiently. It concerns mainly the Finnish set-up, how your own sauna can be more enjoyed energy efficient. No rocket science there. They mention that a survey revealed showed that a portion of the population in 2023 shunted their own sauna in favour of a more public facility.
The "wild" sauna trend is also up and coming in the Netherlands. One operator: Kuuma Sauna. They recently opened (Nov. 17) their fourth location, beachside near the Hague.
The Smoke Sauna Sisters film starts it's rounds on the continent. The Guardian (Nov. 18) was provoked to search for the ultimate smoke sauna. In Estonia:
'There are about 400 smoke saunas in Estonia, mainly in the south-east, but they are not the only kind. There are 100,100 in total, for 1.3 million inhabitants, including Finnish saunas, electric saunas, raft saunas, barrel saunas and more....I left Estonia wondering why Britain, another chilly northern European nation, doesn’t have its own sauna tradition. It may not get as cold as Estonia, but winter can be long, dark, wet and miserable. I learn that unheated Tooting Bec lido in south London has a sauna and is due to reopen after refurbishment. Bring it on! My sauna fear seems to have disappeared'.
Insidehook looks (Nov. 6) at the nowadays quintessential Aufguss sauna ritual:
'Aufguss, stemming from the German word “infusion” describes any guided wellness experience in a sauna. Think: music, oils, vapor, a towel shaman of some sort. Germany takes the ritual very seriously, even hosting its own aufguss championships, but the practice has history all over the continent. It’s closely related to a Finnish concept called löyly, which describes the steam that storms through the room after water and oil are dashed upon the rocks. It pulls the heat from the pores of your skin, makes it momentarily impossible to breath and melts your cranium into pudding, sort of like that final scene in the first Indiana Jones. Well — not really. But it feels like it.......Aufguss certainly makes a sauna hotter, pushing the room towards the 200°F mark. (The practice appears to have originated out of necessity: to “reheat” the rooms after doors/windows were opened and new air was circulated throughout.) In turn, this makes the entire experience more intense. But instead of sweating over whether the method is more effective, I’d urge aspirational aufguss attendees to appreciate the ritual for what is is: a shared, multi-sensory sequence of moments'.
The Sauna Channel looks at an award-winning Hungarian sauna, Sauna Bivak. Besides the customary recently posted vdo, the highlight notes:
'Conceived by the Budapest-based architecture firm, Bivak, Sauna Bivak boasts not only a compact and mobile design but also the flexibility to be easily installed on a variety of terrains. It is equally suited for both urban and rural settings, and in one instance, this exceptional sauna was situated on the banks of the Danube River as the prototype was hosted by the Tandem Bar in the town of Nagymaros, Hungary. The sauna has since relocated to Ebihal Büfé in Budakalász'.
An odder Euro experience. Bad Gastein's Radon caves. The Guardian (Oct. 26):
'And no spa is more labyrinthine than the radioactive caves I found myself (naked) in in Bad Gastein.
...
At the end of another tunnel is the most extraordinary “wellness” centre. The Gasteiner Heilstollen promises to rid visitors of any niggling aches and pains by nuking them in its radon-rich caves. If that sounds alarming, there are many radon-rich parts of the UK, notably Wales and the West Country. The management says a visit is safe, as it involves a very low exposure to radon; about a tenth of the radiation of an X-ray. Less well-evidenced are the claims of health benefits, although many Austrian visitors get a trip here on their health insurance. This nation of wellness fans takes spas very seriously.
...
Our destination – about 1½ miles into the mountain – was a series of tunnels off the train tracks with beds on either side where we lay on our towels, took off our swimming costumes and, well, soaked up the radiation. It was a rather pleasant experience – a little different from soaking up solar rays – and at regular intervals a doctor with a towel around his waist came to check on us. He reassured us that the dose was too low to be dangerous. I think I must have nodded off, as the 60 minutes seemed to whiz by.
A (Swiss) sauna marathon:
Beim 1. Saunamarathon in Schaffhausen sind wir vom Verein @we_are_saunah mit 4 mobilen Saunen der etwa 20 Saunen mit dabei.😁 Unsere Mitglieder sorgen für den Betrieb der Saunen und helfen den Marathon-Teilnehmern sich vor Ort zurechtzufinden. Dies macht unheimlich Spass, so viele verschiedene Sauna-Enthusiasten an einem Tag treffen zu können. Von überall kommen sie her: Schottland🏴, England🏴, Japanja🇯🇵 und natürlich auch aus Finnland🇫🇮 (die leben aber hier). Aber auch aus der ganzen Schweiz🇨🇭 sind sie angereist: habe Leute unter anderem aus Vevey, Neuchatel, Solothurn, Fribourg und Bern getroffen. Eine super Sache.👍 Freuen uns bereits auf die nächste Ausgabe.Danke an @schaffhauser_saunamarathon für die tolle Organisation und Durchführung. Sind beim nächstern Mal gerne mit dabei.🙏😊auch auf Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearesaunahoder im Netz: www.saunah.ch#saunamarathon #saunamarathonschaffhausen #wearesaunah #saunah #mobilsauna #mobilesauna #rentasauna #rentme #mietsauna #mietemich #rentaprivatesauna #wellness #sauna #saunatime #schwitzen #schwitzerland #saunahverein #finnischesauna #kommauch #seidabei #wohnwagenumbau #diy #tryme #schwitzen #saunamieten
More minor news, not always as positive as above.
The Kieler Nachrichten notes (Sep. 23) that Bad Bramstedt (north of Hamburg) is threatening to lose their Kuhrort recognition, because the peatbaths will possibly close due to financial constraints.
Unthinkable
The Times (no less) has a sudden interest in Sweden's sauna culture (Nov. 3):
'For centuries the peoples of northern Europe have unabashedly stripped off to sweat out the worries of the day in shared saunas.Yet the modern age of widespread sensitivity about body image and high-profile sexual harassment cases has raised a heated debate about etiquette.While a growing number of facilities allow people to wear bathing costumes if they are uncomfortable with being naked or just having a towel to cover up with, some are cleaving insistently to the old ways.The dilemma has steamed up in Sweden after a woman was asked to leave a public sauna in Ostersund, a town 300 miles north of Stockholm, because she was wearing a swimming costume....Annika Teppo, who is professor of cultural anthropology at Uppsala University in Sweden but was born in Finland, said saunas had traditionally been an environment where leering or sexual comments were strictly taboo.“Those who think it’s a sexual space are making a really huge social mistake with consequences,” she said. “In some countries there are places where saunas are nothing but brothels, but in Finland that idea is unthinkable'.
The main source of info is the local Östersunds Posten.
Here's the original letter (Sep. 4) and this is a (rough) translation:
'If you wear a bathing suit, there is talk that you should wear one, and older men shout at you during what you thought would be a nice time at the relax.The environment they've created has made grown men feel comfortable commenting negatively on women's bodies, as well as following them into a sauna only to yell at them about their bathing suits.Then after all the shouting and threatening behaviour, who is the staff talking to? Me of course, because I was wearing a bathing suit.Abolish old rules about not being allowed to wear a bathing suit in the sauna and do like the majority of bathhouses in Sweden. It makes it more comfortable for young women to feel safe, instead of making it easier for these unpleasant men to continue with their jargon'.
Other letters to the Östersunds Posten are sent in as a response.
On Sep. 11 a letter writer pleads for the rules to remain. Translated excerpt:
'The fact that the vast majority follow and understand these rules does not seem to matter, or that other people may be inconvenienced. Making it into something misogynistic I just don't believe in, because people baste to enjoy it, not anything else.There are more problems with hygiene in bathhouses - some men wear their underpants under their swimming trunks, some women shower with bikinis on. Then the pools get dirty and the chlorine generates decomposition gases. This is useless to inhale and therefore there are fans in all bathhouses. There are no fans in the dry sauna, therefore you should not put chlorine water in there!
Same day a letter writer claims the (old) rules are not based on anything.
Then (Oct. 16) the result of the upheaval as reported in the Östersunds Posten:
'After the heated sauna debate, Storsjöbadet in Östersund has now decided to allow swimwear in all saunas. And it starts to apply already tomorrow, Tuesday'.
jacqui_doula at Yasuragi in Stockholm, a Japanese style spa (note: rules are that this is a clothed facility!):
Jag är inte på spa. Jag VABar. 😴Inatt spydde Lumina i sängen. Vi bytte lakan, lade oss till ro. Då spydde hon igen. Vi bytte lakan igen och hon spydde en tredje gång. Under morgonen har hon kräkts en gång över en soffa och en annan gång över mig. Hon satt gränsle på min mage efter att hon ammat, då spydde hon ungefär 2 liter mjölk över hela mig och sängen.Hon mår i övrigt inte dåligt. Hon är pigg! Jag är trött.Inte på #yasuragihasseludden #vab#livetmedbarn #mamma #vardag
Besides the info reaching Britain's shores, German news sites also picked up on the story. T-online:
'Eine Frau in Östersund, eine Stadt rund 550 Kilometer nördlich von Stockholm, musste eine Sauna verlassen, weil sie einen Badeanzug trug und nicht – wie oftmals in Heißluftbädern üblich – nackt war....Die Frau forderte eine Abschaffung der Regel, keine Badekleidung im Saunabereich tragen zu dürfen. "So können sich junge Frauen sicherer fühlen."
It also asks it's readers concerning their sauna usage. The 20,000+ respondents go naked (74%), 6% prefer swimwear, the rest naked hiding behind a towel.
The German press coverage then attracts forum info. Notably the FKK-Forum. Not surprisingly, there's quite some backlash. And more explanation.
More background on the cultural settings:
'Es handelt sich wirklich um eine der wenigen gemischten Saunen in Schweden, wo nacktheit erlaubt ist (bis vor kurzem Pflicht war). In so fern wird das Erlaubnis, Badekleidung zu tragen, wahrscheinlich dazu fûhren, dass noch mehr Gaffer kommen. Eine nackte gemischte Sauna ist in Schweden sehr selten. Dass der Betreiber diese nicht aufrechterhalten will ist schade. Wenn es ein Problem mit Gaffern gibt, dann sollten sie Hausverbot bekommen. Badekleidung zu erlauben ist das falsche Signal. Meistens funktioniert CO nicht'.
But in general, even though cultures are similar, Germans fail to comprehend the Östersund set-up. And in the end with or without swimwear, the male gaze (and how this is experienced) seems to continue unabated.
While on the subject (sauna habits?) another major Germany newsoutlet (Focus, Oct. 21) looks at what the etiquette dictates when visiting a wellness establishment. And answers questions.
Oddly though the title of the article
'Nackt in der Sauna klingt normal, kann aber für Ärger sorgen'
translates as Being naked can result in annoyance.It reveals how seemingly the editors are merely interested in click-bait. The article itself barely covers this aspect at all.
More clickbaits, more controversy, this time even crossborders!
NotesfromPoland (Nov. 14) reports on how a few kilometers seems to lead to huge differences:
'A Polish town near the border with the Czech Republic has witnessed a cross-cultural clash between the two nations over public nudity after a local swimming pool asked Czech visitors not to fully undress in front of others in its locker rooms....There are separate locker rooms at the pool for men and women. But it is customary that, when someone wants to change from underwear to swimwear, they do so in an additional cubicle behind a curtain and not in front of other people“The guests from the Czech Republic have been changing by the lockers and not behind the curtain,” Małgorzata Halek-Malinowska, director of Prudnik’s municipal sports agency, told NTO....“In our country, no one is offended by the idea of changing in front of children,” said one young Czech woman, who confirmed that when she visits the pool in Prudnik she has never seen any Polish swimmers strip naked, even in the showers.“People are ashamed,” she said. “But it’s better to wash thoroughly after a swim for the sake of health and hygiene.”
Once more the experience of The Well (Oslo's premier sauna complex) has again brought to the front how British fear (and thus titillate) the clothesless.
The experience is reported in The Standard (Nov. 13). It's title implies "everyone goes naked". That's far from the truth.
Despite The Well being CO! Here's their (un)dress policy:
'It is not mandatory to bathe without swimwear at The Well. In all our pools it is optional and both is fully okay! It is your choice and the most important thing is that you are comfortable.The Well is based on continental spa traditions, where it is natural to be naked. A lot of our guests find relaxation and peace because of that'.
Or this experience from a recent Google review:
'A spa like no other. The features—pools, saunas, showers—are unique and plentiful enough to keep one exploring all day—and longer! The friendly, helpful staff takes care of all needs. The option of enjoying the facilities naked is especially freeing and relaxing, with everyone (even those unexplainably wearing suits) considering it natural'.
Anyroads, the published article does note the dress difference and cultural divide, though in the end there's really nothing to be upset about:
'At this point, I steal a glance around me and realise that the crowd is motley; vastly ranging in age, size, colour, and texture. Oddly, these differences seem much less pronounced with everyone divested of their clothing, and nobody seems to care one iota about being naked; they walk around, converse, and enjoy the facilities precisely as other people in spas do — only they don’t have clothes on. Even more oddly, I feel less aware of the male gaze in there because the atmosphere isn’t charged in that way. It feels like everyone has collectively agreed that this is a place where the body isn’t an object to be admired or lusted after but rather to respect one another’s right to enjoy the experience'.
On reddit a couple of feedbacks on the article. And an experience to share:
'I was at The Well yesterday. The claim that everybody goes nude is quite an exaggeration, unless they are including the single sex shower-before-entering.In reality, perhaps a third of people were nude in the pools and perhaps slightly more on the sauna (it is forbidden to wear a swimsuit in the sauna but you can wrap a towel)'.
A minor celebrity in her own right (half a million followers!) Feli from Germany a month ago shares a grand total of 47 seconds on the subject:
'Wait, Germans go to the sauna NAKED?
'But who cares? I walked out of that spa feeling 10 feet high and could see for myself where that Dutch confidence comes from'.We're not there yet: clickbait, culture continues.
Ett kallt och snöigt Helsingfors. Men fina stunder i bastun! Och ett besök på badhuset. 🇫🇮❄️🧖♀️
The Mancunian goes to great lengths (Nov. 24) to explain how foreign wellness investment will challenge British standards:
Then the (possible) opposite thinking.'Thermal spas can be found all over Germany, where attitudes to nudity are relaxed, and the health benefits of mineral water are seriously appreciated. But, now that a mega spa complex has got the green light in Manchester, can German bathing culture catch on over here?...The bathing experience coming to Manchester will accommodate prudes of all nationalities. With typical German bluntness, Therme Group told us: “There are no textile free areas in the UK resorts.”
Collective bathing? ThinkBig (Oct. 9) carries an essay calling for a return to collective bathing:
'In 2008, the Japanese comic book artist Mari Yamazaki began working on a manga called Thermae Romae. Published the following year, it’s set in ancient Rome and follows a Roman architect named Lucius. Tasked with designing a bathhouse, or thermae, Lucius struggles to come up with new ideas — until he discovers a secret tunnel in his neighborhood spa that inexplicably leads him to a bathhouse located in modern-day Japan....While Western countries inherited many customs and practices from ancient Rome, collective bathing isn’t one of them. With the exception of Sweden and Hungary, most people in Europe and the United States treat bathing as a private and practical act, as opposed to a public, symbolic one: It is something you do at home by yourself rather than outside and in the company of others.While there’s nothing wrong with showering by yourself — especially from a hygienic perspective — there’s something to be said about the emotional and psychological benefits that bathhouses provide. As noted by the researcher Jamie Mackay in an article for Aeon, the transition from communal to private bathing mirrors the larger transition from “small ritualistic societies to vast urban metropolises.” And while big cities provide many valuable and at times life-saving services and commodities, the modern metropole has also opened the door to conditions like anxiety, depression, and alienation — qualms collective bathing coincidentally helped to remedy'.
An experience of sorts. Of collective bathing.
Finally, going international, from the Sydney Morning Herald (Nov. 17), an article on taking a hammam bath in Chefchaouen, an idiotically picturesque town in north Morocco. Again naked in the article heading, you're not to miss this! (sigh)!
'Far from seeking a plush experience with a hefty price tag, I opt to go to the no-frills neighbourhood hammam....They all gesture for me to start stripping. I look around. What? Here at the reception desk? Saving space, this hammam’s reception area doubles up as a change room....No doubt this was an authentic cultural immersion – but not one for Instagram'.
