Bjärreds Sauna

It has been a bit of a dull week here in Sweden, the weather has been grey, wet and cold and I have had too much time on my hands (I think I have consumed my body weight in chocolate this week), so when ESN advertised a trip to Bjäredd Sauna it sounded like the perfect thing to get me out of my slump. 

Sauna is a traditionally Scandinavian activity and something which natives do regularly. I signed up along with my friends Esbe and Amy, more than a little nervous at the prospect of sweating in a room full of naked Swedes (swimming suits are forbidden in the sauna, but you are allowed a towel)

My previous experience of saunas had been little wooden rooms on the side of swimming pools and gyms, they were quite nice to go in but nothing special. The Swedish sauna I visited was a different story entirely, Bjärred Sauna is located on a 600m long pier, possibly the longest pier in Sweden! It offers open air swimming in the Baltic Sea, Sauna and a really lovely looking restaurant. Being on the end of the pier you look directly out over the sea, it is pretty amazing to sit in the sauna and look out over Malmö and the Öresund Bridge. I took a few photos, but obviously a naked sauna is not the most appropriate place to take a camera, so I have stolen a few photos from Google to show you what it was like! 

Yes - that is ice in the sea that I am about to jump in to naked!

Google Photo - Sauna from the pier, the little square blocks on the edge are the saunas. 

We hurried into the changing rooms and were immediately surrounded by naked women! Once we got over the initial giggles and awkwardness we whipped off our clothes and headed to the sauna. 

The above is another Google photo but it's the best I could show the glass walls of the sauna which overlook the Baltic Sea and across to Malmö and towards Copenhagen. It was really awesome to sit in the heat and look across the frozen sea. 

Once you have taken all the heat and sweat that you can handle in the sauna you nip out and run down the steps to dunk yourself in the sea! I was a little apprehensive but I whipped off my towel and ran down the steps and quickly jumped neck deep into the icy water. It was so cold but it felt amazing, it really felt like it kicked your body up a gear and made your skin tingle. It is a really addictive experience and we have already planned to return at least a few more times before we leave (plus I want to take my mum here when she visits!)

 Me and Esbe looking a bit frizzy and pink faced after the Sauna. 

(Stolen from Esbe's Facebook)

We are really enjoyed our authentic Swedish Sauna experience and I am really glad I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone to do things like this!