‘Sauna Etiquette’ category posts

Glasses and contact lenses in the sauna

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Glasses/Spectacles

Really, glasses aren’t a good idea in the sauna. We recommend that you only wear them for your first session as you get used to where everything is.

Avoid taking your glasses off in the sauna as someone might sit on them – or they could get knocked undeneath the benches.

Contact Lenses

Generally, it’s better to take your contact lenses out, but it’s not essential. If you are using a particular sauna for the first time or if taking out your lenses would cut into the time available to sauna, you may wish to keep them in.

So firstly – let’s squash one myth. Your lenses are not going to melt in the heat! As your lenses are close to your eyes, they will remain closer to body temperature than glasses would – so they won’t steam or fog up as a result of the humidity or extreme temperature fluctuations.

The biggest concern is that drying of your eyes and lenses will cause eye irritation. You can help counteract the drying of your eyes by blinking a lot. If you feel discomfort, leave the sauna.

Laser Eye Surgery

Your after-care guide will give details, but many are advised to avoid saunas for a few weeks before and after surgery.

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Wikipedia’s Naked Facts

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

We’re putting together a post answering some of the most common questions about sauna dress codes. In the meantime, you could check Wikipedia.

Wikipedia’s English-language sauna page has a few contradictory statements about clothing in the sauna.

Of saunas at swimming pools in North America, Western Europe and Russia, it apparently depends on the location of the sauna. “This may be a separate area where swim wear may be taken off or a smaller facility in the swimming pool area where one should keep the swim wear on”.

If you’re with the same family, mixed gender nudity is we’re told, common. If you’re on a cruise ship, or in a hotel, you’ll probably have to wear a towel around your waist when having a drink by the sauna. Clearly vital information.

Above all, the consensus on what you should wear depends on where in the world you are and whether you’re in a mixed or same-sex sauna. So an entire section on Wikipedia’s page is devoted to “modern sauna culture around the world”. From this we derive the following table.

Countries are in the order in which they are listed on Wikipedia. A “?” denotes a fact that is not stated on Wikipedia.

Country Etiquette Which are most common?
Single-Sex Mixed
Finland Garments rarely worn Garments rarely worn Single-gender times more common, but mixed bathing does happen.
Estonia ? ? Both
Latvia ? ? Both
Lithuania ? ? Both
Russia ? - Strictly single-sex.
Sweden ? ? Public saunas generally single-sex.
Germany Nude Nude Single-sex rare, most both women-only and mixed-gender.
Austria Nude Nude Single-sex rare, most both women-only and mixed-gender.
Benelux Usually Nude Usually Nude. Single-sex rare, most both women-only and mixed-gender. Some bathing suit days/mornings.
Switzerland (German-Speaking) Nude Nude. Single-sex rare, most both women-only and mixed-gender.
Switzerland (French-Speaking) Most often Nude. Often choice nude/clothed. Both common. Some places offer nude single-sex, nude mixed-gender AND clothed mixed-gender.
France Nudity tolerated Nudity usually forbidden Single-gender most common type.
UK Nudity tolerated Nudity usually forbidden Single-gender most common type.
Much Of Southern Europe Nudity tolerated Nudity usually forbidden Single-gender most common type.
Northeast Italy (Friuli and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) Nude Choice nude/clothed ?
Slovenia Nude Choice nude/clothed ?
Croatia Nude Choice nude/clothed ?
Croatia ? Usually Swimsuits, nude tolerance rare. Single-sex rare.
Portugal ? ? ?
Hungary ? ? ?
Central America (southern Mexico, Guatemala) ? ? People use temazcals indidvidually
Africa ? ? ? but lower temperature to Europe.
Korea ? ? ? but saunas are public bathhouses.
Japan - Nude “almost always” single-sex “often required by law”
US (Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa) Choice nude/clothed Clothed Widespread due to Finnish American population.
US (Other) Choice nude/clothed Clothed Not widespread. Single-sex uncommon, most saunas in gym/club changing rooms.
Australia Nudity not tolerated Nudity not tolerated Most often mixed.

So, does this ring true with you? What’s your experience in the above countries? What’s your experience in other parts of the world? Share your thoughts by posting a comment.

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