If you’ve never seen it, take an hour and watch the excellent documentary from the NOVA series on PBS of the Roman Bath. The video is embedded below. but if it’s not working, you can watch it on Hulu, or buy it from Amazon.
A couple properly enjoying the sauna at Europabad near Karlsruhe, Germany
Why is it that we Americans think naked is dirty? Is it our Puritanical history? Our consumerist culture? Or the years of repression of our sexual urges by Hollywood censors? Why else would there so many forums and books written about our collective hang-ups being naked with friends, family or strangers, and especially those of our own gender it makes you think that Tobias Fünke had it right…
Naked is the best way to enjoy a sauna, steam bath, or hot tub. That’s not just my opinion. Millions of Finns, Germans, Swedes, Russians, Koreans and Japanese feel that way too. It’s also a proven fact for a number of reasons:
Your skin is your largest organ. It is the first line of defense protecting your body from harm. One of the weapons at its disposal is the lowly sweat gland. The sweat gland produces a clear secretion that is mostly water, but contains some electrolytes (like salt) and waste products, and discharges it directly on the surface of the skin.
Sweat serves three purposes: Cooling, by the water in the sweat evaporating; Protection, since the water dilutes contaminants that contact your skin and the salt kills microorganisms that try to grow on it; and Excretion as certain toxins in your body are most efficiently eliminated through sweat. Using a sauna or other heat bath exercises your skin. Isn’t it best to do it as nature intended?
It’s not your skin, it’s your clothes that are dirty. Fabric of any kind is a very good filter. It captures and holds some of everything it comes into contact with. It starts with the fibers themselves, especially synthetic fibers, dyes, detergent, bleach, fabric softeners, chlorine from the pool, airborne pollutants, perfumes plus any microorganisms that the fibers come into contact with all stay trapped in your clothes. Now, as you start to sweat, the fabric against your body traps that sweat preventing it from migrating away. All that other junk trapped in your fabic becomes mobile in the water and trapped against your skin. Your skin can act as a two-way street for that junk in the same way it can for “patch” medicines.
If you’ve ever had to maintain a hot tub, you know what I’m talking about… Body film clearing enzymes, anti-foaming agents, scum removers… all of these are to deal with the contaminants mostly trapped in our swimsuits.
Chlorine and Bromine vapors are irritants to your eyes, mucous membranes, and respiratory tract. Chlorine and Bromine are commonly dissolved in water as a disinfectants to keep public pools clean. However, when you heat water, these compounds want to become vapors. The amount of Chlorine that water will hold decreases by a factor of 7 from swimming pool temperatures of 75°F / 24°C to sauna temperatures of 200°F / 93°C while the tendency for Chlorine to vaporize increases by a factor of 6! Exposure to low levels of Chlorine or Bromine gas can cause irritation to your eyes, and the mucous membranes in your throat and lungs. You may not be susceptible to these irritants, but the stuff coming off your swimsuit may be a hazard to your fellow sauna-goers’ health. (If you miss P-Chem, there are some charts here.)
Heat is transferred to your body more efficiently. Much of the heat that you feel in the sauna comes from IR radiation. IR is light. The more of your body it can see, the more heat that you feel transferred to your body. Something thin like a swimsuit gets in the way of the light and cuts down on the heat that reaches you. Something thicker like a towel or robe cuts down on the heat you receive more dramatically.
Of course, there are some rules of etiquette to be followed:
This doesn’t mean you sit bare-assed on the benches! Unless they are your benches. Sit on a towel, please. If you’re going to lay down, bring a big enough towel for you. If you’re going to sit on the upper benches, put a towel under your feet too. Look at the photo with this post, and you will see that these two sauna goers have their benches completely covered. I don’t want to sit on your sweat stain when I get into the sauna, and I’d bet you don’t want to sit on mine either. This goes for any other places you might sit while naked, save one.
Leave your cell phone in your locker! Most cell phones have cameras on them these days. I don’t care how important your e-mail, text message, or friend request on Facebook is, but it can wait until you’re in a place where people are fully dressed. Most cell phones have cameras on them these days. When you start playing with a cell phone somewhere where I’m naked, I assume you’re taking a picture of my junk. I don’t like that.
The sauna is a place to relax and cleanse yourself. Why are you polluting your (and my) experience by pulling out your crackberry.
So, the next time you’re at a sauna, steam room or hot tub where you can let it out, do it. You’ll feel better and it’s better for your body too.
NSFW Video of an Aufguss at Saré Sauna & Beauty in Oldenzaal NL (in Dutch)
When you visit a German sauna, don’t forget to plan your time there around their aufguss schedule.
What is an aufguss? Well, simply it’s the German translation of the Finnish löyly. Most online translators can’t deal with these words. However the forums at LEO.org suggest it is the ritual of sprinking the hot rocks on the sauna stove with water to make steam. Sometimes the water is scented with herbs or other essences. It takes 26 words in english to express what the Germans and Finns can in one!
In the other parts of the world where water is thrown on the rocks, it’s a self-service procedure. The sauna at my YMCA has a bucket in the sauna for that purpose. If you want steam, you fill the bucket, and you sprinkle the rocks with water. In Germany, especially at the large saunas, it is a procedure administered only by a trained Aufgiesser.
Most large saunas post their aufguss schedules near the information desk in their saunaland. It shows what times, which saunas, and what special features will be featured in each aufguss for the day. When you see one that you would like to try, go to the appropriate sauna a few minutes before the aufguss is scheduled to start and take a seat. On busy days, you may need to be in the sauna 15 minutes before, as they fill up quickly. Consider the temperature of the sauna when you do this, because if you thought it was hot normally, it will seem much hotter during the aufguss.
When the appointed time arrives, the Aufgiesser arrives. He or she works for the facility. The aufguss begins with the hanging of a sign on the door: “Aufgussin progress: Please do not enter.” If the sign is up and you go in anyway, you will raise the ire of all the others in the sauna. However, if you are inside and the heat becomes too much for you, it is (grudginly) tolerated if you leave quickly.
The aufguss begins with the door being propped open, and the Aufgiesser uses his towel as a fan. This does two things: It brings fresh air into the sauna, and it gets the sauna stove firing at full power. When he closes the door, he will introduce himself, and give a short description of how long the aufguss will last, and what to expect.
Now comes the water on the rocks.
Your Aufgiesser will have entered the sauna with some buckets in hand. These can be filled with plain water, but usually will have some essential oils or other fragrances mixed in. Some facilities rate their aufguss experiences. Mild ones have a small amount of water sprinkled on the rocks. Intensive ones will have whole buckets thrown on the rocks at once, sometimes followed by buckets of ice, which vaporizes more slowly and prolongs the aufguss. As the water steams off of the rocks, you will feel the heat of the sauna become more intense as the air becomes more humid.
Now the Aufgiesser earns her pay: She begins by taking her towel and twirling it around over her head to circulate the hottest air throughout the sauna chamber. You will feel a greater sensation of heat after this. Next she will start at one side of the room, and fan a group of people with her towel to wash hot air over them. She will walk around the room and make sure everyone gets a dose of this heat. Sometimes she’ll then work her way back to the starting point.
When it is your turn, sit up straight, and spread your arms slightly away from your body. Close your eyes and exhale as you hear the snap of the towel. Enjoy the wave of heat that rushes over your body. If you feel like the heat will be too much, raise your legs in front of your body, and hide your face behind your knees, letting your legs shield your body core from the extra heat.
When your Aufgiesser is done, give her a round of applause before she leaves, and takes down the sign. Stay in as long as you can, and enjoy the heat. Then cool down, replenish your fluids, and find the next scheduled aufguss.
According to Spiegel, the German news magazine, more than 1/3 of Germans are regular sauna-goers. Germany has more than 11,000 saunas open to the public. 2,300 of these are independent establishments. Visiting one of these on a cold weekend day makes you realize that these are major enterprises.
Visiting a sauna in Germany, Austria, or its near neighbors is a unique experience — Nudity is mandatory, and on most days the sauna is mixed-gender. You can immediately tell the first-time visitor by their wide-eyed stares after entering this textilfrei zone. This increases when a group of sauna regulars comes in behind them, and sheds any clothing quickly and proceeds to the baths without modesty. As a first-time visitor, you quickly realize you can check your clothes and modesty at the door, or be advised by the saunameister to leave.
Finding a Sauna
With more than one public sauna for every 13 square miles, you can be sure you’re never too far from a sauna while in Germany. Most major cities have many to choose from, and even some small villages have their own sauna. There are three websites and some books that can help you find one:
Sauna in Deutschland is the website of the Deutschen Sauna-Bundes, the German Sauna Federation. They list most public saunas (and also sauna-related businesses) in Germany. According to their search results, as of this writing, they list 2400 public saunas. However, only 50 of these have links to more than just their address as part of their listing. When searching, you are much better off using their map search, or entering a postal code into the search box as city searches are done literally (e.g. “München” returns results, but “Muenchen”, “Munchen” and “Munich” return none). The site is in only German, but pages translate well with Google Translate.
SaunaSauna.de claims to have more than 2200 sauna addresses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in its database. From the search screen, you can search via a clickable map, PLZ code, or city name. The results returned are basic. Most locations show only the name, address and phone number of the sauna, and a brief description of its type. However, with this information, a quick Google search can find the facility’s website for more information. The website is only in German, but there is very little text to read between the advertisements on each page.
Insauna.com [NSFW] is a directory of saunas and other free time activities for Germanic Europe and its surroundings. Insauna makes its money by performing independent ratings of saunas. Starting with its list of the Best Saunas, which ranks nearly 200 saunas who have paid for their extensive audit, and awards them from one to six pearls based on their results. The amazing Therme Erding, for instance, gets 5 pearls and ranks 3rd on their 2009 list. Ranked saunas get a multi-page profile on the site. You can also browse by country and city for an exhaustive listing of saunas, and other free-time activities for each municipality. The site is written in a very verbose Austrian German, which can give Google Translate fits. The site itself is textbook annoying web design with animated icons and a busy and cluttered visual style.
ADAC, the German auto club, publishes the best maps and road atlases of Germany, and are an indispensable resource if you’re planning to drive at all while in Germany. Their maps have a legend icon that shows locations of saunas, pools and swimming holes. I like the Kompaktatlas for its size, but the Freizeitkarten are specifically set up to help you to find leisure time activities. They are available at bookstores and gas stations everywhere in Germany. TrekTools is one of the few sites that sells these in North America.
Going to the Sauna
For the most part, the saunas in Germany do not supply anything to their guests other than the baths themselves and a locker. It is always a good idea to check the website before you visit to find out the hours, what days are single-gender, what other facilities are available besides the sauna, and the pricing to know which package to ask for when you arrive.
When packing your bag, you should always bring:
Soap, shampoo and other toiletries,
Two (2) towels (if not available for rent),
Waterproof shower sandals,
A plastic bottle of water, and
Fresh clothes for when you’re done.
You probably want to bring:
A bathrobe (if not available for rent),
A swimsuit if there is a pool as part of the facility,
Workout clothes if there is a fitness center as part of the facility, and
Reading material.
Sauna Ettiquette
This is Germany, and of course, there are rules. Violations of these will bring you the scorn of both your fellow sauna goers, as well as a possible reprimand from the staff:
You must be naked in the sauna area. You can wrap yourself in a towel or robe when you’re walking around, but don’t try to wear a swimsuit in the area. Any pools in the sauna area must be enjoyed naked. However, if there is a separate swimming-only area as part of the facility, you will need to wear a full-coverage swimsuit in that area.
Your sandals, robe and glasses should be left outside of the sauna room. Hooks, shelves, or racks will be provided in the area.
When in the sauna, no part of your body should touch the wood benches. If sitting, spread your towel down from the backrest, under your butt, and down to where your feet will sit. Steam rooms vary by facility – some require you to sit on your towel, some provide mats, some provide hoses to wash where you sat. Watch what others are doing before you go into one.
Silence is golden. In the sauna and steam rooms, conversation is not tolerated. You can say hello as people enter, but otherwise, you should respect others by keeping quiet. This is also true of any quiet rest areas the facility has.
You must shower before entering the sauna area, and you must sauna after exiting any of the heat baths before entering any pool.
You do not throw water on the rocks in the sauna. This is the job of the saunameister, and is called an aufgu?. When an aufgu? is happening, you never enter the sauna room. You may exit if absolutely necessary.
The sauna is the Garden of Eden. Don’t be the serpent and ruin things for everyone.
In Conclusion
If you ever get to Germany, leave your modesty behind and try a sauna. It’s a great, relaxing way to spend your free time. The Germans don’t seem to notice that they’re naked and after a short while, you won’t either.
Today’s New York Times reports on this study performed by a team of Austrian researchers that studied the incidence of common colds in a population of 50 people over six months. Half of the population took saunas regularly, the other half was the control, and were not permitted to use the sauna during the test period.
The study concluded that the sauna bathing population had significantly fewer cases of the common cold than the non-sauna bathing population. After three months, the sauna bathing population had half as many incidents of the cold as the control. Both groups, after they contracted a cold, had no difference in the duration and severity of the symptoms.
If I can cut my colds in half, can I deduct my sauna addiction as a qualified medical expense? The IRS says no.
After a session in the sauna, I just feel good. I can’t explain why, just that it does.
Stephen Colmant, a licensed Psychologist based in North Carolina, and Allan Eason, a doctoral candidate at Oklahoma State, a have spent their careers examining the physiology of sweat bathing on individuals alone and in groups. Colmant wrote his doctoral thesis on the topic, and built a custom sauna designed specifically for group therapy sessions. They have posted their research and related articles online at PsychSymposium.com.
Their “Sweat Therapy Theoretical Model” says that a sauna’s unique form of exercise sweating without focus on muscle coordination, focus on self regulation as the heat from the sauna changes from pleasurable early in the experience to a focus on coping with the more intense perception of heat, metaphorical elements of the sauna experience including the challenge of man vs. fire while naked (or nearly so), and the shared interpersonal experience of enduring the heat with others with an increased awareness of others’ well-being in the heat interact to produce positive effects on the mind, body and spirit.
When the appointed time arrives, the Aufgiesser arrives. He or she works for the facility. The aufguss begins with the hanging of a sign on the door: “Aufguss
in progress: Please do not enter.” If the sign is up and you go in anyway, you will raise the ire of all the others in the sauna. However, if you are inside and the heat becomes too much for you, it is (grudginly) tolerated if you leave quickly.
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