Naturism and the Sauna

The sauna and naturism are such close relations that we may confine ourselves to mentioning some extra-special connections. It is practically a universal rule to sauna naked. Generally speaking there is sex-segregation — men here — women there — but nudity is the rule. This arrangement frequently finds the silent and amicable concurrence of all these quarters for which nudism is normally anathema — something to be opposed on every possible occasion. Their acquiescence in this particular case is justified on two grounds: firstly, the extremely valuable service to health provided by the sauna; secondly, the strict segregation of the sexes prescribed therein. The only ones who break this prohibition in the sauna as on all other occasions are, of course, the naturists. Here, as else-where, members of both sexes mix freely in the nude.

We are tempted to ask ourselves whether this toleration — nay, even furtherance — of sauna can really be explained away for the given reasons as the only way to escape inevitable opposition to nudism from the above-mentioned circles is to put forward medical grounds. But the sauna has never once been officially accepted as medical therapy. People crowd together in the sauna in a way unknown to medical practice. In addition we find all sorts and conditions of people there, many whose private lives would not pass muster. Such individuals, of course, can go anywhere — so why not to the sauna? This applies to males and females with equal force.

From the above it can clearly be seen that the opposition mentioned is by no means directed merely against nudity in itself, no matter what they may say to the contrary.

One can perceive very clearly that naturism produces a fundamental change in man's attitude to life far greater than the sauna can. One may seek to dispute this fact but it is true; not because naturism permits members of both sexes to mix freely in the nude, but rather because naturists, in contrast to the »saunists«, have complete confidence in their movement as the most undoubted and purest health-therapy. This is the milk in the coconut; they are afraid of naturism as a challenger and a danger to a method of upbringing which in our view is outmoded and obsolete. They are afraid of their predominant position and influence being swept away if naturism attracted the wider masses of the population which it undoubtedly could do by utilizing all its latent possibilities to the full.

It is of great interest, therefore, for the adherents of nude mixed bathing to observe our opponents' hair-splitting antics. They espouse the cause of naked bathing in a sauna which is supposed to be directed to-wards health; but they utterly condemn nude bathing in the open, even when carried out on the most rigidly conceived principles based on experience; and even though it embraces a community of the sexes which is, verily, the most innocent and harmless of any in the realms of known human contact.

The more it dawns on us why others are "against us" — the more we realize why sidelong glances are now and then thrown our way; the more we perceive the battle for power (if only on a small scale) which is in progress behind the scenes; the more we sense it as primarily the struggle for a new moral outlook which can sweep away outworn shibboleths — the more we should trumpet our knowledge to the skies, boosting the high social value of the task we have voluntarily undertaken to ensure future human happiness by present progressive living.