Man, I was feeling absolutely wrecked last week. You know how it is, just one thing after another, and the cold weather just bites right into you. My shoulders were all hunched up, and I just felt… blah. I knew I had to do something.

So, I figured, a good sweat session was in order. I remembered there was this sauna place, not too far off, the one people just call “the nearest sauna.” Didn’t even bother looking up reviews, just decided to go. I dragged myself out of the house and headed over. Anything to stop feeling like an icicle.

My Trip to the Heat

When I got there, it wasn’t anything fancy, let me tell you. Pretty basic. The guy at the counter barely grunted, just took my cash and shoved a towel at me. And that towel! Seriously, it felt like it was made of old cardboard. But hey, what can you do?

I went into the changing room, got sorted, and then checked out the actual saunas. They had the usual setup:

• A dry sauna. This one was pretty packed. Lots of older guys, all looking very serious, just sitting there and sweating. I found a little spot and tried to just zone out.
• Then there was a steam room. That was less crowded, thank goodness. But then this one person started doing these super loud breathing exercises. Like, really loud. Kind of ruined the whole “peaceful steam” vibe for me. I tried to ignore it.

I spent maybe an hour, maybe a bit more, just going back and forth. The heat definitely helped with the cold, I’ll give it that. I could feel my muscles unclenching a little. You see all sorts in these places, though. Some folks look like they’ve been there since the dawn of time. Others are glued to their phones, even in the steam. What’s the point of that, eh?

Afterwards, I took a quick shower – the water pressure was a joke, by the way – and got dressed. Did I feel like a new man? Not exactly. But I was warmer, and the world didn’t seem quite as awful as it did before I went in. It’s funny, you go to these places to relax, but sometimes it’s just another thing to navigate. But yeah, it did the job, I guess. Better than shivering at home, that’s for sure. It’s just a hot room, really, but sometimes that’s all you need.