And the health benefits of the Swedish sauna are much talked about. But for foreign visitors, who might not be used to baring all in front of other people, the whole thing can feel a little… awkward. So: is it okay to wear swimming gear in a traditional Swedish sauna? Will you be whacked with birch leaves? Not having clothes sticking to your skin just makes the whole sauna experience a bit more comfortable, and some purists even consider it unhygienic to bring swimwear into the sauna. Attitudes towards nakedness are also changing, and in many cases young people are now more likely to cover up than older generations. So how do you know what you should do?

Literary pilgrims welcome


The exceptions
In parts of Asia including Japan, Taiwan and China, a visit to a hot spring, usually a public spring of geo-thermally heated groundwater, is a way of life. In Scandinavia and certainly in Sweden, the sauna represents a similar culture whereby heated rooms or buildings provide guests with a way to relax and sweat, in addition to promoting various health benefits. These can be found at gyms, yoga studios and swimming pools, while for a more luxurious experience you can opt for saunas in spas and ski resorts.
Lightboxes
It hosts hundreds of multi-national dancers in one small town for a month, literally doubling their population every year. Dancers spend their days taking classes, hiking, paddling rowboats, making new friends, dancing the night away to live music, or relaxing in the co-ed sauna. Co-ed sauna. Those words struck fear into my heart. I was raised to believe that being naked meant asking for sex. I hated that I my C-cup breasts drew unwanted attention at age 15 as much as they did at age I thought I was hideous, and the sexual attention I received from my dad and other men felt so dirty that I dressed like a boy until my 20s. I heard that Europe was more laid back about nudity, but it still took me three alcoholic ciders to build up the courage.
Wood crackles as it burns in the small furnace opposite me, small rivers of sweat run down my brow, pooling in my eyes causing them to blink. The soaring temperature begins to make me feel woozy and the smell of the fire permeates my nostrils. Almost in chorus, the eight or so men in the room exhale deeply as they too battle with the heat. I'm in a sauna perched atop a wooden pier in the middle of the sea.