Fancy being in the Guinness Book of Records… well, you can when you’re baring up with the sauna-setting Estonia.
Our Baltic friends want us to send in our pics so they can have most photos of people in the sauna on Facebook in an hour.
Of course, that raises the question of prurience on the social media network.
So that’ll mean wearing your swimwear.
No sweat
No sweat, you say.
But what if you hail from any of those Baltic states, Scandinavian countries or Germany and Austria?
And you think nothing, of well wearing nothing in the sauna.
The more coy of us in other countries tend to stick out a mile (behave) when we drop them with the locals.
While, of course, there is always to have a bit of fun the following morning in your Austrian hotel breakfast room.
When I was tempted to say to the man sitting with his wife at the next table that I didn’t recognise his wife with her clothes on.
Life’s a birch
Now seeing that the Estonians are championing the Guinness record bid let’s explore what goes on in their saunas.
And thanks to a bit of research on the Estonian tourist board and World of Sauna we discovered whisking or vasta.
Which is beating yourself, or others, with birch branches.
Good to know if you’re sitting there minding your own business after your swim.
When the person on the bench next to you starts flailing at you with a twig.
Don’t go into defence mode, or the foetal position in the hope of protecting your most valuable assets.
We’re reliably told that vasta improves blood circulation, exfoliate the skin and enhance relaxation.
Estonia’s social hub
Saunas have long been at the heart of Estonian society, with some dating it back to the 13th century.
And everything seems to happen in the Estonian sauna.
From birthing rooms, as they were the cleanest rooms in the house, a social setting,
A curative for the ill and a place to attend to the dying.
Now if you hear Estonians say to each other ‘Laupäev on saunapäev’ it means ‘Saturday is sauna day.’
Although, in truth, every day seems to be an excuse to sweat out your toxins and catch up with pals or get to meet new ones.
Because rest assured all your inhibitions go when you’ve nothing to hide.
Ice one
Now you might not go as far as the Estonians by cutting a circle of ice for a dip before hand… it’s probably a weather thing.
But wherever you are and whatever you’re doing then capture it in a Facebook pic.
And get the Estonians over the line.
Because it’s fun baring up with the sauna-setting Estonians.
We found a weekend in June on edreams with Radisson hotel and spa for £440.50pp.
