Enter the sauna in the Alumni Gymnasium men’s locker room, and you’ll see a gaggle of Dartmouth students braving the winter months. Some may enter following a strenuous workout, while others may be desperately trying to sweat out a hangover. Others may be waiting outside the sauna door, unsure whether to enter — after all, the saunas can be intimidating for newcomers who are unaware of the culture and expectations within. Since the start of the term, I have been conducting a thorough cultural exploration of the men’s sauna. I hope this resulting guide will ease any fears about entering it.
First off, the sauna can become suffocatingly hot, and warnings taped to the walls inside clearly outline the dangers of entrance. The temperature of the sauna can be controlled by ladling water over hot stones, so it is up to those inside to decide how hot they want it to go. Unfortunately, the sauna is no democracy — it only takes one maniac wielding the ladle for the room to reach boiling temperatures. Because heat rises, moving from the top step to the lower one might help briefly, but exiting the sauna altogether following light-headedness or dizziness is the best defense. Entering the sauna hydrated is also important. For those who cannot stand the heat, perhaps avoid it altogether.
The uninitiated must also be aware of the sauna’s dress code — there is no dress code. Although the General Policies of the Dartmouth College Athletic Department clearly state that a towel is required for those in the sauna, I have yet to see a single one during any of my trips there. Instead, users enter wearing shorts, underwear or nothing at all. Why some decide to enter in their birthday suit is unknown — but the majority of sauna-goers that I saw in this category were older students. One might assume that nudity is limited to the more well-endowed, but that is not true either. Perhaps students at Dartmouth become more willing to wear God’s original design after years of exposure to the Ledyard Challenge, a culture of streaking finals and the Dartmouth Seven. The ultimate decision and rationale, however, remains up to each visitor.
One must also be wary of talking to others in the hot box. For one, some inside are doing everything they can to zone out, and saying even a word can bring them back to Earth. Those who are a little more talkative, though, can also present a challenge — you never know where the discussion might turn. On one occasion, I struck up a conversation with a graduate student who had recently moved from California. With levity, I postured, “It must be nice to not have to deal with those taxes, isn’t it?”
This was a mistake. What followed was a long conversation about tax collectors, tarring and feathering and death flights in Argentina. It ended with a discussion of assault rifle reciprocity laws and the potential to take machine guns from New Hampshire to Massachusetts. Maybe the heat affects the brain, or maybe heavy users of the sauna are more likely to veer off into unconventional conversation territory in the first place. Either way, be prepared for a wide range of perspectives and an equally diverse group of people.
Sauna users come from the swim teams and the lacrosse teams, from the Engineering and Computer Science Center and the Geisel School of Medicine. Some I met even come from other towns in the Upper Valley or from Hanover High School. During those 15 minutes in the sauna, you find yourself sitting next to people you might never have crossed paths with otherwise. For such a small school, it is surprisingly easy to stay in your own bubble, but the sauna offers a rare and valuable chance to connect with different corners of campus.
There are many general etiquette rules to note as well. Remember to open and close the door as fast as possible to prevent too much hot air from escaping. There is also the chance you’ll get hit with a wave of essential oils when you walk in — sometimes pleasant, but often overdone by those who don’t quite get the ratio right. If you enter and there is no place to sit, you can always stand in front of the bench. However, this results in a lot of eye contact, so sometimes it is better to take a lap around the locker room or stand with your back to the side rather than to the door. A final suggestion is to avoid making drawings in the fog on the windows — from personal experience, this is frowned upon by those inside.
I hope this guide gives prospective sauna-goers some more confidence to embark on their first trip. I go to the sauna often to help with muscle soreness, and sauna use, in general, has been linked to pain relief and improved heart health. I also have found it to be a nice escape from the cabin fever and cold monotony of winters in Hanover, offering a break from studying and seclusion. So, set aside your fears — and most of your clothes — and give the sauna a try.
