For the love of Saunas
And my recent favorite: steam rooms
I love saunas.
They provide renewal and release for the entire body that's unmatched and genuinely all its own. It's different from a foam roller's pressured resistance or the fine line of pain/pleasure experienced with a deep tissue massage. Requiring passive effort but providing active rejuvenation - they're a form of body magic that envelopes healing.
My sauna love affair reached its pinnacle in 2021 when the perfect storm of reduced pricing due to lowered Covid demand and increased activity from working three jobs meant I was in great need of some R&R. Fridays were special. After work, I'd hop in my car and drive to make my appointment. My husband and I would arrive separately but enjoy a full session of infrared sauna in a private but modest room featuring a shower, towel, robes, and a bench to place our things alongside the wooden chamber.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I visited another sauna, my first since the season of being a regular, and experienced a steam room as well. The benefits of saunas, whether infrared or traditional, are noted; they've been a source of healing for centuries. Relaxing sore muscles, increasing metabolism, and lessening joint pain are just a few of the physical benefits. However, the steam room environment left its mark on me. These were my favorite parts:
The Sound of Water
Am I alone, or do you also get hit with brilliant ideas when you shower or wash dishes? The sound of running water is so relaxing to me. Between the hiss of the mist when it fills the room, the rush of water through the piping, and the sound of the drips on the stone surface, the wet stuff is everywhere. Compared with the silence of an infrared sauna or the clicks of the heating coils of an electrically heated one, the varying sounds of water feel much more like white noise, which I've grown to appreciate.
Moisture In-Tech Out
I take my phone with me everywhere. Even into the bathroom, but at the first sign of extended moisture, it gets tucked away for use at a later time. Guess where there is nothing but high humidity? A steam room. That means I set myself up to relax both body and mind by allowing my brain to disengage and become bored, which boosts creativity. My time then becomes even more intentional. I can count my gratitudes, lightly stretch, or continue to imagine my life when my wellness and enjoyment are my main focus.
Safe Spaces
It could be the eucalyptus-scented air, or the area was large enough to offer personal space, but under cover of the room's misty haze, women relaxed into the warmed stone backdrop and dropped all pretenses - including their towels. I may or may not have been called a goddess.
The mist that hung in the air provided something of a social lubricant. We women weren't as observed in this space as we are outside. Outside those four walls, the feminine form is dissected to leave us craving and often disillusioned through the media and male gaze. Instead, in the steam room, all forms found respite from the world's demands of performance and contortion, if only during the duration of the entry. Scars showing survival, breasts that nursed children and thighs that make for a soft seat found their truest, relaxed, and bare selves.
When was the last time you enjoyed the spa treatment? Do you pull out your face steamer every Saturday and turn your bathroom into the Four Seasons or do you enjoy keeping the process between relaxation and home separate?
Let me know how you roll, I'm rooting for you.
Love,
R.
Saunas, steam rooms, floats. All are welcome. Only one I’m not in a rush to sample are ice baths. 🥶🥶🥶
When I taught high school English I encouraged my students to mine for golden lines in a text- now I cant't help but do it myself! I love this line here ""Scars showing survival, breasts that nursed children and thighs that make for a soft seat found their truest, relaxed, and bare selves."
For me, saunas really puts me in a place to wrestle with my thoughts. I haven't been to one in a while though. I feel a b-t awkward when other people are in the sauna- small spaces often mean force conversation at times.