Finnish Rajaportti sauna allows swimwear during mixed sessions
In Tampere, Finland, Rajaportti sauna, the country's oldest public sauna still in operation, has allowed visitors to wear swimwear during mixed sessions. Such sessions are now held every second Thursday, YLE News reports.
Rajaportti was founded in 1906. Its buildings are located on Pispalan Valtatie in Tampere and have been protected under the Act on the Protection of the Built Heritage since 2023. Traditionally, people use the sauna without clothing, but sauna attire or swimwear has been permitted for mixed sessions.
Mixed sessions have become regular
The idea of organizing a mixed session emerged in 2020. Siiri Koski, vice chair of the Pispalan saunayhdistys association and a traditional sauna specialist, explained that the initiative was intended to give friends of different genders an opportunity to enjoy the sauna together.
The first mixed session proved successful. After the experiment, they began to be held about once a month, and this year the frequency was increased to once every two weeks. According to Koski, some visitors to these sessions wear swimwear while others do not, and she has not noticed disapproval of either option.
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Rajaportti emphasizes that visitors are not allowed to comment on other people's appearance, stare at them, or touch them. According to Koski, mixed sessions generally go well, and people in the public sauna mostly treat one another with respect and friendliness.
Debate over traditions and hygiene
The use of swimwear in saunas sparked controversy in Finland after Tampere and several neighboring municipalities allowed it in saunas at swimming pools. Concerns about hygiene and preserving Finnish sauna culture were voiced on social media and in comments.
Ari Johansson, chair of Pispalan saunayhdistys, said he is more concerned about hygiene in insufficiently heated saunas, where people wear swimwear without washing first. Janne Koskenniemi, executive director of the Finnish Sauna Society, believes that easing the requirement for nudity will allow more people to enjoy the sauna and help sustain sauna culture.
