Rajaportti sauna allows swimwear at mixed gender sessions

Finland’s oldest continuously operating public sauna now allows people to wear swimwear during mixed-gender sessions, Yle reports. The change at Rajaportti sauna in Tampere has attracted attention in a country where swimwear in saunas remains a highly sensitive issue.

Tampere and several nearby municipalities allowed swimwear in swimming hall saunas this summer, prompting strong reactions in newspaper comment sections and on social media. Critics questioned whether pool hygiene would suffer and whether Finnish sauna culture was being undermined.

Rajaportti sauna was founded in 1906 and has stood largely unchanged along Pispalan valtatie for almost 120 years. Its buildings were protected under the Building Heritage Act in 2023.

The sauna has long been used by regular customers, some of whom have visited for decades. Ari Johansson, chairman of the Pispala Sauna Association, made his first visit 70 years ago. The sauna also attracts visitors from abroad, including tourists from Japan.

Saunas were originally mainly places for washing, but people now come to Rajaportti primarily to relax and spend time together. Regulars pass on the sauna’s customs to new visitors.

Mixed sauna sessions opened the debate

The idea of organising mixed-gender sessions emerged in 2020, when the association considered holding one to mark the leap year. Siiri Koski, the association’s vice-chairman and a traditional sauna expert, said the aim was to allow friends of different genders to sauna together.

Men and women originally used Rajaportti’s sauna together. Mixed-gender sauna sessions were banned in Finland in 1931. At Rajaportti, the two sides were first separated by a curtain and later by a permanent partition, although both are heated by the same stove.

The possibility of swimwear was considered for the first time because of the mixed sessions. Johansson said people were essentially always naked in the sauna, but the association concluded that swimwear could be appropriate in some mixed-gender situations.

Koski said visitors come from different countries and circumstances, and that nudity can be difficult for some people even if they are interested in communal sauna bathing. People may also remain naked during the mixed sessions if they prefer.

Professor says washing is most important

Per Saris, a professor of microbiology at the University of Helsinki, said thorough washing is the most important factor for sauna hygiene. If people shower and wash before entering the sauna and then put on a clean swimsuit, he said, there is no risk to sauna hygiene.

However, Saris noted that people do not always wash in this way. Showering while wearing a swimsuit can reduce the effectiveness of washing.

A clean swimsuit can protect both the wearer and other users, Saris said. He added that he knew of no epidemic in Finland caused by poor sauna hygiene. In his view, touching a cool sauna door handle may pose a greater infection risk than sitting on the benches in a swimsuit.

The first mixed-gender session was successful. After the trial, shared sessions were held about once a month. This year, their frequency increased to every other Thursday.