Comparisons suck! Still, they stipulate observations and perhaps discussion. So, a month ago we went for the first time to a sauna/spa in Germany. It was a rainy day and an elaborate Spa – here the “Therme in Kochel am See” (the town is called Kochel and is located next to the lake) – was not far from our hotel. We booked a four hour stay and ventured in. It has several mineral pools inside and outside and at least five different Saunas – based on their origin or the temperature maintained inside. To be prepared we studied the etiquette of the place online. All spa facilities can only be used without clothes, for that reason also the locker rooms are shared between men and women – nothing you won’t see later! By our observation there was a lot of process there – people follow a regiment of soaking or sweating, followed by showers to cool down and rest periods. Some appear to be staying there the entire day – a restaurant and bar offer food and drinks along the way. The saunas are a place of quiet and serenity – cell phones are not allowed. This is for two reasons – to not disturb others and to maintain the privacy of the naked bathers – so no secret photos. Some visitors even challenged the sauna master as he had his phone to play music during an “Aufguß” (German) or Löyly(Finish) – here the process of pouring infused water onto the rocks. People sit on their towels in the three tier rafters of the sauna rooms – some saunas have great views of the surrounding mountains. In scheduled sessions attendants of the facility pour these aromatic liquids over the hot rocks to generate steam and fan it towards the people (Aufguß/Löyly!). They are very well attended – at least in our case, which was a Saturday – so people shuffle in quite closely next and above or below each other. These sessions are very ceremonial – the selections of the aromatic oils are explained as to their health benefits and reasons for the combination at hand. The attendants use towels or special fans to move the air – music is played to underline the ceremony and depending on who is conducting the ceremony even dance moves can be integrated into the flow. The entrance to the sauna is closed during the procedure – exit permitted if someone cannot take the heat any longer. The audience responds to this approach with focus, self-reflection and quiet breathing.
Today I tried the sauna at the Juniper Recreation center in Bend for the first time. I am happy it has one. After returning from Germany, I researched a little bit what public facilities are available – and found not so many. Often there is smaller saunas available in Spa businesses – but here more as an extension of paid-for wellness programs versus a public bath house. I found one in Portland that appears to be operating more like a bath house. The sauna at Juniper is not the center piece of the facility – it has many pools indoors and outdoors and a fitness center that also offers a large variety of classes. The sauna is also an extra service available to visitors. After the lap swimming I went to try it out. Cautious for not being familiar with the temperature profile I took a seat at the lower tier of two. There was an hourglass that one could set – my guess is it measured approximately 15 min intervals. Here the rule is everyone is in bathing suites – some people brought towels but the majority not. A sign instructs that pouring water on the oven is not permitted – probably it is not built for that. Some people brought water bottles. The room was comfortable and not crowded – the capacity comparing it to our experience over in Germany would have been twenty to twenty-five people, but we were nine or less the entire time. Most people walk in with flip flops and keep them on even if they climb up to the upper tier. I noticed that since one gentleman sitting over the corner from me made it a process to empty out the sweat that was accumulating in his flip flops onto the floor at regular intervals. We had a person stretching in the sauna room and one gentleman that came in with a headset and a cell phone. He puttered a good part of the time with it and unfortunately the music he was listening to was ever so slightly discernable in the room. He was also the one that left and entered the room multiple times in five-minute intervals and before leaving would stand by the oven for a while and shuffle his feet on the ground. Still, it was also a quiet and relaxing atmosphere. It is to be expected that without any scheduled events people will come and go at their own pace in alignment with their overall flow at the fitness center. I managed to stay one and a quarter hourglass turns and got a good sweat out of it – followed by a cold shower. Next time I will try the steam room next door or venture to check out the temperature on the upper tier.