The Diplomatic Sauna Society, as the gatherings are now called, is now a coveted invitation in Washington.
“When you are half-naked or even sometimes completely naked, it allows for deeper discussion,” said Mikko Hautala, Finland’s ambassador to the United States. “You talk in a way that doesn’t happen when you are sitting around a table with a tie on or at some formal thing.”
The Finns use it multiple times a week in the evenings or mornings before their day begins, in a ritual that involves showering, sitting in extreme heat and cooling off in cold water. That practice, which is traditionally performed without a bathing suit, is repeated several times before sauna goers sit down for a healthy meal. It is a social experience.Justin T. Gellerson/The New York Times
Participants undress – nudity is encouraged, but bathing suits are allowed – and then go through the sauna ritual: shower, heat, cold, repeat. After a few rounds, everyone changes and heads back into the bar area. Drinks and traditional Finnish snacks are served, including meatballs and salmon on rye bread with dill sauce.
Gramer, the journalist, said the sauna gatherings were a welcome change from other events in the nation’s capital.
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