To nude or not to nude?
Naked Sweat
A swimsuit. A strategic towel. Or butt naked. Bathing etiquette is a minefield of anxiety and embarrassment. In the US, a female nipple can cause a furore, in a German bathhouse women and men bathe together starkers. Just don’t stare.
In the 70s Mikkel Aaland bathed his way around the world and wrote a book about it: Sweat. Half a century later he revisited that journey for the docuseries Perfect Sweat, and now he is writing a sequel Naked Sweat – The Art and Soul of Sauna and Sweat Bathing Culture. We asked Mikkel to bare all on bathing in the buff.
CULTURE OF BATHING: Tell us about nudity and bathing. America is often described as ‘prudish’. Is that changing?
MIKKEL AALAND: Years ago, I was invited on the Letterman show to talk about a couple of my books. We were sitting there getting ready to go live to millions of people when one of his assistants comes running in with some black tape and sticks it on the cover of Sweat. I guess there were a couple of nipples, women's nipples, showing. It was like they just realized that they really shouldn't show that on national television, back then you could lose your license for something like that. Women's nipples are somehow taboo, but men can show their chests all the time. I don't understand that. In America everything is so sexualised.
But America is not one thing. It's such a collection of different cultures and people, it's hard to generalize. The country, as we know it now, was founded by Puritans, and there are still certain puritanical roots. But then we had immigrants from all over the world with different cultural norms when it came to nudity.
“You get 200 naked men and women together and it's not sexual. God it's far from sexual.”
From what I've seen, there's a lot of variety out there. Sometimes, men and women have separate times or separate physical spaces. That’s pretty common. Then there's a bathhouse here in San Francisco called Archimedes, where it's clothing optional. Some people come in with nothing and other people have a towel or a bathing suit. It seems to work. The thing that's underneath all of this is people need to feel safe.
CoB: There’s a great phrase that applies to bathing as well as many other things, ‘do as the locals do’.
MIKKEL: Yes, it’s just a fact that, for a variety of reasons, people in some cultures are more modest than others and I’m not on a crusade to change that. We already have enough of the body-shaming stuff, right? My focus is on promoting the practice of sweat bathing in any form.
At the International Sauna Congress in Haparanda, Sweden in 2018, I presented a clip from Perfect Sweat featuring young Finnish men and women bathing together, naked. Oh my! After my presentation, an older Finnish woman in the audience raised her hand and expressed surprise at the co-ed nudity. What could I say? Obviously, as the footage showed, men and women sometimes bathed naked together in Finland.
Still, she had a point. The fact is, in most cultures around the world, especially in public places, naked co-ed bathing is the exception not the rule. Countries like Russia, Turkey, Japan, southern Italy and England typically have separate areas for men and women. Rarely do I find co-ed nudity as a norm.
A notable exception is German-speaking countries, nudity among men and women in public saunas and locker rooms is not only accepted but often expected. Someone comes in there in a bathing suit and the shaming goes the other way. It's like the whole room erupts in finger-pointing.
CoB: So how do you describe it?
MIKKEL: To me, nudity is about sensuality, not sexuality. I’m comfortable bathing naked, regardless of who I’m with. Sexuality, whatever that means to me, it doesn't enter my mind. (In fact, between you and me, it's really hard to have sex in a 210°F sauna. Trust me, as a man, it's inhibiting.)
For me, the term ‘naked’ encompasses much more than the absence of clothing or decorations. It symbolizes a willingness to be vulnerable and to let go. Bathing has a way of naturally making people feel more comfortable in their bodies, that just kind of comes with the territory. I've seen so many people who are really uptight about going into a sauna or any bathhouse because they've never experienced that before. But in that relaxing heat, in that womb-like environment, not only your skin is sweating, but your inhibitions melt. The transformation is profound.
Mikkel Aaland @mikkel.aaland
The documentary series Perfect Sweat can be viewed on Apple and Amazon.
Spa etiquette
Whether you’re a nudist or a never-nude in the sauna, NEVER EVER sit your bare skin on the sauna bench. Your towel isn’t for modesty, it’s for hygienic purposes!
Happenings
Sauna Marathon Schaffhausen
Ever wanted to bathe in a landmark fountain? Sauna Marathon Schaffhausen is your chance. Jump into a heated fountain in the old town, or visit one of the 45 mobile saunas and hot water pools set up in the Swiss town for teams of sauna-goers to visit.
Jan 17 - 18, 2025, Schaffhausen, Switzerland
The Great Northern Festival Sauna Village
Book tickets for the sauna village at the Great Northern Festival, for a 60- or 90-minute steam session and a special programme of aufguss, family sessions and sound saunas.
Jan 23 - Feb 2, 2025, Minneapolis and Saint Paul
In the news… nudity
“A fascinating reworked world map reveals what people wear in saunas around the globe - and it's the swimsuit that comes out on top.” The UK tabloid shares a global map of bathing attire by Spa Seekers to help people avoid spa faux pas.
The Daily Mail, July 4, 2023
“Was anyone judging my body? To be honest, I was way too hot to care.” In Naked? With Strangers? In Europe, It’s How You Relax at the Spa. The New York Times explores European spas where a full sauna experience typically means having to take it all off.
The New York Times, February 26, 2024
“I feel self-conscious about my post-masectomy body, but no one raised an eyebrow”, Karen E H Skinazi writes about her experience of textile-free bathing in Baden Baden, Germany.
The Jewish Chronicle, December 3, 2024
One last thing
We’re still soaking up the magic of 100+ bathers from North America and Europe being in the same saunas, baths, rooms, and theatre together. More to come next week, in the meantime here’s a taster:
We’d love to hear from you - please send a DM, or email hello@cultureofbathing.com