Destination - Sauna Spot Dvorce.
Location - Prague, Czechia.
Quick review
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Brief background
- There are many saunas in the heart of Prague city, many along the Vltava river.
- From wikipedia (citation needed) - In Czech Republic and Slovakia saunas have long tradition and are often found as part of recreational facilities, as well as public swimming pools.
- Saunas became more popular after about the year 2000, when large aquaparks and wellness centers included them.
- Nudity is increasingly tolerated, many places prohibit the use of swimsuits, however most people cover themselves with a towel. Showers are typically semi-private. Having men and women only days was the norm in the past, but today, men-only facilities are rare, while women-only hours are sometimes provided.
Detailed review
Weather
- Clear sky, cool, almost 18 degrees Celsius on the evening I visited.
- I checked the temperature later on timeanddate.com by browsing to past dates.
Visitors
Solo visitors present?
- Yes, males for sure, females may be.
- Two young women were together.
- It is sometimes difficult to tell if people are together in a sauna because people usually maintain silence.
Entry
- Paid entry - 240 Czk.
- No "couple only" entry rules.
Nudity rules
- Swimwear is not allowed. A towel and a sheet are provided which can be used to wrap up. Nudity is practised everywhere inside.
- There was no bifurcation of textile/non-textile sauna sections.
Gender ratio
- Women : men was almost 1 : 1, may be one woman less.
States of undress
- Almost 40% women naked and almost 80% men naked.
- One man and two women stayed completely covered even inside the sauna, while most of the others were getting naked while taking dip into the splash pools.
- Before going to a Czech sauna, I was not sure about the prevalence of nudity. Having been to German saunas earlier and read a lot of articles about them, I had a clear idea about them, however, from the articles I read about Czech saunas, I was left doubtful. I had an impression that may be nudity was not as prevalent as in Germany. I also read many posts by people asking to clarify the same. Having visited a sauna and several outdoor lakeside beaches in Prague, I feel the prevalence was almost same, as in Munich or Frankfurt. However, note that I could visit only one sauna, as it was an off season for saunas and many were closed.
Age bracket ratio
- (18-40) : 40+ was roughly 4 : 1.
Weekday versus weekend feel
- I got a chance to visit the same venue on the same week.
- Quite unexpectedly, for me, the visitors were much less, only 5 people, including 2 men whom I found only in the men's changing room while leaving.
Racial composition
Ethnic composition
- Excluding one other man, all others were Czech speaking in the sauna room, with almost 7 visitors where ceremony was going on. The hosts asked to know if they needed to explain in English for the visitors.
Body sizes ratio
- Slim to plus sizes ratio was roughly 3:1.
- Almost 50% of the women and more than 60% men were very fit.
Interaction level
- Low. Saunas are generally silent places, excluding the ceremony room where the sauna masters do the talking.
Difficulty level
- Easy because majority are nude inside the saunas and towels/sheets available to wrap whenever needed.
- Splash pools are also a good place to get a feel of getting naked for a brief duration, for beginners.
Sexual activities observed
Activities & facilities
- Drinks to rehydrate were available at roughly 55 Czk. Not sure about alcohol, neither is it recommended during sauna sessions.
- Roughly 15 minute long sauna ceremonies were going on almost every hour.
- Note - this was an off season (June to almost September) when I visited and that's why they were not having the ceremonies on weekends. However, if I were asked to guess, I would have guessed the opposite - i.e. ceremonies would be available only on weekends, because I would expect more visitors on weekends.
Attractions
- View from one of the saunas and from the relaxing zone which is over the Vltava river.
Ending note
From my visits to Czech Saunas (although the same one, but twice) and those in Germany and Austria, the crowd in Czech sauna, although smaller (again due to off season probably) seems to be slightly more young, gender balanced and fit, on average.
