Public

sauna A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...

s can be found throughout the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, both in major cities and in smaller municipalities. These saunas are called Sauna, Thermen, Thermae or Spa and can be regarded as

public bathhouse Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

s. Since every Dutch and Flemish house has a bathroom these public saunas are a luxury, not a necessity.

Public saunas

There are around 200 public saunas in the Netherlands alone. Nearly 50 percent of all Dutch public saunas are located in the provinces of

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

and

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the we ...

. The sauna culture is not seasonal and these saunas are open year-round. Most saunas open later in the morning and close around 11:00 PM or midnight. Prices vary from just under €20 to just over €30. Some saunas will charge by the hour, but most saunas have fixed prices for a full day or part of the day. Massages and other body treatments and food and drinks are to be paid extra, usually at the end of the sauna day. In most saunas, one can also rent towels, slides and bath robes. For body treatments and massages it is the norm to make a reservation in advance. Usually the sauna rooms tend to be quite hot and dry compared to saunas in other cultures.

Age and gender

Public saunas are mixed gender in the

and

. Some saunas have a regular women-only (part of the) day. There are some saunas that have a minimum age limit between 12 and 16 on some or all days. There is a very small number of saunas that are men-only, though these usually have a sexual setting, where as regular public saunas are by definition non-sexual. Some sauna establishments allow children and people of all ages together. Some other saunas reserve special hours for children between 2 and 5 years and the usual minimum age limit, with saunas of lower temperature. Children are required to be potty trained, or sporadically in some establishments to wear a swim diaper, to be allowed in though and often a swimming certificate is obligated. Children under 2 years old are, for health concerns, not allowed in the heated areas. Children are most often required to be accompanied by an adult since peace and quietness is expected in the sauna area. Also children are more vulnerable to

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe h ...

and

hyperthermia Hyperthermia, also known simply as overheating, is a condition in which an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation. The person's body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. When extreme ...

because of their smaller body proportions and to assure their safety in the cold bath and hot rooms a supervising adult is expected to be present at all times when using these. Pre-elementary school children may have not yet gotten their swimming certificates and require for that reason supervision when using the pools. Some saunas allow for health concerns (hypo- and hyperthermia, vasodilation, tachycardia) no children under 12–16 years at all.

Sauna facilities

The Dutch public saunas offer each at least a shared hot shower area, a warm foot bath, several dry

s of different temperature and humidity, a cold bath ("dunking" bath), a shared cold shower area with shower baths, salt scrubbing facilities, a hot water bath, a warm water bath (often with herbs), a swimming pool (both indoor and outdoor), a relax area (both indoor and outdoor) and a restaurant / diner / bar area. Usually the sauna rooms tend to be quite hot and dry. Very often breastfeeding or pumping rooms and massages and other personal care treatments such as body and skin treatments are available. Often also a

steam room A steam bath is a steam-filled room for the purpose of relaxation and cleansing. It has a long history, going back to Greek and Roman times. History The origins of the steam bath come from the Roman bath, which began during the height of the R ...

is included. The water in the sauna might be spring water, though no hot springs are found in the Netherlands and Flanders. Extra facilities that some saunas might offer are natural lakes, salt water baths, cold rooms or snow rooms,

mud bath A mud bath is a bath of mud, commonly found in areas where hot spring water can combine with volcanic ash. Mud baths have a long history that dates back thousands of years. Mud baths are conceived as public bathing spaces created in open areas ...

infrared heating An infrared heater or heat lamp is a body with a higher temperature which transfers energy to a body with a lower temperature through electromagnetic radiation. Depending on the temperature of the emitting body, the wavelength of the peak of the i ...

whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

s. Some of the largest saunas may also have theatrical or sport facilities, hairdressers, manicure, pedicure, waxing, tanning beds, physiotherapy, boutiques, hotel rooms, meeting rooms or a library. Also most wellness centres have on offer healthy and balanced food. In addition, an increasing number of saunas are also meeting the needs of their customers for sustainable saunas, offering a back-to-nature experience with ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ treatments or facilities.

Sauna etiquette

Toilet rooms are always gender separated, but dressing and locker rooms are usually mixed gender. Keeping one's clothes or bathing suit on is forbidden. It is considered inappropriate and unsanitary, therefore it is good manners to undress.

Nudity Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to ...

is the norm. Because one uses the sauna naked, one brings at least one towel to sit on and one towel to dry oneself with before going to the restaurant area and at the end of the day. Sitting or lying in a dry sauna or on another dry surface without a towel under oneself is considered a

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