Being brown and in a sauna

When about a week ago certain restrictions were lifted making the recent lockdown slightly less inhibiting we decided to seize the opportunity and redeem one of our wedding gifts It was a voucher for a stay at an old village guest house near Sterzing north from where we live and towards the Brenner pass that borders AustriaThe hotel was called Stafler and as we walked into our suite the decor offered the illusion of having travelled back to the 90s It was an expansive room and the view from the balcony revealed a snowcovered winter landscape Having been homebound since our arrival in South Tyrol in July we were genuinely excited to indulge in this onenight getawayThe highlight of our staycation would be the dinner we were entitled to thanks to Bastians second cousin and her partner whose immensely thoughtful gift this was in the twostarred Michelin restaurant Einhorn the German equivalent of the word Unicorn On paper the meal administered by Peter Girtler was to be seven courses but with all the surprise elements that had been woven in it was easily at least ten coursesWhile I am still savouring the wealth of details that marked each course from the exquisite plating to the way my knife and fork sounded against the ceramic cutlery to the tenderness with which the meat had been cooked the most lifealtering moment over the course of the onenight staycation didnt transpire in the restaurant It was in the spaWhen Id first visited South Tyrol in 2018 Id had one experience of what a spa is meant to be I was at my friend Sarahs parents castle My bestie Mona was with me too as were Elif and Masa my coresidents at Eau amp GazAfter lunch we slipped into our swimsuits and went to the pool Sarah fired up the jacuzzi and made arrangements inside the sauna After having frolicked in the pool we went into the jacuzzi and then the saunaI remember Elif pouring water over a large bouquet of rosemary and the ensuing fragrant steam Mona and I couldnt stand the heat After about twenty seconds during which time we had both broken into an intense sweat we announced that we had to leave We dived into the pool She dived I walked in cautiouslyWe relegated the sauna experience to being a whiteperson thing that coloured people like us couldnt get Why would anyone volunteer to sweat when those of us who lived in Delhi did all we could not to I really didnt get it The interface between intense heat followed by the comforting caress of cold water didnt seem like an inviting proposition Why would one willingly alter the bodys equilibrium pushing it between extremesAfter our lunch at the guest houses regular restaurant which was phenomenal and I suspect from the same Michelinstar kitchen we went for a long walk around Mauls the village we were in When we returned we checked in and timetravelled to the 90s In the spirit of making the most of our stay we immediately changed into our swimwear put on the luxurious bathrobes in the room and set off to the spa The swimming pool area was not too populated which we appreciated but there was the persistent din of Muzak the worst kind pan flute renditions of Metallica and the BanglesBut I enjoyed floating to the view of a snowstudded landscape Meanwhile my partner enjoyed a quick nap I woke him up midway because my middleclass tendencies were acting up I wanted to do vasooli Even if I didnt believe in the therapeutic virtues of the experience we would go to the sauna because we were entitled to itAs we stood outside the door I realised that you had to be naked once you entered Unlike the time I had been to a hot spring in the Parvati valley in India there was no separate enclosure for women I had never been naked before among other people But I didnt want to miss out on an experience because of my internalised sense of shameMy partner whose best childhood memories involved vacations with his family on a nude beach in Corsica was more concerned about where to keep our things than about any of my anxieties We got out of our swimsuits wrapped towels over our bodies and entered the sauna There were two other people and they were socially distant from usI took off my towel and lay on the wooden bench Around me people were casually walking naked It was liberating for my body to not feel watched judged or observed For the time that we were in there sweating I got to experience my body as just body not as something sexualised or deflecting shame Later I would discover the unspeakable pleasure of rubbing ice over every inch of naked skin that had been heated by both the dry and humid sauna But Ill save that story for another dayDeliberating on the life and times of Everywoman Rosalyn DMello is a reputable art critic and the author of A Handbook For My Lover She tweets RosaParxSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paperKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news 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