To oil yourself in the sauna

[TheActualRealCinderella]

I’m not sure what to think of this. I saw someone putting oil on their skin then scraping it off with a plastic credit card sort of thing and wiping that on a small flannel. She was sitting on a towel so not getting things oily.

I said ‘what’s all that?’
and she said ‘it’s good for your skin’ and I just said ‘Oh’ and was quiet.

Sometimes I will put conditioner on my hair before a sauna or steam room. Sometimes inside a shower cap, sometimes not. I don’t think that is weird but maybe other people do.

So it’s just me that finds it odd?

It's odd and gross. Probably a slip hazard too, if there's the potential for oil all over the place. You're meant to shower before you use a pool or sauna or whatever, aren't you?

If it was good enough for the Romans....

Very Ancient Rome

It’s pretty common in the saunas I’ve used in London, usually black women. It seems to be a good way of deeply moisturising and keeping their skin looking lovely and not ashy. Most of the women I’ve talked to in the sauna use olive oil or coconut oil, some use salt as a scrub as well.

I don’t have a problem with it.

Its wierd and if you are a member of a nice health club there will probably be signs saying not to do it! Urgh

You're meant to shower before you use a pool or sauna or whatever, aren't you?

I think she showered then applied the oil.

I could do with a Roman oiling me down if you know what I mean.

She’s been watching Spartacus (not the charlton Heston one, the one that was on tele about 7 years ago)

Is my conditioner thing disgusting too?

Conditioner under a cap is fine, but the oil and scraping stuff off your skin is great to do at home as a cleansing method but not in a public sauna. Have you seen the stuff that gets scraped off?! And the oil will be slippy if it gets into tiles

So if I have conditioner without a cap is that ok?

To be fair, she was scraping the oil onto a towel and sitting on a towel so it wasn’t getting on anything.

I would have thought not appropriate in a a sauna but would be OK in a Hammam. Where I live we have a women's only espace santé. Sauna is dry, no products, Turkish bath, ditto but people use products in the Hammam, it is fantastic for exfoliating.

Feels like you're grilling me a bit now @TheActualRealCinderella!

I think you should be clean of any creams, oils, other product, etc. when you use a public space like that. I just think if everyone went into that space with product on them, then sat and sweated and dripped everywhere it would be pretty rank after a few hours. I sit on a towel so I'm not sweating everywhere but I think having stuff all over you is a bit much. If you have stuff on your hair under a cap it's fairly contained so I don't really see a problem with that

Charlton Heston was Ben Hur. Kirk Douglas was Spartacus. Although obviously we are ALL Spartacus :)

I suppose the dripping would be the issue with conditioner.

Your Hammam sounds lovely.

Providing you are sat on a large towel and nothing drips on anything else, fine with it. And that you shower properly beforehand and afterwards, though in the UK that is difficult as most saunas are with swimwear not without.

Charlton Heston was Ben Hur. Kirk Douglas was Spartacus. Although obviously we are ALL Spartacus

Sounds very Roman

I used to smear myself with honey in sauna when I was an experimental teenagers. No idea what I thought it would do. In my defense it wasn't a public sauna...

My Nordic friends use steam room honey...

That’s grim

I wear deep conditioner - but have a shower before hand and during and cover in my towel

Skanky

It’s gross, there will be old skin and dirty oil dripping all over the place.