Bathing in Malmö

I just came back from a fantastic weekend in Malmö with friends, and spent a sunny Saturday at the Ribersborgs Kallbadhus. In fact, it was so sunny that my plans to take photos of the bathhouse were foiled because there were so many people there sunbathing in the nude. I guess even the cool, fall air felt warm after a dip in the sea. However, I found some photos published in the newspaper, so I'm sharing them instead (if they can do it, so can I, right?).

The bathhouse is built out over the water, far enough out that it is quite deep. This is so that when you emerge from the sauna, you can plunge straight into the cold water instead of having to wade in slowly, losing courage with every chilly step. Women are separated from men, and each side contains enclosed access to the sea via wooden decks that are flanked by tiny changing cabins. At the very end are the saunas, with windows looking out over the sea towards Copenhagen.

The bathhouse is a listed building, constructed in 1898. Back then, it was actually a place where people cleaned themselves, as many people had no other means of bathing.

photo from aftonbladet.se

I was also able to meet up with Seattle friends in Malmö. Ondrej is going to school here for the year. We are not alcoholics, the wine was for a dinner party.

The evening was spent at Gustav's (a Valle scholar to UW last year) cozy apartment where we all made a giant, delicious dinner, and played with these gals: Posten and Kråkan.