Hot and Naked - The Bastu Experience

Many people in the USA are familiar with saunas. However, from my experience, the ritual of a communal sauna is less engrained. In moving to Sweden, the sauna – or bastu, as it’s called here – has become a favorite weekly ritual where I can relax, heat up, and connect with friends. While the environmental sustainability aspects may not be as obvious, the social merits of this ritual have physical health benefits, and certainly mental health benefits for me. The Swedes have been on to this for years, so I am still learning all that there is to know about this activity.

For some background, the Swedish word “bastu” comes from the word “badstuga”, which means bath cottage. Apparently, the term is more modern, but the bastu experience itself dates to about 2,000 years ago. The Finns are best known for their love of the sauna, but I’ve met many Swedes (and immigrants) who embrace this therapeutic ritual.

I have two favorite experiences with the bastu, with the first being a weekly ritual. I joined a Masters swim team in Lund where it is customary “to bastu” after the workout. Three times a week, after practice and a shower rinse, my fellow lady swimmers and I head to the bastu to catch up on the workout, life at work and home. It is one of my most enjoyable parts of the day and a perfect way to sweat it out while enjoying good company. On occasions when conversation isn’t in the cards, it’s also fine to just sit, close your eyes and relax. The Swedes welcome quiet, and it’s bliss to just let go.

(The bastu at Högevall, a swim center in Lund)

My second favorite experience with the bastu is not as frequent, but it is more exhilarating, bringing both the heat and the cold for a therapeutic release - it is the kallbadhus, or cold bathing house. These buildings are on the sea, and you can easily spot them when you see a long pier from the beach attached to a building. I’ve gone to ones in Malmö and in Bjärred, and they each have their own personalities, but the process is the same. After a shower rinse, I will warm up in the bastu – the temperatures are 70–90° Celsius – for about 10-15 minutes, and then walk outside, down a set of stairs and immerse myself in the sea. How long I can endure the icy water (just to my neck) depends on the day. I’ve been in the water when it’s between 3 and 8 degrees Celsius. I definitely do not last as long when it’s 3 degrees!

(The kallbadhus in Bjärred with steps into the icy sea)

With the first plunge down, it’s back to the bastu to heat up again. You can easily spend 2-3 hours repeating the bastu/sea plunge. Throughout it all, your naked body is sweating, cooling and going through a bit of shock therapy! I remember the very first time I did the plunge into the sea, I didn’t know if I could climb back up the steps again! But I managed to do so, and am proud to say that my personal best is a 7-time repeat during a single session.

(The sea temperature is posted outside the kallbadhus so you have a sense for what you’re about to experience!)

The physical effects of going from hot to cold is quite profound, and it’s hard to describe the feeling. For me, I can feel my inner core being warm, but when I dip into the icy water, it’s a tingling effect that feels like my blood is pumping at an increased rate. I’ve found the experience so rewarding that I’ve gone back several times, sometimes alone and sometimes with friends. In fact, I’ve even taken my daughter there once! She did great, though she is still adjusting to being nude in public.

(Ribersborg Kallbadhus in Malmö)

The bastu experience, and especially the kallbadhus, is truly unique for me. I don’t have much of a comparison to offer from my time in the USA. While I swam with a Masters team in California, it was always at 6:00 before work, so afterwards all of us would shower quickly and get on with the day. Now with practices taking place at 20:30 during the weekdays or 8:00 on Saturdays, there is time to relax in the bastu before either heading home or starting the weekend activities. So perhaps that is one possibility to introduce such an experience for my fellow Californian swimmers – swim later in the day and build a bastu! 😊 For the kallbadhus, I have read about a few places starting to adopt the bastu/sauna culture in New York and Britain, and I’m sure there are more. Without a doubt, this ritual has become one of my favorite things to do in Sweden. For those who plan a trip, I will be more than happy to introduce you to the exhilarating experience!