The hot spring tour on São Miguel continues at Ponta de Ferraria, on the west coast of the island with @hayleybythesea. This one has hydrothermal vents in the ocean. Protected in a little cove of black volcanic rock. The water is actually HOT but then a wave of cool ocean water washes in and the mixing of water is incredible. No entry cost, so as you can see, it was busy. But once the sun set, people trickled out and it was super relaxing and peaceful as the light faded and the stars came out.#hotsprings #azores
Another post.
Preciously devoid of anything concerning hot springs.
How so? Is this something that will continue in the future? Are hots springs out of flavour? Unworthy of the insta crowd? Not enough bizniz sense? Blase?
What I do have are a couple of links to stories making waves from the sauna culture. Quite a few actually.
And some photographic evidence of hot spring (culture). So, not all lost then.
Starting off with slightly older articles from I am a polar bear (?) Also slightly on the natural hot spring soaking biz, which this was intended for.
But Ms I am a polar bear has an inclination for those soaks run by business.
On Nov. 24 2025 she visited Spa:
'On the one hand, Thermes de Spa isn’t as exciting as some I’ve been to. It certainly doesn’t compare, attractions-wise, to Therme Bucureşti and its sauna area isn’t nearly as extensive as any of the ones I visited in Germany at the beginning of the year, although access is included here whereas it’s an optional extra at all of those. There’s a choice between a clothed and textile-free area for the sauna and steam room so you can satisfy your own sense of hygiene and public modesty. But the outdoor pool is good and the fact that no one under 15 is allowed in means it has much more of a serene feeling than you can possibly get when there are children around treating it like an ordinary public pool. Because it doesn’t have 10 saunas, 3 steam baths, a multitude of experience showers, hot pools, cold pools and everything in between, you don’t feel like you have to tick things off a to-do list and you can just relax. I was there for nearly eight hours and never found myself getting bored. I spent a lot of time in the outdoor pool, enjoying the contrast of chilly autumn air and warm water and trying out bubbling pools and benches and jets.And besides all that, it just feels special to be at a spa in Spa!
Earlier that month (the 11th) she also visited the Therme București which she reports under the good, the bad & the weird.
The bad:
'It’s not a spa. I knew that going on, so that’s not a surprise. It’s a therme, which is something we don’t really have in English but from my experience of them in Germany and Poland, it’s a kind of waterpark with an optional adults-only sauna area attached. Don’t go expecting tranquillity and whale music here....If you’re after authentic Romanian wellness traditions, this isn’t where you’ll find it. Yes, the water is natural geothermal water from a borehole (and extensively treated to remove calcium, sulphur, carbon and then ozonated, which is how its sanitised) but if Romania has any kind of longstanding bathing culture, this isn’t it....So, is it overrated?In my opinion, yeah, absolutely. Maybe it was just an excruciatingly busy day but I’ve been reading other blogs as I write this and I’ve seen the same opinion from other people more than once. Personally, if I ever find myself back in Bucharest, I will no doubt come back but if I’m looking for a nice therme experience, I’d rather go to Germany. Emser Therme was a lot smaller but otherwise more what I’d expect of a waterpark/sauna combi and it’s half the flight time (although I admit, it’s nowhere near as close to an airport)'.
It’s 2025, of course I have my grandma take my newds at the hot springs. ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Booming
What also pops up most often article-wise are those articles from the Anglo-Saxon language press. And their (lack of) traditions. Something with the algorithm?
'The British Sauna Society now lists about 640 saunas – up from 540 at the start of the year – while a recent report predicted that the UK could become the world’s largest sauna market by 2033, outpacing even Finland and Germany....A new study suggests the benefits of sauna use may run deeper. Analysing data from more than 1,900 UK sauna users, researchers found that regular sauna use was linked to improved physical and mental wellbeing, with the strongest effects reported by those who used saunas weekly and felt the greatest sense of belonging to a sauna community. It suggested that much of the benefit may stem from the sense of connection and shared ritual that develops among bathers'.
It doesn't mean it's all hunky-dory. The UK sauna scene revolves very much around pop-up sauna's. Which due to their success become permanent structures, expanding into successful (community) businesses.
In Wales, one of these will probably need to close, as administration needs catch up. So reports the BBC (Mar. 17):
'A seaside sauna business has been turned down for retrospective planning permission after residents complained about "naked and semi-naked people being visible".Halsa Sauna in Caswell Bay, Swansea, has been operating since 2023 and is based in the grounds of a detached house.An application submitted to Swansea council in August 2024 by an agent on behalf of the business's owner Gareth Davies has now been rejected on nine grounds, including concerns around noise and privacy issues'.
It's quite odd how the mundane news is sensationalized all over the UK as one issue seems to draw the most attention. With no proof. Insta's are all well covered ...
onlysergio_maspalomas [soaking in the south of Spain ...]
The Times (Mar. 21) helps out on this. They ask:
'Are Brits warming up to the naked sauna?
The author (who also noted the article above):
But whether they are warming-up remains unclear ...For years now I’ve been a frequent visitor to nations where sweating in a small wooden room is a traditional pastime — think the Nordics, Germany, Austria and Japan — where no one would dream of wearing swimwear. I’ve merely joined in, like the purist that I am, feeling all the more smug for it. But at home in Britain? It always seemed somehow against the rules. Until I heard the story of Halsa Sauna near Swansea …...While we have embraced the heat in the UK — according to the British Sauna Society, there are now more than 600 public saunas, up from 45 in 2023 — we have been slower to strip off. Abroad, nudity is part of the experience and swimwear is often banned.Could it be that Brits are finally feeling bold enough to strip off?...There is scant evidence to suggest that going naked offers anything more than the usual sauna health benefits — improved circulation, blood pressure, stress levels and better sleep — but the experts and devotees agree that it is more hygienic. So why is sauna nudity still niche in Britain?...Sometimes, as in Swansea, the objections come from outside the sauna community. Kathryn Tyler, who runs Kiln Sauna on the beach in Falmouth, Cornwall, offers private hire and was happy for her guests to go topless — which many did — until the council sent out its code of practice to saunas in the area, reminding them that “appropriate bathing costumes” must be worn. “We’ve recently been advised by the local council that this [semi-nudity] isn’t currently permitted, which is something we must respect,” she says. “Culturally, we haven’t caught up with other countries but hope that, over time, perspectives in the UK may soften and evolve. Sauna culture carries such simplicity, it’s like returning to ourselves, and hopefully one day there will be space for that here, too.”
Sauna culture is so mainstream it seems.
And on the other side of the Atlantic, there's seems the need to overdo this.
CNN (Mar. 4):
RECESS, which opened in September, is one of a new wave of businesses debuting across North America that are often called “social bathhouses”: venues reimagining saunas and other bathing rituals as not just a wellness experience, but also as a night out, a first date or a way to build community.“There’s a possibility of meeting new people. There’s a high energy, or vibe. You can dance,” said RECESS cofounder Adam Simms, of the social evenings. “There’s just some beautiful connections to come out of that.”..The last decade has brought a global revival, including in Norway, where {Mikkel] Aaland spends part of each year. The resurgence is what he also calls a “long remembering.” In much of Northern Europe, that means tapping into existing practices, albeit with modern flourishes, like the design-forward floating saunas on the Oslo fjord.Many bathing spots in North America — often serving an audience with little personal connection to the history of communal bathing — riff on traditions from elsewhere while also freely reinventing them....As North American bathhouses have innovated, they’ve found fans — and plenty of critics. Some see the nightclub atmosphere as an unwelcome departure from more traditional experiences....In half a century of studying global bathing traditions, Mikkel Aaland has met plenty of purists, too. “Not everyone’s going to be a fan of the disco sauna,” he acknowledged.But Aaland likes much of the innovation he sees. He recalled a 2021 book by American artist Travis Skinner that recounts his construction of a whimsical mobile sauna resembling an anglerfish.“It gets me excited when I see an artist throwing something like that in the mix,” he said. And he emphasized that blending human contact and bathing is far more than a passing fad.“The social part has been an element of any bathing culture that’s lasted,” he said, whether it’s through quiet, shared contemplation or something decidedly more raucous. “It adds an important element to something that’s already really powerful.”
This year's fast-growing spa trend isn't about pampering and relaxation: it's about contrast therapy and elemental experiences. Enter the brave world of Viking wellness....I'm hardly the first to discover the benefits of this practice. Across northern Europe, alternating between heat and cold – often referred to as "contrast therapy" – has long been part of daily life. But in recent years these traditions have begun spreading far beyond the North Atlantic. Conde Nast Traveller even named "Viking wellness" one of its trends of 2026, citing rising interest in elemental bathing rituals rooted in Nordic cultures.
ladepechedumidi [Feb. 2026]
Un bain chaud dans une source naturelle et accessible gratuitement toute l'année, c'est un de nos spots préférés dans l'Aude. Voici les fameux bains doux de Rennes-les-bains, à 50km de Carcassonne.
Rulings
Further away.
From a month ago, on reddit, a discussion on sauna traditions around the world, but then focusing on Austria. Many comments. Not only on the Austrian sauna culture but also on that of other European countries. Comments such as :
'same in Germany'.
In Austria:
'When you enter an occupied sauna, the people there will be sitting in silence, on towels, and in such a way that none of their skin touches the wood. They will be naked, regardless of gender.No bathing suits, no shoes, no iPhones, no headsets.Usually, upon entering, no eye contact or greeting will be made unless you initiate it.Silence in the sauna is expected, an unspoken rule'.
A report (SHZ.de, Mar. 10) from the German-Danish frontier. Are the sauna cultures different?
'In Deutschland ist die Sache nämlich klar: In die Sauna geht man, wie Gott einen schuf. „Textilfrei. Das ist bei uns die Regel“, sagt Christoph. Der Grund? Hygiene. „Man weiß ja nicht, ob die Sachen gewaschen sind.“ Außerdem gilt: Schweiß gehört aufs Handtuch, nicht in die Badehose und schon gar nicht auf die Holzbank.In Dänemark ist das Saunieren oft eine eher bekleidete Angelegenheit. Und so kommt es hier und da in Deutschland – vor allem in der Grenzregion – schon einmal vor, dass die dänischen Gäste mit der Badehose in der deutschen Sauna sitzen.
The sauna users in Germany rest assured: Danes with bathers are diplomatically requested to shed these. Or leave.
Finally, the must have been very entertaining.
Schaffhausen24.ch (Feb. 25) of course looks at the sauna marathon which took place end of February. Eight hours to sweat at the 25 sauna's placed all over town. For the 2000(!) participants. Though only 2 managed to finish all stations:
'Apropos Schwitzen: Letztes Jahr erreichten 34 Teams die Ziellinie. Das war für die Veranstalter ein Grund, den Sauna-Marathon kniffliger zu machen. Und siehe da, nur ein Ehepaar hat alle Stationen in der dafür vorgesehenen Zeit besuchen können. «Der Weg ist das Ziel. Etlichen Teilnehmenden gefiel manche Station so gut, dass sie gar kein Bedürfnis mehr verspürten, weiterzuziehen'.
RE WILDINGLearning to live in nature - or at least spending time without the comforts of modern society - is a great teacher. Nature feeds the soul. Its medicine.I belive it also enables us to tap into our RAW essence - enhancing our connection with source, consciousness and life force of Earth.Stepping into our wild nature we step into an unknown power - Energy.Exploring your wilderness goddess,your medicine woman,reconnecting to something that has always lived inside you. Ancient.Im on the path of reclaiming or integrating my wild authentic self.My intention is to nurture my sacred feminine nature with reverence for Earth - and claim that power.To do that i have to step out of the comfort zone more and more - challenge myself -and return to a more natural state of being meaning spending more time in nature. Connecting with it. Living in the wild.And nature is naked.Lack of nature in your life will -and i say will -keep your lifeforce down.It will increase or enhance all of western lifestyle diseases. Burnouts. Depression. Overthinking. Fears.Along with bad diet and lack of movement.To tap into your creation and live life alive -raw nature is our medicine.Free flowing water. Spirit of mountains. Moss. Rivers. Glaciers. Wild animals. Herbs.Walk outside - see or swim in water or/and meet trees everyday - it will keep the sun in your heart.And the mind calmer.#nature #rewild #sacredfeminine #wilderness
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We toured the Muga Mountains on an eBike, enjoying a dreamy natural bath. We also enjoyed a tantric massage workshop at our location and participated in an exciting Rogaine. We ate oysters and took a dip in Leucate, explored Sant Martí del Canigó, and relaxed in some hot springs in the Pyrenees. An eBike tour through La Garrotxa rounded out a month full of unique experiences!
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