sauna – Zjuzdme.org

Bathing suit days

No, that’s not here and now. Please, stop that thought 5 seconds ago!

Last week, my girlfriend and I went to a wellness resort. The day we picked had a problem, though. That day, at the resort we frequent, was a bathing suit day.

We are not bathing suit kind of people, so I looked around a bit further and found a ‘sister branch’ of the resort. 100 km away. I’d rather drive 100km (and 100 back) than do something bathing suit related.

In a weird manner I can ‘accept’ that many people mentally tend to jump to ‘bathing suit’ when they see ‘swimming pool’. From day 1, this has been ingrained in most people’s minds – and hooray for those who escaped that lunacy – but why do people insist on bathing suits in a sauna? Most people (at least from my generation, which is probably semi-stone age) remember that saunas originated in Finland, and people were naked in there from the start of the tradition.

Covered people in a sauna — Who would cover up like this in a sauna??

Perhaps it has to do with this faux interpretation of sauna visits, that being covered is normal. Which, as we all know, has to do with the ‘prudish’ attitude of our society that seeing skin is lethal for people’s mental health, unless it’s used for sex.

The drive was worth it. A great place, surprisingly busy for a Wednesday, but due to the size of the resort it wasn’t crowded anywhere. And many people who didn’t feel the need to wear bathrobes or go wrapped in towels most of the time. Normal people with normal bodies. It was good to see there were many younger people too. (Note, for someone of the semi-Stone age, 30 and up is ‘younger’.)

I will always avoid bathing suit days in a spa or wellness resort or sauna.

Nude rules.

A glorious day in September

Sunland_Holiday_Village_by_Tripadvisor — Glorious day

The past Saturday, my girlfriend and I were off to a sauna/wellness complex in the neighbourhood. It’s called “Thermen Berendonck“. We knew the day would be good, but it turned into a glorious day, because the weather was amazingly kind to those who want to relax in the nude.

Sunshine and 21C (70F), barely any wind and a wonderful area, inside and out, to enjoy. What more could you ask for? I mean, have a look at this:

Thermen Berendonck arrangement | Hotel Cuijk — Indoor swimming pool Berendonck

It was good to see “many” people there. The sauna still maintains a strict count on the people allowed in at one time, due to Corona measures, which is great, but to see so many people enjoying this place was nice.

Again it struck me that there are many folks who cover up to the nose when they’re not in a sauna, a steam bath or a pool. Bathrobes, towels, anything goes. These are the people who also keep their towels around them until just before the moment they sit down in a sauna. As if that small difference between standing and sitting makes that no one can see their nakedness. And some people actually keep their towels wrapped around, to keep their ‘dignity’, or whatever they would call it, intact. And that while there are plenty of people walking around naked and carefree, the way such a day should be enjoyed.

To each their own, of course, but I do wonder what could go on in the minds of the people who keep their ‘shields’ up. Are the appalled by the sight of all those naked people? Curious and peeking? Proud that they, at least, maintain their chastity and don’t throw themselves at the mercy of the world’s eyes?

For me it will probably always remain a mystery why some people are so scared to unload their clothes, even when so many nude ones are around. Don’t they see it’s normal to be naked? That not every naked one is the symbol of physical beauty-standards and youthful attractiveness? Or don’t they want to see that?

It’s probably something else. I can’t help but pity those people, but I do hope they enjoyed their version of that glorious day to the fullest. Like we did.

Autumnal naturism – follow-up

Last week I wrote about heading out to a spa. I did it.

Well, that concludes today’s post.

Hah, almost fooled you, I know. 😉

It was a great day out. They had their COVID-19 measures in place, and no one there seemed to feel in any way unsafe regarding the virus. Kudos to the people who work at Thermen de Berendonk (note: Dutch website).

The weather was perfect for the visit too. It rained almost all day.

The fact that the temperature wasn’t bad and the wind kept itself to the speed limits as well made this a perfect way to cool down after a sauna stay.

In case you don know: cooling down after a stay inside a sauna is a must. Otherwise your body will overheat, and you’ll feel very bad for a while.

Most entertaining outside were the people who had wrapped themselves in towels and bathrobes, trying to protect themselves from the bit of falling rain beneath the spa-supplied umbrellas. Well, entertaining… it was also pathetic to witness. These same people walk around naked inside, but for some reason fear they get cold / seen / wet outside. I just stuffed my towel in a bag and went into the rain. When else do you get a choice opportunity for that, I ask you?

I had a great day and I hope I can repeat that in the near future. As long as the regulations for COVID-19 allow the place to be open, I’m ready for it.

Autumnal naturism

The temperature drops. For most naturists the clothes-free arena is gone, which is so for me as well.

I’ve stated before that I will not crank up the heating in order to be nude. I’m trying to be an ecology- and environmentally friendly nude person. Using resources just to stay out of clothes is not that for me.

Next Thursday (tomorrow) I plan on going to a sauna. I won’t go on Wednesdays, because that is one of those weird ‘bathing suit days’ they have set up in order to get more customers. Not for me. So Thursday.

It’s going to be nice and warm and nude and relaxing.

Actually it’s a spa complex, with several saunas, pools, massage options (yes, COVID-19-approved and safe) and a very good restaurant too.

This is where I’ll go.

It’s called Thermen Berendonk and it’s located in Wijchen (link in new tab, to Google Maps), which isn’t far from where I live. I’ve been there many times before and it’s a great place to be.

What is your favourite nude place for autumn or fall, or however you want to call it?

The beauty of the differences

Last week I had the joy of going to a sauna/wellness centre again. Always a delight, something like that.

The benefits of a wellness centre

For one, it’s good for you. At least for me, and judging from the number of people there, not just me. 🙂

Such a place is where I can wind down fully. Relax. No stress allowed there. Take it slow, go where you want to go when you want to go. And another good thing: no clothes needed.

This is the most important thing. Your towel. Have it with you to sit on, as any proper naturist knows. In a sauna that’s very important. With all that heat and sweating, you don’t want to sit where someone else has been perspiring a few minutes ago.

That’s a given, I think.

Another wonderful benefit is what you can see.

And no, that’s not the staring at the pretty people there. The same goes for a wellness centre as it is at a nude beach: no staring. Also: you’re there for you, not for the others – unless you’re there with friends, then you’re there with each other. And still, no staring.

What I mean is that you encounter the greatest variety of body-types at such a place. Again, just as you do on a nude beach. We are all so different in the way we are the same! And despite all our different bodies, we’re all the same.

At a wellness centre, nude beach, nude swim, you name it, everyone is there for the same reason: to feel good in their own skin. Perfect. Just before starting this post, I thought about how it would be to run into all the same kind of perfect, beautiful bodies in such a place…

Ehm. Nope. Not for me. I said ‘the same’, right? And that is what I meant. Not just everyone being pretty, ripped, toned, tanned, but the same. Just to add some more dullness to what’s nice to look at once in a while.

To me it would feel like looking at a stream of identical-looking robots.

Give me the differences. The big and the small, the thick and thin, the perky and the flabby, the dark and the pale. Those are the things that show people are people. Every kind of people.

A day at a sauna

A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I spent a day at a sauna. A Wellness resort, as it describes itself.

It was great. A whole day of relaxing without the need to wear clothes. Can you think of a better way to spend a day?

I can.

Spending a week like that. Maybe not a whole week at a wellness resort, but in the nude? I’d take it!

I keep being surprised about how wonderful such a day is. Total relaxation, no need to wear clothes. We had a walk outside to cool down. It started to rain. No problem. Who cares about getting wet when it cools you down directly at skin level?

Days like that should be obligatory, at least once a month but preferably once a… day? At least the walking around nude part, without people throwing a hissy fit over that.

I had a good laugh when we walked along and, at a separate building, a relax room with a view over a large pond, there was a bucket with umbrellas waiting for those who were in need of one. Note that I didn’t see anyone there who was holding an umbrella. Naked people in the rain don’t need those things. When it’s too cold out there, an umbrella won’t make much difference anyway.

A stupid thing of many Dutch saunas is that they introduce more and more bathing-suit-days. What the bleep? Who wants to sit in a hot, wet sauna with such stuff clinging to you? Prudishness seems to be more important than hygiene, because all the bacteria you sweat out get stuck to your privates if you keep fabric wrapped up there. Eeeuw….

Do you have a favourite spa, sauna, wellness place, or another way to relax in such a manner? If so, spread your knowledge down here and you might inspire people to go there as well.

Religious politicians vs. the sauna

Yes, we’re at it again. Time for politics in the Netherlands (city council elections). And the SGP party (heavily reformed Christian) in the city of Apeldoorn wants a ban on all public saunas and nude beaches.

God

These people don’t want to be confronted with nude people. The fact that nude beaches are well indicated doesn’t matter, the fact that saunas are controlled and you have to pay to go in there doesn’t matter. God doesn’t allow nude buttocks, it seems. (Why don’t they have a problem with Eva’s breasts being shown everywhere, I wonder?)

They don’t want to be confronted with nude people (how often do you run into those in the street during the week?). Well, I don’t want to be confronted with sermons and other religious outbursts during the week. (Thanks for that, Rob Meerwijk.)

God, so they say, gave us clothes to put on. (Uhm, it’s bad weather that made that happen, Google “Climate change”, guys.) Kind of hypocrite to blame their god as he first ‘created man after his own image’, and that man was… naked!

Dutch links to the matter: one here, another one here.