Sauna in your country

[lumiel]

What is the diffrence between sauna and any other bath anyway? When I was little we used to go to pool which had a ``sauna``, meaning an electricaly heated room. Totaly loved lying there watching water drops dry out. Besides that I haven`t really been to any bath, I have impresion that people party there, additionaly it seems that lately it has become trendy and healthy to go to bath or have your own bath

The idea is that you sit on the wooden benches (lauteet), throw water on the stove (kiuas) and enjoy the rush of heat (löyly) that the water causes. The whole idea of sauna is in the löyly which is why I've always found it amazing that in central Europe public saunas have signs like "DO NOT throw water on the stove!"...

Not sure if I answered your question or not since I don't know what you do in any other kind of baths but perhaps you can figure it out yourself from my reply.

[Saaropean]

Another difference between "sauna" and "bath" (from the central European point of view) is in temperature and humidity. Sanuas are hotter and much drier than steam baths.

[Sol Invictus]

"DO NOT throw water on the stove!"...

Well, yeah, my grandmother was waching after the said pool, when it was rented for parties, she also was very angry when she found out sombody had watered the stove, the reason being that since it is electrical it isn`t very safe. I`m not sure if I would enjoy steem. I think what you described is not very much diffrent from what people do in normal bath, though in the later spanking each other with branch brushes is common

[lumiel]

Most Finnish saunas are electric as well nowadays but that's what the stoves are designed for, at least in Finland. Watering the stoves would be forbidden here, too, if it wasn't safe. (:

[Gormur]

Saunas are popular in Minnesota

[Erik Johansson]

I've only gone to saunas in Germany and Austria and all of them were mixed for men and women being naked. The only thing you need is a towel to sit on.

[Emblaegh]

Yeah... In Brazil saunas are not very common (it's already hot enough 'round here) and it's mostly considered kind of a gay thing

[Sol Invictus]

Another difference between "sauna" and "bath" (from the central European point of view) is in temperature and humidity. Sanuas are hotter and much drier than steam baths.

Indeed - the bath is supposed to be up to 60 degrees hot and with around 70% humidity, while sauna is supposed to be up to 110 degrees hot and have 10-15% humidity. Seems like tropical climte vs. desert. The only question is, do the Finns aprove this definition?

[Varislintu]

Another difference between "sauna" and "bath" (from the central European point of view) is in temperature and humidity. Sanuas are hotter and much drier than steam baths.

Indeed - the bath is supposed to be up to 60 degrees hot and with around 70% humidity, while sauna is supposed to be up to 110 degrees hot and have 10-15% humidity. Seems like tropical climte vs. desert. The only question is, do the Finns aprove this definition?

I'm not an expert, but it sounds right . Also, my understanding is that steam baths have continuously the same temperature and conditions. The whole point in sauna is that you throw water on the stones to make the heat and humidity fluctuate according to whim and mood. If you can't throw water on the stones, it simply isn't a sauna to me.

[Chekhov]

Here saunas aren't very common although most hotels have them. They're seen as somewhere to go after a swim in the pool. Some people do have home saunas but they aren't very similar to those the Finns have.

I always found the lack of a nudity taboo in Finnish sauna culture interesting.

[Varislintu]

I always found the lack of a nudity taboo in Finnish sauna culture interesting.

It's not a phenomenon across adult gender borders, though. Sexes don't mix naked in the sauna here, unlike apparently in some countries according to this thread. Sexes used to mix naked here too, but that was some 150-200 years ago.

[Chekhov]

But it is okay for families, right? Similar to bathing in Japan.

[Varislintu]

But it is okay for families, right? Similar to bathing in Japan.

Yeah, usually as long as the kids feel comfortable with it. But I think many teenagers stop wanting to be seen naked by the opposite sex parent (or both parents) at some point. In some families it never becomes an issue, though. In public saunas, the sexes are separated, but expected to be fine with nakedness among their own sex. A bathing suit is not allowed in the sauna for hygenic reasons, but naturally you can wrap yourself in a towel if you're shy. The segregated changing rooms are also not designed to give you privacy from your own sex.

[ILuvEire]

I find it funny that so much of the naked experience is designed around trying to separate the sexes. I'm fine with ladies, but I feel awkward around other guys I mean, nowadays I don't really care, but when I was younger, I was always shy about getting naked around guys.

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

The Netherlands: I really wouldn't know. I'd say sauna's are uncommon here, but maybe they are common, maybe I am just not aware of it because no way I'd go naked somewhere where other people could see me.

Though I've done that once, when I was in Istanbul with my school, so it was obligatory. We went to a hamam and I think that's a bit the same as a sauna. We were allowed to keep our bikini shorts (?) on, but besides that, we were naked. Woman and man weren't at the same rooms and it was hot and very shameful.

[Varislintu]

This offers me an opportunity to ask something I've been wondering. If you could easily have it your way, would gay women prefer not to change with other women, even if most of them are straight? And gay men, would you prefer not to change with other men, even if most of them are straight? Or what kind of arrangement would feel ideal to you?

[Hoogstwaarschijnlijk]

This offers me an opportunity to ask something I've been wondering. If you could easily have it your way, would gay women prefer not to change with other women, even if most of them are straight? And gay men, would you prefer not to change with other men, even if most of them are straight? Or what kind of arrangement would feel ideal to you?

Yes, I was mostly ashamed because I thought: 'what if they know I fall in love with girls, that would horrify them, argh, this is so horrible' and stuff like that. I prefer not to do these things at all, just avoid the whole situation. But it's mostly about what other woman will think, I guess, not so much that I'll be attracted by them or anything like that, I'm way too busy with worrying
There isn't really a solution, is there? I mean, when I'd be with men I would be even more ashamed and probably would start vomiting.

[Tenebrarum]

And gay men, would you prefer not to change with other men, even if most of them are straight? Or what kind of arrangement would feel ideal to you?

Personally I wouldn't want to share the same changing room with any other person, man or woman, gay or straight.

[ILuvEire]

Personally, I would like to not have the genders separated in changing rooms. I feel much more comfortable changing in a room of mixed gender (I guess this is what acting does to you).

[Chekhov]

I feel more comfortable changing with the same sex, but then I'm a straight. If there were naked women, I would probably be Distracted By The Sexy (assuming, that is, they actually were sexy).