Naked woman in sauna

[DyslexicScientist]

This just happened, local leisure center a young woman walked into the sauna naked. Someone else immediatly said to her "you can't be in here like that love, its not allowed". She replied I'm German, this is sauna, does this offend you?. The other woman said no, but it is the rules. The naked woman then went on about how she always does it, sauna doesn't work unless your naked and everywhere else in Europe does this.

Some young men opened the sauna door, and closed it immediately when they saw her. She laughed and said back " its OK you can come in". She clearly heard people telling her it wasn't allowed and was enjoying the attention she got.

I kind of see her point about prefering to be naked, but there are rules in place and she was obviously making other people uncomfortable.

Was I bu to tell reception on the way out?

I'm from one of the sauna-obsessed countries and yes it's a big part of the culture. Many houses have saunas and if you ask people over for dinner, it often means sauna, then dinner.

But most non-sauna countries are not doing it right, people tend to sit in sauna until faint and then just shower, dress, that's it. What you really do is: sit in a hot sauna about 15 min. Then, and that's important, you need to cool down quickly. Jumping into a frozen lake is good, or roll around in the snow. If no snow, bucket of cold water will do. Or cold shower.

Then sit around, have a beer. Repeat at least 3 times. It's very relaxing and good for your health (well, beer maybe not so much, but you can substitute this with water, if you must).

I think you just follow the rules of the sauna you go to. If I'm in Switzerland then as their sauna rules usually say no clothes I wear no clothes. I can wrap round a towel if I want. Most UK saunas state clearly that bathing costumes should be worn so that's what she should have done.
The "hygiene" reason for being naked is bollocks. It's just different traditions and differing views on what is comfortable. Towels maybe protect the wood from sweat and body oils but I've had Germans tell me swimming costumes damage wood which is untrue.
People make up science to justify their own views and habits.

I'm from one of the sauna-obsessed countries and yes it's a big part of the culture. Many houses have saunas and if you ask people over for dinner, it often means sauna, then dinner

Now to me, that is just plain odd and the more I think about it, we Brits are the normal ones there I said it [grin'
When we invite people round for dinner, it's usually just that - dinner and drinks and relaxing chat.
I wouldn't expect my guests to spend a large part of the evening having to sit there with their todgers and fanjos on display.
Just weird.

Do people really come round for dinner and get into a sauna together naked first? That sounds totally mad! Do you all then shower and change and reapply make up or do you sit in dressing gowns eating dinner? I'm totally baffled by this

Do people really come round for dinner and get into a sauna together naked first? That sounds totally mad! Do you all then shower and change and reapply make up or do you sit in dressing gowns eating dinner? I'm totally baffled by this

A poster has just admitted it's quite common.

(so pleased I live in this country)

Maybe they all have golden showers afterwards?

Now which country did that originate from, I wonder

Yes, really. Now I should mention that generally in such cases men and women would go to sauna separately and we would get dressed afterwards, not sit down to eat naked or in towels. Re-applying make-up is optional.

I have certainly done the dinner and sauna thing, in Finland, with friends. Both families did it separately but we were offered a single sex option instead if preferred. There was also naked lake swimming during the process, and beer.

Violet, naked sunbathing better for you? Plenty of places to do that as well.

Why on earth do you have people round for dinner and then sit naked in a hot, wooden hut .

Violet - I'm also very glad I live in this country. All that stripping off and sitting on hot wood would drive me insane. As for swimming in cold water or rolling in snow - absolutely no way, there is nothing remotely appealing about that.

I love saunas, but mainly after exercise to relax my muscles. Not when I'm made up and in the mood to party.

Laughing out loud to the golden shower comment.

I'm quite happy to be British and keep my costume on. If it was mixed naked, no way I would go in.

The lady in question should follow rules, I thought Germans were also good at rules

Why on earth - you know, I guess the tradition must be from times when people didn't have indoor plumbing and sauna once per week was the only time they could wash themselves. So it was a bit of an event, therefore combines nicely with a nice dinner with friends.

Nowadays of course people can wash themselves at other times as well, but tradition remains. It's like.. Brits with Thank You cards - you already thanked me at the event, then later by email, and whatsapp, why on earth do you kill trees, pay for the stamp and send a card on top of it..

I don't think I could go into a sauna or steam room where nudity was required. But then again my father wore trousers, a shirt and tie and a tank top every day of his life and I didn't taste pasta until I was 17 (it was 'foreign muck'.). So obviously, against that backdrop of that kind of upbringing it's safe to assume that nudity was not part of every day life. Or any day. Ever.

The one time I have been in a steam room, I slipped and fell into the thigh of the woman next to me and I've not been back in one since.

I'd love to be one of those women who strides around confidently at the gym as opposed to the one in the corner trying to get undressed (or dressed) under a towel but I don't think it's ever going to happen.

LOL @ this.

Nudity is normal, and especially in a sauna in Europe...

You always have a towel to wrap around you anyway if someone makes you feel uncomfortable coming out....

Why would you want to sweat into a synthetic costume?!

If people could drop their body obsession - however you are, you are beautiful - the world would look better and stop the billion-dollar industry spending products and adverts telling you you are not good enough as you are--

Suit yourself if you want to buy into the KarCrashians culture and teach your kids that. I personally don't buy that bullshit.

Bit of an exaggeration Katharina - thanks you are normally said at the event, or by email, or by letter - or by text if we're really modern. We're not that polite

Otoh - stripping off, sitting in a hot wooden hut with your friends before rolling around in the snow to cool down and then having dinner appears to be an actual thing

I swear I just got a card after being thanked at party AND by text and the present wasn't even anything special

But I digress. I do prefer sauna to writing thank you notes though.

Wow - I take my hat off to that person, they were determined to thank you!

I prefer sauna to writing thank you letters too - but not naked ones. Saunas that is - I often write my thank you letters naked

My swimming costume is usually wet because I shower before I go in to the sauna so more water from sweat in to it isn't a big deal. I don't get the problem some people have with saunas and costumes. I sweat in to my running kit and cycling kit but no-one tells me I should remove them to be "hygienic". After all the saunas/ plunge pools/ steam room etc is finished I usually have a naked shower.

I think if someone is nervous about body image and wants not to be, persuading yourself to be naked in public helps a lot (not in Sainsbury, obv). Once you have done it a few times in a non-threatening environment, you start to feel a lot less pressured by society to look a particular way and you don't have to force yourself any more. You just become more comfortable in your own skin.

Behold, did you drape yourself over the woman's thigh, by any chance? We haven't covered that zone of proximity in the thread yet.

I don't feel pressurised to look a certain way - I just don't want to be naked in front of other people. Other people's nakedness doesn't bother me hugely (providing it's allowed, ie not down the local council pool or sauna, and providing I'm not being confronted by naked fanjos or cocks being dried inches from my face) - but I just don't want to be naked in front of strangers - and I really don't want to have to sit in a hot wooden hut before I get my dinner! It's nothing more than a simple preference.

And I don't like alcohol so the idea of people drinking it and thinking it makes them feel better seems amazing to me (whereas a sauna and plunging into cold water really does make you feel better..... the English are famous for cold showers by the way... (never mind the weird sexual practices mentioned above))

Cold showers??!

I think Gordonstoun school in Scotland used to be famous for its cold showers but is now more sensible.
I don't know any English people in to cold showers unless they're forced to by a power cut. I only like them with saunas.

Boffinman, no it was not a British Prime Minister, or a current one in their country. Having seen five foreign PMs at one time or another, I will not say which one.

the English are famous for cold showers by the way... (never mind the weird sexual practices mentioned above))

Really? These cold showers the English are famous for -
Do they have them after first fighting their way through the London Fog whilst eating their fish and chips, or after hopping on a red double decker bus?

somebody's being watching too many old films