My Art of Bathing series would not be complete without writing about the sauna. After all, it follows the hot-cold treatment of the body to an even higher degree than hot springs or thermal waters. Though I would not necessarily call either one better than the other, it's just different. As for me, I really love hot springs, and I'm willing to travel quite some distance for it. But having a sauna close by is sheer heaven, especially when it's freezing cold outside.
Not Strictly Bathing, but still in a way...
When mentioning the word sauna, most people refer to the Finnish sauna, meaning a small wooden room where a steel stove heats rocks to extreme high temperatures. The air is mostly dry, with an herbal infusion thrown on the rocks at rare occasions. This infusion evaporates instantly, filling the room with hot aromatic steam. When your body can't stand the heat any longer, you leave the sauna to breathe some fresh air, take a refreshing cold shower, or plunge in a cold pool (preferably in that order). Even rolling around in the snow can be fun in the Winter. Once cooled off, you'll be ready go inside for more heat. Though the sauna today is mostly used for its long-term health benefits and the immediate pleasant feeling of the practice, the original purpose of the sauna was to get properly cleaned.
When a Finnish family wanted to build a house, the first thing to be constructed would be a sauna. This would provide a space to sleep at night, and during regular intervals a place for communal scrub-downs. Thus the sauna brush is a frequently used symbol for the sauna, even though I have yet to see one in action! But it makes sense: when the skin pores are wide open, with sweat pouring out, it offers a perfect opportunity to clean it up, without having to heat large amounts of water.
The Gewölbe Sauna in Prenzlberg
When I arrived in Germany in the beginning of March, Winter still had a firm grip on the weather. Sure, the snow would melt, but then more would fall, together with sleet and rain, making a simple walk down to the store an ordeal. Okay, I have to admit, I have been away from the temperate climate for so long that I'm really not used to its Winters. So you can only imagine how excited I was when I saw the sign for a sauna just one block from where I was staying at that time! Since then I learned, there is a sauna on virtually every block around here! Germans seem to have a strong appreciation for them. But I kinda liked the Gewölbe Sauna so much that I've been going back there ever since.
Gewölbe means vault or arch, and in this case it refers to the beautiful old building in whose basement this sauna is situated. The building itself is a former hospital from the 19th century, which is being used for administrative purposes today. The sauna is a relatively tiny space underground, with only three sauna rooms: a Steam Bath of 50°C (122°F), an Herbal Sauna with 75°C (167°F), and a Finnish Sauna with 100°C (212°F). For cooling off there are a few showers and a cold plunge pool, ideally for one person at a time. Apart from that, there are a couple of rest areas, a small bar with a couple of tables to hang out, and an outside are with birch trees.
In spite of its modest size, the Gewölbe Sauna is highly popular, not only among locals. As a result, it can happen that one may have to wait in lines outside, if the place is too crowded. Even so, at times of the Aufguss, the hourly pouring of the infusion on the rocks, the Finnish sauna may get so crowded that some people may have to stand in the middle. As much as I enjoy a good Aufguss, I refuse to subject myself to such extremes. If I can't sit down, I prefer going to the Herbal Sauna instead at that time. It may not be as hot, but that also means I can spend more time in it, and in the end it is just as pleasant. And with its reasonable prices, nice selection of beers, and ambient cellar-like atmosphere, I have found quite a bit of liking to the Gewölbe Sauna... even though now I need to travel a good half an hour to get there.
