Why we end every dip in the sauna

The swim gets all the photos. Arms in the air, steam coming off the water, everyone pretending it is not that cold.

But if you ask our regulars what they come back for, a lot of them will say the part afterwards. The sauna.

The cold needs an ending

A cold dip is intense in a way that is hard to explain until you have done it. For a few minutes your whole body is shouting at you. Then you climb out, and you are buzzing, shaky, and very awake.

You can just towel off and go home. But then the morning ends on the platform of a cold tram stop with numb fingers. Ending in the sauna gives the cold a proper ending. The tension goes out of your shoulders, your hands come back, and the buzz turns into a deep, slow calm.

Warming up the right way

There is a practical reason too. After a cold swim your core temperature keeps dropping for a while — the "after-drop." Warming up properly matters.

We do it in steps:

1. Dry off and get your top half warm first. Hat on.
2. Ease in. Take a lower bench for the first round, where it is less hot, and keep it short.
3. Listen to your body. Going from very cold to very hot can make you light-headed as your blood vessels open. If you feel dizzy, step out and sit down.
4. Drink water. Cold and heat both take more out of you than you think.

Some days we go back and forth between heat and cold a few times. Some days it is one long round, and we are done.

The sauna is where people talk

This is the real reason.

In the water, nobody talks much. You are too busy breathing. In the sauna there is nowhere to be and nothing to look at, and people just start talking. About the cold, at first. Then about work, a break-up, a trip someone is planning, a book. Strangers become regulars there. Regulars become friends.

We swim together. But we get to know each other in the sauna.

Social sauna is an old tradition — the Finns, the Estonians, the Japanese and the Turks have all known it for centuries. We did not invent anything. We just found that a cold dip followed by shared heat is one of the best ways we know to meet people as they actually are: no phones, no titles, and nobody looking their best.

Join us

Our dips are open to everyone, including first-timers. Bring a towel, warm clothes, and some curiosity. We will bring the cold water, and save you a spot on the bench afterwards.