I was with my friends in JesenΓky mountains about a month ago. There was a tiny sauna in the bed & breakfast. I decided to go with my friend even though sauna is not my cup of tea. As I had had a yoga challenge that week (each day only 5 minutes for healthier back) I felt like I had to accomplish other things as well. Soooo… I had to empty the bucket of icy cold water over my head. π Once I managed to pour it down over my head I immediately found a joy in this quite stupid activity π THE BUCKET got me. π It was an indescribable joy. I said to myself, sauna with a bucket that’s my thing now.
I and my family usually go to Liberec for weekends. I decided to go to a sauna that is inside the Liberec’s main swimming pool… I was told “It is okay in there, a little bit retro, but okay. I just never go in the sauna relaxing room.”
It was retro. π But I survived!
It brought me back in time when I used to go to a swimming pool in PodolΓ in Prague in 90’s.
I am used to go places by myself but this time I would have been happy to have a buddy to go with. π
The locker number must match the key
There were many signs in the changing room, like “this area is monitored by cameras” and then “this area is not monitored by cameras” π Okay, let’s pick the one with no cameras was my first idea that popped up in my head. I chose one locker, put all my stuff in there, stuffed all the winter clothes into my backpack and into the locker… Phew. Right after I managed to put all my things inside I noticed there was a number on the lock I got. A lady next to me told me the key and the locker number must match otherwise you can get in trouble. π Oh oh! I was about to take all my stuff out and look for the right locker, then I said to myself “oh well, okay, I usually follow the rules, this time I am going break it”. Pssst. π I felt bad a bit for the person who might enter the changing room and found her/his locker occupied but I found the probability would be quite small.
Of course on the way down into the sauna I saw a huge sign: IF THE NUMBERS ON THE LOCKER and THE LOCK DON’T MATCH YOU ARE BREAKING THE SWIMMING POOLS RULE AND… blabla.
I did break a law.
Yes! I was proud of myself π
No ticket, no sauna
I didn’t pay attention when a lady in front of the changing room had passed me the lock and the ticket and said “Here you go, this is your ticket ;)”. I put it in my wallet which I had buried into my bag to the very bottom in the locker. Fifteen minutes later… finallyyyy… when I was in front of the sauna there was another sign right on the door “ENTRANCE ONLY WITH A TICKET”. Damn. ?
Okay, I went upstairs into the changing area, digged up the ticket from my stuck backpack in the locker. I wish someone had told me or at least I wish there had been some nice huge sign earlier. π
The sauna experience
The first moment I entered the actual sauna area I saw many ladies relaxing at a bar. A bar??? There was a bar. Great! I could have a mineral water later. Just so you know “prolonged heat stress promotes the loss of minerals, including sodium, potassium, magnesium, and iron…” π
Then I noticed THE BUCKET.
Yes, this is what I came here for while smiling like when entering succulents exhibit knowing that I am going to bring some new kinds of plants into my tiny apartment π
The actual sauna room was nice, quite big, few ladies… I could handle this. In comparison the sauna in Jeseniky was a tiny cute sauna for few people…
The first, let’s call it a sauning round, was okay. Sorry for the Czenglish. The next one though changed into a nightmare. There were like 15 ladies packed on all three stairs. Suddenly the sauna room felt quite tiny. When 3 ladies started massaging their thighs with some loofah I felt that maybe I had gained some sociophobia over the months at home with my daughter. I closed my eyes and started doing my yoga breathing. π
Hydrating
As I had had three coffees and had drunk little water earlier I started feeling a bit dizzy… I had my water in a locker that was upstairs… My bad! So I went to the bar and asked for a water to buy. Well, want some water, you need money. π I had money, but upstairs buried in my backpack, with the water of course. In Czech republic we don’t usually serve regular tap water when you need some, only when you faint I guess. π My situation wasn’t that bad so I drank little bit of water from the shower. π
I love this guy https://www.flickr.com/photos/photogregs/3047540226/ π Check him out!
The dark unknown relax room
I couldn’t find the room where you relax. It was behind some door with a weird pictogram on. I did not see any lady to enter the door. That was a sign. ? My friend told me that it is too dark in there and he never goes there… So based on what he said I gave up on the relaxing part and I “relaxed” on a bench next to the showers and the actual sauna room.
The bucket
I used the bucket every round, only I had to take a cold shower before. I feel that the little pool of icy water is only for badass sauna people. One lady told me though when I was using the bucket “Wow, a bucket… I just can’t to throw the water over my head”. At that moment I felt like a sauna pro even though I was a total beginner.
The bed sheet
Do you use flip flops when going to a swimming pool? And when you get home do you wash you feet again just to make sure…? π If you do you probably understand this. I forgot on which side of the sauna “bed sheet” I had sat so I started panicking a bit that I am going to share some unwanted bacteria. π Well, the motherhood messes you up a bit.
Sauna is good but… π
I was so determined to start with sauna… I felt like a pro using a bucket. I wish only I had not got sick after 3 days. π I don’t mean it was because of the sauna visit but I guess my body wasn’t ready for the hot and cold experience. I had a cold for about a week. I think I should have prepared better… Probably most beginners’ experience π
“Sauna” at home
You can’t have an actual sauna room at your tiny apartment but there is a hot and cold water in your shower. So what I do now is I take quite hot shower first and I take cold shower afterwards. The goal is to warm up the body and then cool the body down.
Unfortunately now I can forget about going to sauna thank to this crazy virus. Now there are way more important things than going to sauna.
Let’s stay healthy! ???