A debate, open to all

Let's just say you were planning your fantasy backyard. You've got your gardens, you've got your patio spaces, you've got an area for sporting, an area for kids. And of course, you've got your sauna.

Life is good.

But let's just say you were in the planning stages. So you're thinking how do we do this with an eye towards both fun and savings? You turn to your old friend, the internet, and she presents you with this option:

The Barrel Sauna

Now, I myself have never stepped inside one of these, but I can see why they might be beneficial. No corners, less wasted space. But I can also see how they might be a bit cramped in there. Crouching around to get in and out, the possibility of whipping yourself with a leaf broom is minimal.

The sauna above boasts a 7' diameter, but most of the saunas I've found come in at 6' around. And while that's bigger than me, it doesn't look so impressive when this dude stands next to it.

But so affordable. And easily integrated with a wood-burning stove (essential). 

What does your gut say, dear friends? Have you been in a barrel sauna. Would you go in a barrel sauna?

Castor Oil as a topical?

Met a gentleman at Century on my last visit who said a doctor friend of his advised him to use castor oil topically in the radiant floor sauna. A small coating of oil all over his body and then a light heat. He said that it expels toxins, and there are visible results.

I've never heard of such a thing, but be sure that I'll try it and get back to you on it directly.

The New Century Spa

The Korean bath house is a great way to get a heat in Los Angeles. There are probably six or seven really great Korean spas with top-drawer facilities. The Koreans love their heat, and they know how to do it right.

Century Spa is one such. It's a huge complex, with a netted driving range out back, a full gym, a swimming pool and probably sixty rooms of other things that I've never seen. Until recently, their Men's Spa was good but not great. For $15, you got access to a pretty beat sauna (no rocks on the stove? wood falling off the walls?), a decent steam room, cold plunge, hot tub, and clay and marble radiant floor saunas. You also got a cruisey scene due to the poor layout. But there was some charm to the place. One of my favorite features was a trough of cold water with plastic bowls that you could dip in and dump on yourself. A trough! Weird!

Anyway, those days are over. For the past year or so, while we were inhaling mildew and mold in our heat, the owners of the Century Spa were hard at work on a huge remodel. It's been open about a month, and this weekend, I was able to give it a whirl. It's a whole new day at Century.

(Note: As of today, they don't have pictures of the new facilities on their site.)

The Locker Room -- A little smaller, but the locker size is still generous. They have this weird, Korean electric lock system, however, that flummoxed me both before and after my heat.

The Facilities -- The whole place feels much more modern, but with something of a twist. It feels like 2002 or so in there. Definitely newer, but not 2009 new. The place is definitely designed to wow the target audience -- Koreans. Maybe that's why something there feels dated. It's not that it's old or out of style. It's just a style I'm not used to. The size and scale of this facility doesn't really say "relax" to me, nor does the ubiquitous music or the a little-too-bright light, but all in all, it is something to behold. And that said, I was a huge fan of the limestone walls, the skylight and the sky-and-clouds painted ceiling.

To address the problem of cruisers overtaking their schvitz, they've given the whole place an open layout -- the saunas and steam have glass walls, the radiant floor saunas are in the main hall, and the whole spa can be viewed from the resting room on the second floor. So far, the tactic is working.

The Sauna -- Good and hot. New oven, glass wall, new cedar. All great. However, the door sticks open, which is a hassle, because people don't realize that it's open and heat rushes out. But the new oven kept it cooking in there. One weird thing was that the benches and floors were covered in towels. We couldn't figure out why this was. One gentlemen ventured that they were trying to preserve the wood? I don't know, but I didn't like it. I imagine, however, that this is temporary.

The Cold Sauna -- That's right! They have something called a cold sauna! I've never in all my days seen anything like it. It's this small glass room with an air conditioner at the top and plastic flap doors. There are two shower heads that dump cold water. That's it. It's basically a cold rinse spot, but they've decided to air condition it as well. Phenomenal.

The Steam Room -- The Koreans love a good steam above all else. This steam room is really great. It's easy to get cooking and comfortably seats 20 gentlemen. A glass wall lets you see some misty shapes moving around outside.

The Mist Room: This wasn't open when I visited, but it looked lovely and was intriguing. What is a mist room? I have no idea. But I like it.

Pools: The three pools that Century boasts are a half-level above these main facilities -- a nice design choice that allows for comfortable bench seating beneath. The cold plunge is small and clean, the hot tub is directly under the new skylight and is large and hot. But the best feature and new to Century is the tea bath, which is warm (not hot) and is filled with mugwart tea. A great place to recover after a circuit of heat.

The Clay and Marble Saunas: I love these rooms. They're both provide radiant heat from the floor and are quiet and dark. In the old Century, this used to be the hot spot for cruisers, but such is no longer the case, and thank god. There is no better place for a mid-circuit sweat than the clay sauna. As you lay on your towel on the floor, you won't get too hot, but you'll sweat slowly and get a really nice spot-heat on your back. It's truly fantastic.

Though the price has gone up to $20 to get in, it's worth every penny. The place has a whole new energy about it. People are not just happy to be there. They're happy to see a transformation gone right.

Shower Shoes

A lot of first timers to the schvitz want to know what to bring. "Do I need a swim suit? A towel?" The answer is no.

All you ever really need to bring to a bania is a pair of shower shoes.

I prefer the thong type flip flop (mine are actually white and branded by VeeV liquors) but any will do. Be aware that in some urban schivtizs, the popular Okabashi-style sandal may be recognized as a "prison slip," short for "prison slipper."

As you grow in your enjoyment of the sauna, so too will your list of equipment. Your out the door checklist may look something like this:

• Sauna hat
• Leaf-broom
• Bucket
• Robe
• Shower shoes
• Shaving kit
  
• Jojoba or Almond Oil
• Jazz cigarette

But the point is all you really need are the shoes.

Heat and Fellowship

I recently enjoyed a second trip to the Finnish Baths in Sherman Oaks. It's just too affordable, too historic and too nice of a heat to pass up. Sherman Oaks also happens to be the valley-town where I teach my ukulele class, so I'm out there anyway. How could I not budget an extra hour and a half for a stretch of heat?

On this second visit, I invited one of my ukulele students, Aaron Goffman. Now, ukulele folks are off-beat by nature. But not in a wacky "I need attention" sort of way. These are earnest men and women, lovers of music who have never before been able to play an instrument. They've chosen the humble ukulele because it's relatively easy. In group environments, they are warm and supportive. But it's like any elective adult education -- inherently weird.

Aaron Goffman is one of the most normal people in there. He works in the film industry in the props department, and is married to a lovely Colombian woman named Jeaneth. Aaron took private lessons from me for a while, but I never really got to know him too well on a personal level. We mostly just talked about ukulele, and sometimes, this is weird for me. I like ukulele. I've played for ten years now. But it's such a small part of my life that to have a whole world that gravitates around it doesn't always make sense. And as lovely as a human Aaron Goffman is, he's in a constellation that is bizarre to me.

I would imagine this plight is familiar to yoga teachers, blimp and hot-air balloon pilots, platform divers, successful podcasters, letterers of graphic novels, and Vespa owners. Summed up, subcultures are strange beasts.

So I was a little nervous to meet Goffman at the schvitz. Would there be some awkwardness? Would he be uncomfortable with the nudity involved? Would we find something to talk about?

I entered the men's and found Goffman in the showers, which I passed by on my way to stoke up the sauna (see review on Finnish Baths). Said hello and asked, "Everything okay? Are you comfortable?" He said, "I am." And the rest of the heat was great. We got in there and both opened right up, telling each other things the other had no idea about. I was surprised to learn that Goffman had been married for more than 20 years before he met Jeaneth, and at 48, was a grandfather. It was easy talking and great times between gentlemen.

And I say it's a testament to the culture of the sauna that this is the result. It's not like other subcultures where it's competitive and exclusionary. There can be no posturing with the heat. Instead, it encourages real camaraderie and compassion. It's why strangers are so easy to talk to in the heat. And if you're kind-of-friends with someone, like I was with Goffman, you take a heat together and find a million ways to be brothers.

So I say, find a schivtz, grab an acquaintance, and make a friend.