Joint sauna for men and women. German public baths - features and rules for visiting

One day in a German bath.

I am a native Muscovite. By profession an engineer. Having lived most of my life in crazy, but infinitely beloved by me Moscow, in recent years I live in a tiny, according to our Russian, clean and neat, calm German city in the very center of Germany. I invite the public to get acquainted with my one day. There are 63 pictures under the cut.

Today June 25, 2015 I had a free day and, according to tradition, I decided to devote it to my favorite pastime - a bathhouse.
I have been addicted to this procedure since I was very young. Been there
Often in the famous Moscow Sanduny, Armory and Krasnopresnensky

In recent years, living mainly in Germany, I try to visit the local water park once a week with a solid complex of various baths.

I usually go to a standard 4 hour session, which at a cost
15€ provides disproportionately greater opportunities than the usual
a Moscow public bath for the same price - about 600 rubles for 2 hours of a steam room with plastic bowls.
small digression
I hope, dear reader, will show indulgence to some not very high-quality pictures. they were made, for obvious reasons, in extreme conditions ...

So, waking up

and sweetly yawning

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I spank in the bath for the minimum necessary water procedures - why rub your face in front of the bath

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Now a quick bite than God sent

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,

My beech and tablet turn on simultaneously with the opening of my eyes ... and sometimes a little earlier - by touch ...
I usually start any day by checking mail and news on a couple of duty sites.
But the other day there was a very interesting debate on the Dozhd, which the media are talking about, but I have not seen them yet.
A bath is not a bath, but the gap must be filled.

Time however! "Zigel-zigel, ah lu-lu!" Hop in my favorite shorts, lightly cover my belly with an alcoholic T-shirt
I grab my bright red bath bag with all my belongings, which certainly includes: a bathrobe, two large sauna towels, a couple of smaller ones, mittens, slippers, shower gel, etc.

Now quickly into the elevator and dive into the underground garage, where my "184 horses" are in the stall.

The road is calculated by the minute.

And if any nerdy blonde
or a couple of cyclists in love do not arrange a traffic jam, then I, almost without breaking the rules, will rush to the goal in 15 minutes.

Another 5 min. will go to buy a card in a special machine
and an instant striptease in the men's locker room, in addition to which, of course, there is also a women's one, as well as "for couples".
On the way, I fasten the key with the chip on my wrist

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and already running I cross a picturesque courtyard with lawns and various reservoirs
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And exactly at 11.59 I fly into the "sauna-arena"! Phew, did it!
Little explanation 1 . In German public baths, men and women take treatments together and ... completely naked! For the unprepared and highly spiritual horror, right?
But, as you know, it is not recommended to climb into a strange monastery with your charter ... so as not to get hit on your bare ass ... Therefore, once a week you have to shove spirituality away for 4 hours.
True, for especially shy ladies, several steam rooms are allocated twice a week for half a day, but, as a rule, these ladies prefer equality and do not enjoy such a privilege.
By the way, for some reason, such concessions are not granted to us men. Disorder, discrimination. Let's barozzo.
Little explanation 2 .
I raced headlong. I know by heart the schedule for giving steam to the attendant.
And since each time he uses different gadgets, this is important.

Having flown into a large, 50-person steam room resembling a circus arena, already filled at that time with 10-12 naked "spectators", I climb to the very top and make myself comfortable. According to strict rules ("Ordnung ist Ordnung"), a visitor to the steam room is obliged to sit on his own towel, which must be underlain, incl. and under your feet. Hygiene is above all.
12.

Exactly at 12.00, the attendant (or bath attendant) dressed in shorts and a T-shirt with a tub filled with water with various flavors solemnly enters the arena with the appearance of a bullfighter. After the obligatory briefing and explanations, he begins to gently pour from the ladle onto the stones of a huge round furnace installed in the center of the arena.

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After that, the attendant goes around the circle twice, fanning the bathers with a towel. Then the procedure is repeated again, after which, having recommended that visitors enjoy a couple more minutes, the attendant leaves.
Not everyone can endure these "couple of minutes". Even I, with my many years of hardening, somehow lost consciousness twice after such a procedure.
After flying out of the steam room, I rinse under the shower and thump in an artificial pond. Today the water temperature is +22. Charm!

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After a little splashing, I quickly move into a 120-degree Finnish sauna stylized in some kind of dugout

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With a wood-burning fireplace in which crackle behind the glass
dry logs.

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Here I spend another 15 minutes.

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Then I jump into a round ice font.

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Now it's time to catch my breath ... which I do, having moved to the pool with hydromassage and sea water heated to 36 ° C.

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But there is no time to sit especially - the attendant will not wait. Exactly at 11.30 he will enter a relatively small steam room, about 15 people, and this time he will treat visitors to menthol crystals, thanks to which the steam will immediately disinfect the respiratory tract. This procedure is especially beneficial in the snotty season.

20.

Well, that's all ... Half of the personal program is completed. Usually I make at least 6 visits, for which
to visit all 10 different steam rooms anyway, of course, is not possible.
Now for 15 minutes you can lift yourself up in a deck chair in the sun, and at exactly 11.59 ... Get up !!! Fanfares are calling to the arena!

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The next entry, unlike the first one, is interrupted by the bathhouse attendant by handing out a pinch of salt, which we rub into the body. In winter, salt alternates with honey.

After that, I, slightly catching my breath on the lawn in a sun lounger

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I wander into the next steam room. This is a round plastic box.
into which moist steam is supplied, due to which visitors sit as if in a dense fog.

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After surviving in this box for 10 minutes, I douse myself from a wooden tub with ice water

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and head under the huge palm trees to the relaxation zone,

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where, in addition to comfortable, relaxing chairs, there is a bed with a water mattress

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I've been a bit wary of this build lately. Once, having barely plopped down on him, I instantly passed out, and when I woke up I saw the discouraged and condemning looks of vacationers ... The fact is that my wife is sure that the turbines of a jet Boeing are just the chirping of birds, compared to my snoring. Probably lying - after all, I have never heard my snoring.

Next I will have a sauna in which drops of water are supplied to special evaporators. Multi-colored lamps are mounted in its ceiling that change the illumination of the steam room.

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Having faithfully served the legal 15 minutes in it, I dive into another font

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Well, now that the mandatory program has been completed, it's time to make a control weighing

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Well, not bad -2.90 kg in 2.5 hours!
So I still have 1.5 hours left ... to rest from rest ...
It wasn't here! Time to run for relaxation-meditation. Action happens here

30.

It's not hot here at all. From somewhere, pleasant relaxing music is pouring from the speakers, and the attendant at this time, in an insinuating voice with German categoricalness, mumbles some spells ...
Hm ... here I also somehow meditated in earnest and with my snoring
slightly corrected the relaxation program for others ...
In our country, they would probably immediately push me in the neck, but tolerance flourishes here.
Well, sir ... however, there is time for business, and an hour of fun - it's time to refresh yourself ...

31.

I think healthy "diet" food from a well-grilled sausage with french fries will not hurt me now ... And, of course, a glass of cold beer by the fireplace ...
Relax in the jacuzzi after lunch

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Now you can walk around the complex

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And go to a small ancient dam on a small river.

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However, lunch grams pretty spoiled the result and it's time to evaporate the beer. For this, a small sauna with flavors supplied to a special container installed above the shadows is suitable, where in 15 minutes. I completely eliminate the consequences of my libation

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Well, everything is great now. There is still time to finally sunbathe in a sun lounger

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In winter, you can sunbathe in this terrible contraption

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pancake-like. True, this thing bakes "pancakes" for a fee.
To finish, I myself do not know why, I climb into an infrared sauna with an ionizer.

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Nafig it is necessary, I still have not figured it out, but if it's worth it, I have to try it.
Well, now, like everything, it's time to take a shower and get out.
The machine at the exit meticulously counted the time 4:05,

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groaned grumblingly, like, well, what to take from them - from foreigners, and opened the turnstile for the exit in front of me - so be it, get out of here.
If I had been late, he would have demanded another 2€ from me. Those. for 17€ I could hang around here all day from 10 am to 10 pm. Sometimes I get stuck like that. At the same time, the ticket to the sauna includes other parts of the water park: various pools, an artificial river, slides, paddling pools, etc.
In addition, nightly celebrations are periodically held in the sauna complex: bonfires are lit, sausages and steaks are grilled, beer flows like water until late at night. In general, people walk purely in German.

Now I'm back in the car

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On the way home, you need to drop in for a while in the old part of the city
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There is always a problem with parking. I know of only one place where you can leave your car for free for half an hour, but there are only three parking lots and today they are all busy. So I leave the car in the parking lot.

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and then legs...

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Well, now it's time to head home.
Evening

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Therefore, I choose a bypass road, otherwise you can drag yourself for 25 minutes.
On the right is one of the city's "boardeles".

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And this is a car dump, where you can throw away an old car for free ... or an unnecessary fighter jet

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Well, the industrial zone is over. This is also a city

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Another minute and I enter my area

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Well here is the house.

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I recently learned that our house is a little younger than the Moscow "Khrushchev".

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They're just following him.

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By the way, this three-entrance house with a garage and lawns is served by one person.
And this is the famous German garbage dump with colorful containers

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Any German baby who barely screamed "mom" will answer without hesitation that blue is for paper and cardboard, green is for biowaste, a yellow bag is for packaging, and black is for everything else.
Bashfully turning away, I pass by my bike, which I have been promising to pay attention to for half a year, but for some reason I sneak into the garage every time

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Well here it is at home

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We've been lucky with the weather this summer though.

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However, it's good to be distracted by the surrounding landscapes, I'm waiting for LJ (by the way, add me as a friend), FB and other time wasters.
In addition, you need to think about where to rush on Saturday or Sunday. Lately I have taken it into my head to go around the surrounding castles.
O! Bravo! Inet safely ate the rest of the day.
It's time for the bainka

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I hope I didn't get too tired.

A funny incident happened to us in Zakopane (Poland), where my friend and I were snowboarding and skiing a few days ago. In the evening we decided to go to the local thermal baths to warm up and went to the compartment, where there were only a few pools, and the main emphasis in the rest was on various saunas. We went to the baths, I immediately climbed into the pool in a bathing suit. But an angry girl in clothes came and almost pulled me out of the pool, because, as it turned out, everyone goes naked to these baths: they didn’t say this at the entrance and there were no inscriptions, but this is kind of implied here, and we are Russian klutzes and don’t we know how it is in enlightened Europe. I didn’t immediately understand the local rules, since everyone mostly walks around the room in towels. Baths, like you, probably. understood, joint. Well, in general, we didn’t care, it was only strange in what seemed to us a religious Poland, where even abortions, except in exceptional cases, are prohibited, to meet such baths: we took off our swimwear, put on the towels given to us, even thought that it was good , since it will not be necessary to dry the swimsuits later, it is convenient. It was easy to recognize many of our compatriots by the way they laughed when they learned about the local rules, as if in the fifth grade of the school they again explain the topic of stamens and pistils to us in a biology lesson. To be honest, we were also subject to this fun, especially when, together with other Russian girls, we were standing peacefully in the pool, and a dude in glasses and a mask swept past us several times, looking for no idea what. And he swam like a brigantine around us in circles, so in the end we even decided to say something bad to him so as not to interfere with our rest.

Some older men also strained (something young Poles were not noticed at all in this pool, only a couple of older women), who took an excellent viewing point in another pool and looked at the profiles of the girls entering the other, main pool in the light. In the sauna, a young man tried to pester our girl friend, as if inadvertently touching her with his fingers (well, at least with his fingers) several times, which, frankly, in the bathhouse - a place where he came to relax, and not to get acquainted with someone, was annoying. I remember that Turks also pestered us in the jacuzzi in the joint baths in Stockholm, although everyone was in bathing suits there. So terrible: he came to rest, he is still forced to defend himself, to avoid someone.

It was really very difficult for some Russians to undress, it was clear that for someone it could even become a psychological trauma. because they came to this sauna with close friends and relatives, dads, brothers, etc., coaches, in front of whom they clearly did not want to expose themselves at all. Some girls stayed like that all the time only in those two saunas where it was allowed to be in a towel. Yes, and Russian men in the bulk of the local order did not fight and did not feel so macho in these saunas, they suggested that I stick to them so that "no one accidentally sticks and nothing happens", while they themselves took off their towels only in extreme cases, in those saunas where people were almost kicked out by overseer girls (I thought that they only lacked whips), if people were not sitting naked, and in the pool, since they were not allowed to swim in towels. Well, this is inconvenient to everything else. Some unfortunate, modest Russian girls have never taken a dip in the thermal pool at all, although they paid money for entry. I ask some Russians how they liked the Turkish steam room, which they have not yet gone to. They say: "Great, there is so much steam that you can't see anything, so go." Something like that.

German public baths are designed for joint trips with family, work colleagues or friends. Many of them are located on the banks of the Oder and Main rivers, as well as near thermal springs. Their steam rooms are very different from our baths, so Russian tourists should first familiarize themselves with their rules. Different mentality and culture can cause a strong shock caused by the traditions of the German public baths.

Many bath complexes in Germany resemble a water park. They are divided into sectors with different purposes. In one of them there are large pools with slides and tubes, cold and hot water, shallow and deep, with a fast flow and hydromassage. And in the other - a variety of thermal procedures: Russian, Finnish, Mongolian and Japanese baths, hammam, bio-sauna and an ice cave. And between them there is a jacuzzi, winter gardens and massage rooms.

The most popular are the complexes located near the thermal springs. There are large German public baths in Lower Saxony and Bavaria. Also among the leaders in terms of the number of visitors are:

"Caracalla Terme", erected directly above an underground source of healing water;
"Liquidrom" in Berlin with free treatments, sea water in the pool and interior in space style.

Differences of the German bath

German men and women visit bath complexes together. There are no men's and women's quarters or visiting days. Only in a few complexes there are separate days for visiting men and women. This tradition shocks many foreigners, although it came from ancient times. It is believed that in the past, in order not to waste firewood on heating the bath separately for men, women and children, everyone washed together. Since then it has become a tradition.
Another distinctive feature of the German public baths is the obligatory condition to be completely naked. The natives of Germany are not inclined to be ashamed of their nudity, so it is considered normal for them to bathe naked next to members of the opposite sex. There, even young men calmly bathe next to the parents of their friends. But the Germans look at the hiding people in surprise.

However, this does not mean that you will have to walk around naked throughout the bath complex, since this rule applies only to steam rooms and saunas. The Germans explain this by the fact that most swimming trunks and swimsuits are made of synthetic fabric, which causes discomfort and harm to the body at high temperatures. Also in German steam rooms, for the same reason, rubber slippers and slates are prohibited.

You can sit on the shelves in public baths in Germany only on special two-meter towels. It also spreads under the feet, as sweat flows from the heated bodies, which negatively affects the tree. Particularly shy visitors can wrap themselves in a cotton towel.

Subdued lighting is installed in the steam rooms to create a friendly atmosphere. There are a few unwritten rules:

You can not shoot on photo and video equipment;
You can not stare at other visitors;
You can not comment on the appearance of other people;
Silence must be observed and other visitors must not be disturbed.

Additional procedures

An important procedure in German public baths is aufguss, i.e. pouring thermal water with essential oils onto hot stones, as a result of which fragrant steam spreads through the steam room with special fans or towels. Most often, orange, honey or eucalyptus oils are used. This procedure is performed by special masters, who even annually compete with each other in Austria.

The duration of the aufguss is on average 20 minutes. In most steam rooms, the schedule for this procedure is weighed so that each visitor can navigate in time and not miss this ceremony. Its cost is already included in the entrance fee.

During the exercise, it is forbidden to leave the steam room, only in case of dizziness or a sharp deterioration in well-being. The attendant performing the procedure may also entertain the assembled people with anecdotes and jokes. In some complexes, pleasant relaxing music is turned on, and creams, cubes of people or salt are distributed free of charge. After the procedure, visitors are offered a choice of a soft drink, hot tea, ice cream or fruit.

Soaring in the bath is not just a pleasant procedure, an opportunity to relax and unwind. The Russian bath has long been famous for its healing and rejuvenating properties. A real wood-fired sauna in the Barin sauna complex near Moscow will allow you to get rid of accumulated stress and fatigue, cleanse your body and soul, gain positive emotions and recharge your batteries. We work all year round. Sauna on birch wood is located in a cozy two-story house, equipped with a pool of warm water. Birch, oak and juniper brooms, eco-steaming (on herbs and essential oils) and, of course, the art of professional bath attendants are at the guests' disposal.

The Russian wood-fired sauna cleanses the body, activates the metabolism and removes toxins - after the bath you feel refreshed, vigorous and full of energy. The conditions created in the wood-fired sauna - steam and temperature changes - contribute to the restoration of blood vessels, strengthening the heart muscle, removing excess moisture and toxins and normalizing the water-salt balance. We recommend visiting a bath or sauna with a pool regularly for those who want to get rid of extra pounds, improve skin condition, restore the respiratory system, and overcome chronic diseases of the ENT organs. The Russian bath is an excellent beautician: a good steam room with a birch broom cleanses the skin, ridding it of blackheads and blackheads, making the skin surface velvety and healthy. And, of course, steaming is a woman's best friend in the fight against cellulite.

The sauna and the Russian bath in the Barin bath complex are equipped in such a way as to fully recreate the classic conditions in which our ancestors used to bathe. We heat the banya with natural firewood, unlike many other inexpensive modern banyas in the Moscow region, where artificial heaters are installed. Thanks to the use of birch firewood, a unique fine steam is created in our sauna. City baths, saunas, which abound in Shchelkovo, Fryazino, Chernogolovka, Balashikha, Ivanteevka, Korolev, Mytishchi, Krasnoarmeysk and other cities of the Moscow region, cannot boast of such. In cities, most often there is no way to install a special wood-burning stove. In "Barin", located in a cozy corner near Moscow, far from noisy cities, there is such an opportunity. Our bath-sauna with a swimming pool is always waiting for its guests!

Many peoples have their own bathing traditions, which may seem strange to others, and sometimes indecent. Not in every country, going to the local bath, the Russian will feel at home.

Three in a Japanese barrel

Traditional Japanese baths may seem the most “shameless” to a Russian person. A furaco bath is a large wooden barrel filled with water. Often this water was taken from hot thermal springs. In order not to change the water every time after washing one person, washing with soap and a washcloth is done in advance.
The whole family or just a few people can sit in the furako, if the barrel is located in a public bath, for this there are benches on the sides of the barrel.
In public Japanese baths in the old days there were servant girls who provided visitors with intimate services. Some places of entertainment in Japan continue this tradition today. Are they called "soap country"? and clients are washed in them, and then they are “entertained”.
However, not all bathhouse attendants are girls of easy virtue. Sometimes girls are preferred to be hired because it would be uncomfortable for women to use the services of male bath attendants. At the same time, there may not be an intimate component - the attendants will show how to use the bath, make sure that visitors do not get sick in a barrel of hot water, add aromatic oils to the water, and give a massage.
Now most public baths in Japan (sento) are divided into male and female halves, although this was not always the case: over the centuries, the relevant laws were either approved or repealed. Sento may have large heated pools.
Many sento baths are forbidden to people with tattoos, as they may be suspected of belonging to the mafia. There are also separate establishments where foreigners are not welcome.

bath equality

In many European baths there is no division into male and female zones - everyone sits in the same room or splashes in the same pool.
In Germany, many baths are located in areas with thermal waters. Usually they are divided into two halves: one contains pools and water attractions, the other contains saunas and steam rooms. Swimwear and swimming trunks are only allowed in the pool area. And to come to the bath in a bathing suit is nonsense. On the doors of the room where it is customary to sit naked, the letters FFK - Freikörperkultur - "Free Body Culture" are usually written.
The most shy can wrap themselves in a cotton towel - the Germans do not approve of synthetics, believing that it negates the healing effect of the bath. But usually no one looks at anyone - everyone is equal in the bathhouse. Rather, they will look at the guest wrapped in a towel.
The whole family goes to the German baths, so teenagers, their parents, and very young children can be in the same steam room. Sometimes, however, "women's days" are arranged, when men are not allowed into the bath complex.
You can’t make noise in German baths - this prevents other guests from relaxing.
It is worth saying that in the XV-XVII centuries. in Russia, baths also practiced joint washing of men and women, and the imperial decree forbidding everyone to wash together was issued only under Catherine II in 1782. Prior to this, the decree of the Governing Senate of 1741 was not successful. Finally, this custom came to naught only in the era of Alexander I.

To the bath - for important contracts

In Finland, it is not customary to refuse an invitation to a sauna. There, as in Germany, they sit “in what the mother gave birth to”, and the status of a neighbor is not taken into account. There is even a sauna in the parliament building. It is said that until the 1980s, parliamentary meetings were held there on Thursdays. All consulates and embassies of Finland abroad have their own saunas.
So if there is a goal to sign an important contract with a Finn or discuss any problem, you will have to go to the sauna with him. It is there that the Finns, who are usually closed and not very fond of making contact, are liberated and willingly conduct complex negotiations. Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari liked to discuss the most serious issues with foreign politicians in the sauna. All ministers and presidents sat at the same time, as expected, naked. And Nikita Khrushchev in 1960 had to steam in the sauna of the Finnish embassy for five hours until he and President Urho Kekkonen came to an agreement on important issues.
Families go to the sauna together, and in public saunas, men and women bathe separately. Many Finns are offended when they talk about intimate relationships in saunas, believing that this opinion came in the 70s from Germany.
There are even floating saunas in Finland, which are not recommended for people who are sensitive to rocking.

Gay saunas

In Sweden, for a long time there were special sauna-clubs for people with non-traditional orientation. In 1987 they were banned by the government, citing the spread of HIV infection, but in 2001 the ban was lifted. The authorities considered that during the ban there was neither a sharp increase in incidence rates, nor a sharp decrease in them. Another argument in favor of the permit was that promiscuity in random places carries a much greater risk.
In the USA, similar baths also existed and were banned in the mid-80s in New York (1985) and San Francisco (1984). In the UK, gay saunas are still functioning: the largest network is located in London and is called Chariots. They have swimming pools, steam rooms, massage rooms. Saunas of this network are open around the clock.
Similar establishments exist in many countries around the world. A few years ago, the BBC reported that in Rome, a famous gay sauna and a department of the Vatican side by side in a historic palazzo.