To celebrate Valentine’s Day (and Moe’s new job) we decided to indulge ourselves with an afternoon of massage and relaxation. Having heard enough buzz about the Dutch sauna experience, I decided it was time to check it out for myself. Going to the sauna is a very common past time in Holland. Whether as couples, friends, or colleagues--the Dutch are very comfortable with stripping down and sweating it out, together. Having spent more than a few months on the beaches of the south of France, the idea of some partial nudity didn’t seem like too big of a deal to me. (I will admit however, that the idea of complete nudity and public sitting surfaces still does not scream out “sanitary” to me).
And so, Moe and I cycled over to one of the reputable Saunas in Amsterdam last Saturday to give it a try. When we arrived at the Sauna we were immediately whisked away to our massages --one hour of absolute bliss was just what the doctor ordered. (Of course, my state of deep relaxation was occasionally interrupted by the sight of a nude elderly men splashing about in a small pool only a few feet away from my massage table).
After our massages we decided to check out the rest of the sauna. There was a large lobby filled with sauna-goers wrapped in towels reading magazines, sipping on fresh juices, and some dozing off in a corner. I decided I would take a shower and enter the main sauna area. I was just about to do so, when one of the staff marched up to me and loudly asked “Are you wearing bottoms?!” I hesitantly replied yes, not quite sure what the correct answer was, and she matter-of-factly replied “No bottoms allowed. So, please remove your bottoms if you would like to stay. Look around, everyone is naked here.” She left me, with others looking on, as I discreetly removed my bottoms and wrapped my towel a little tighter around me. I am willing to place money on the fact that I will never hear those words spoken again!
And so, we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the various saunas and steam rooms. The whole experience was not nearly as shocking as I expected --perhaps I’ve been in Europe long enough to not blink an eye at a little nudity, or perhaps my state of intense relaxation simply blurred out all others around me. Regardless, it isn’t as though people are prancing about stark naked! As explained in the article The Dutch Sauna Experience, “although people are open with their nakedness, normally sauna-goers do not hang out naked or exposed”. Most people are covered up with a towel or two, and trust me, after a few minutes of realizing no one is really that interested in you, it all feels very natural...and very relaxing. I’ll definitely be back, although I can assure you, you won’t see me socializing in the sauna anytime soon with my colleagues! I think I need to live in Holland a few more years, to wrap my head around that one.
