Went back to the “authentic” sauna by the beach yesterday with my older daughter Samantha.
(She used to be the oldest, but now that one sister has gone to be replaced by a brother, that makes her the older of two.)
It was once again the 5 pm session on a freezing cold Saturday, timed so that we could watch the sunset. The red headed Irishwoman Tina was again in charge. Knowing what to expect, and that the first fifteen minutes would be the hardest, we went down to the beach and paddled our feet in the icy water before hand. Another woman actually went for a swim in the sea; we assumed she was one of the other people booked into the sauna with us, and so she was. This time there were six women. There were no formal introductions, but the others seemed experienced sauna goers, and I think they were two couples, if the mild episodes of PDA were anything to go by.
There was less chat than last time, but the vibe was pleasant, and to be honest, not significantly different to when testosterone was present. Once again there were three sessions of sweating at 85 degrees, with löyley, essential oils and flapping, with two icy sea swims in between. During the last heat session, there was a general cry of “Steam out! Steam out!” which didn’t happen last time. One of the more experienced couples swapped places with us as we were nearest the fire, and didn’t really understand what was going on. Basically a steam out is when the sauna manager just keeps pouring more water onto the hot rocks until the room fills with steam. The heat was intense, I was within a heartbeat of panicking and forcing my way out of the room, but the worst of the heat subsided quickly, and I was able to regain my equilibrium for the last few minutes before our session ended. At least now I know what it’s like to be a vegetable.
On the drive home, I realised I’d left my peignoir* behind, and had to drive back to get it. Tina said it happened all the time, due to a well known syndrome called ‘sauna brain’.
It’s an amazing thing, a full on traditional sauna experience, it makes you feel really alive, but I don’t know how you could do it multiple times in a week. My new infrared sauna is being put together this week so I will keep you updated on that.
*a fancy word for lightweight dressing gown