Spring has arrived, and due to an unexpected confluence of events, my afternoon was free to ride to another, fairly old, bathhouse, an hour away and on the fringes of a city in another state, over the natural border formed by a river. It was a Saturday, just missing the two days a week this bathhouse allows women admittance. A fact I've mentioned to my wife, who has a truly minimal interest in driving an hour to visit anything resembling a sauna, as several are close to where we live. Checking it out before putting any effort into having my wife with me at a bathhouse was a simple requirement to meet.
The nearby bathhouse I regularly visit is a truly nice sauna, but it does not allow women, even though the occasional woman expresses interest on the sauna's Internet guestbook. Only to be told this a male only establishment, to their general disappointment. Which I actually understand - the bathhouse is a great place for anonymous male sex, which is not precisely a reason to exclude women, at least from some perspectives. Such as women also being curious to experience what group sex with a like minded group of strangers is. 'Fantastic' being a recurrent bathhouse answer, one that distinguishes a good bathhouse from so many other places to enjoy sex.
Arriving just around opening on a Saturday, I parked the bike and walked a bit, found the address, rang the buzzer, becoming basically the first visitor of the day.
The changing area was essentially utilitarian, without appeal, more like a worn athletic locker, and the lack of anywhere to sit or put clothing was a definite step down from the two other similar establishments which I have enjoyed.
Tightening my towel, I walked around to the small counter area, and then ordered a beer. Which was freshly tapped, not bottled as at my regular bathhouse, though the foam running down the side of the glass was not something I particularly appreciate - unlike some people, who prefer their beer a bit more straightforwardly presented.
Sitting, drinking cold beer at the small bar, a couple of other visitors arrived in the time it took me to drain the glass. I stood, and began to explore the area, walking into a section of divided rooms, a small video area, and a rear area for smokers. Which was a bit of a surprise, as it was fairly dark and discrete, though the fact it was against an outdoor building wall was the simple explanation for why it was there. Tobacco has never appealed to me, so I didn't bother to explore further before looking for the saunas.
Which were downstairs. The Finnish sauna was small, with a glass panelled wall. There was a decent sized shower space, with three showerheads, and a door on the other far side, which I was certain led to the steam bath. However, the layout took a bit of work to unpuzzle. Turning left after entering the dim space, it was warm, and somewhat inviting, but the not what I would really consider a steam bath, especially as the space lacked anywhere to sit.
