Wearing clothes in a SAUNA

[GreenTeek]

Not a bikini

Not a swimsuit

But full on gym clothes and shoes

This is weird no?

I’ve joined a brand new gym. Sex segregated saunas. Women seem to have established a new norm whereby one woman wore full gym gear in the sauna....and then everyone followed suit.

Now I feel if I wore a bikini or a towel I would be the weird one

Shoes and clothes in the sauna?

What next, shoes in the jacuzzi?

This is just bizarre.

Well if you go to a sauna in Finland there's a sign outside that says "no swimsuits". Guaranteed if you try sit there in your clothes or swimsuit the staff will come tell you off! If you're shy you're allowed to wrap yourself in a towel though, although I've never seen anyone do even that. It's men's and women's separate saunas.

Yes that’s weird. Mind you, there were two women in the sauna at my gym today, who were sat with the door open because it was so hot. I’m not joking!

Mermaid, I'd go in with the towel them. Who cares if anyone thinks I'm weird.

Hellokitty, I doubt anyone thought you were weird, just thought you were shy. But honestly never seen anyone in a towel either (in Finland) so it would be very rare (there, not in the UK).

At the Turkish baths I used to frequent, people were either nude (on towels) or in swimming costumes in the sauna. Except for one little old lady who’d be starkers but for a stylish pink, fluffy beret.

I don't understand why gym clothes would be less hygienic than sitting on a towel? Unless the person was coming straight from a workout. Even then, people in a sauna are often literally dripping with sweat so it must be pretty gross after a really short period of time.

I think the hygienic reason not to wear swimsuit in a sauna is only when there's a swimming pool; basically the sweat absorbs into the swimsuit which is then transferred in to the pool. I don't think there's any hygienic reason why one couldn't wear gym clothes in a sauna but I would be quite concerned about overheating as it's already hot in the sauna and wearing layers of clothing is probably not the best idea. It would be best to go in underwear or swimsuit instead (or a towel) if need to wear something.

People do that to lose weight quicker, although it's only water weight

No, really, people don't do that!

Actually scrub that, according to the OP they do.

Scandinavian here, and wearing anything more than a towel is weird to me, don't even bother with that most of the time.

Very typical of German and Scandinavian spas to have a naked policy, even in mixed saunas, due to hygiene.

Even taking account of the slightly more modest British culture, wearing anything more than a swimsuit in a sauna is very odd. Surely eveyone is aware of that?!

I'm off to the Netherlands soon, and I'm sure the spa in Haarlem I visit will not have this issue.

Yep that's weird. Mixed sex sauna and stem rooms st my gym. Everyone wears swim gear. Very odd to wear clothes. Even odder to wear shoes.