Spring is nearly here, but it started snowing in the Pacific Northwest this week. While thong swimwear is no longer an option at my gym, there is no shortage of local spas and a growing number of Nordic-inspired saunas. There was a sauna festival near Portland last month and Seattle’s next annual sauna festival is already scheduled for November.
Swimwear is required at all the saunas I’ve found. Many are located in public parks or along waterfronts where nudity is prohibited, but even those on private property require you to stay covered. However, they rarely have stipulations regarding style, and every location I’ve contacted has confirmed that thongs are perfectly fine.
I visited a nearby sauna yesterday. As I walked from the covered changing area, the falling snow made the scene feel otherworldly. There were about ten other adults there. As is often the case, my swimwear was the most revealing. However, everyone was respectful, and any apprehension I felt upon arrival quickly faded.
As a child at summer camp, I had to pass a swim test in Puget Sound before using the boats. The short swim from one end of an enclosed area to the other was always the most unpleasant part of the trip. The cold plunge pool outside the sauna was roughly the same temperature, but after the intense heat of the sauna, it felt comparatively pleasant. I cycled through several rounds of heat and cold until my time was up, then dried off, changed, and headed home.
It was a wonderful way to end the week, and I highly recommend checking out similar facilities in your area.