BARE: In Your Natural Form at Wellness Social Club
We're a nation of sunbathers, swimmers and beachgoers, but this new experience aims to get people comfortable with going starkers at the sauna.
Overview
Australians generally think of ourselves as a pretty easygoing bunch. But one cultural aspect where we're a little prudish is the realm of nude bathing. While the likes of France, Norway, Sweden and Italy have dozens, if not hundreds, of clothing-optional or naturist beaches, Victoria is only home to three official locations — Mount Eliza's Sunnyside North Beach, and Torquay's Point Impossible Beach and Southside Beach.
To encourage everyone to become a little more comfortable in their skin, Preston's Wellness Social Club is launching BARE: In Your Natural Form on National Nude Day — aka Tuesday, July 14 — offering a traditional Finnish sauna and contrast therapy experience focused on the natural human form. Joining a small but growing list of similar experiences around town, it's all about normalising this centuries-old wellness practice.
"In many parts of the world, this is just how sauna is experienced. It's practical, it's respectful, and it's not something people think twice about," says Wellness Social Club founder Tamara O'Dowd. "Wellness has become highly curated, aesthetic-driven and, at times, performative. BARE is about returning to more traditional, stripped-back practices, shifting the focus away from how it looks and back to how it feels."
There are also potential scientific benefits to going starkers in the sauna, as clothing traps heat and sweat, limiting natural circulation and body-temperature regulation. If you're keen to get involved, a pair of sessions run for 60 minutes and are capped at 20 guests. With swimwear optional, you'll move between a Finnish sauna and hot- and cold-plunge areas. Meanwhile, guests must acknowledge and sign a waiver before purchasing tickets.
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Images: Supplied.
