Scotland becoming Swedish? Growing sauna scene suggests we're ready to take the plunge
With Sweden ranked fourth out of 147 countries in this year’s World Happiness Report, Scotland may do well to start adopting some of their customs
Is Scotland becoming more Swedish? Well, it might be if the good people of Fife turn out to be trendsetters. The Kingdom now plays host to a “growing mobile sauna scene”, with examples in Aberdour, Elie, Cellardyke and St Andrews.
The uninitiated might think this is a great idea because those brave enough to dare the chill waters of the North Sea now have somewhere to get warm quickly, staving off hypothermia. However, apparently, that’s the wrong way round.
To be truly Swedish means going sauna first. Visit Sweden’s website invites us to “imagine stepping out of a steaming hot sauna, your skin tingling with warmth, only to plunge into an ice-cold lake or sea. This contrast of heat and cold is the essence of Swedish sauna culture...”
Perhaps this helps explain why three million Swedes, nearly a third of the population, are members of at least one sports club and meatballs are pretty much the national dish. They’re all desperately trying to warm up.
But given Sweden ranked fourth out of 147 countries in this year’s World Happiness Report, they’re obviously doing something right.
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