My first time in a Steam Room
I have always been a little intimidated by steam rooms and saunas. Little rooms, full of half naked strangers, that you can’t really see into from outside. Rules and etiquette that I don’t know anything about. So, I stick to the warm spa pool after a swim.
On the weekend we took the kids “off island” for a family fun day. My husband had offered to take the kids back to the island at the end of the day and leave me in town for a little ‘me-time’, which has been lacking recently.
My favourite thing to do in the city is … nope, not go shopping, … to go for a swim. Sounds crazy right? But I really love to swim, I find it very calming. We don’t have a swimming pool on Waiheke Island (that is crazy) and the ocean is a bit cold in winter for me. So I dropped my family back at the ferry and headed over to the pool.
After a lovely 30 minute swim I went to jump in the spa pool for some relaxation, only it was closed for maintenance. My heart sank. I had 25 minutes before I had to leave for my ferry and I had been looking forward to that spa so much.
I stood and looked at the entrance to the sauna and steam rooms. People went in, they went out. I wondered what it was like in there. I remember going into a sauna once, many years ago, and finding it very claustrophobic … suffocating. I wondered if a Steam Room was similar. I decided to find out.
I went into the Steam Room and sat in the first space I could see. I wondered what the etiquette was for where to sit? I closed my eyes and concentrated on the sensation of the hot, wet air on my body. I had to slow my breathing right down to cope with the heat filling my lungs. It was definitely a nicer feeling than I recall a sauna being.
Breathe in, breathe out. Feeling my mind slow down.
People came, people went. I wondered if they were steam room regulars or newbies like me. Did anyone else care? I doubt it.
I quite enjoyed my first steam room experience. It was more relaxing than I expected. I would go again.
Do you go to steam rooms? Can you enlighten me to the “rules”, the etiquette? I am sure this would make me feel much more comfortable next time..
I’m not sure whether you were clothed in there but especially as I’ve got older and wobblier I’ve found public nudity a hard thing to do. I’m pretty modest at the best of times so in company, I find it hard to relax in the nude with people I don’t know very well! Have saunaed in Finland with John and it was great, but passed on going in with his sister and mother in law. Just my personal comfort levels. I also can’t stay in hot steam for long before I get a migraine so it’s hit and miss for me. Good on you for trying something new and getting out of your comfort zone!