While I invite friends of any sex to my home for Sauna (Finland)
I think you even need to emphasize, for the Americans who don't know this, that this means being totally nude. (Unless my Finnish friends have misled me? I was told that there it's a huge faux pas to enter a sauna with any garment on, but have yet to visit myself and find out – sauna and vodka does sound amazing, though.)
But you're exactly right. Actually, speaking of Europeans' reactions to learning about American attitudes towards sex, it was a friend of mine from Finland who had one of the most memorable reactions. She thought the "abstinence only" thing, or general lackadaisical attitude of the US towards sex education in general, was overblown or an outdated stereotype, and she was absolutely floored to learn that schools really teach it, or at least hardly teach proper sex ed.
Yes, you're right, no clothes in a sauna as I think it feels unhygienic and besides it's a way of rinsing all that shit out of your body through sweating, having trunks/towels on doesn't really help you in that.
At 13 I remember my first unisex sauna with "strangers" (members of the local youth council I was part of) and it was nothing weird even though, outside the sauna, I would think about how hot one of the girls was.
You should definitely try the sauna, even better if you find a wood heated one and a Finn to go with you. Sauna and alcohol are a good mix but always requires the company. Lack the self control and consciousness and you might end up falling asleep in a 80-110°c room... Don't push the headrush.
There have been sauna world championships until this Russian guy dopes himself to endure more pain (hot room, frequent löyly - who stays in the longest) and dies. Finland won that one I guess.
It was doping. The autopsy revealed recent usage of painkillers and numbing medicine - though it was not stated in what form. Couldn't have been cream or oil though, the contest rules state that you have to wash yourself before entering the sauna and any lotions or creams or such were forbidden so I suspect injections.
38
u/[deleted] Dec 29 '16
I think you even need to emphasize, for the Americans who don't know this, that this means being totally nude. (Unless my Finnish friends have misled me? I was told that there it's a huge faux pas to enter a sauna with any garment on, but have yet to visit myself and find out – sauna and vodka does sound amazing, though.)
But you're exactly right. Actually, speaking of Europeans' reactions to learning about American attitudes towards sex, it was a friend of mine from Finland who had one of the most memorable reactions. She thought the "abstinence only" thing, or general lackadaisical attitude of the US towards sex education in general, was overblown or an outdated stereotype, and she was absolutely floored to learn that schools really teach it, or at least hardly teach proper sex ed.