Whitman College has a sauna. Two, technically, as the heated facilities are separated into a women’s and a men’s bathroom in the basement of the Sherwood Athletic Facility. During my first year at Whitman, I heard myths about the sauna. What intrigued me the most was that there was a heated room that could help lower stress or promote skin health. I heard that such a place had at some point been located in the depths of Sherwood’s facilities and was open to college faculty and students, but that it closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic — leaving students with only the lingering scent of a mysterious cedar-lined room. This winter, though, the sauna was reopened for students, faculty and staff.
Of course, I had to investigate. When I scurried through Sherwood’s hallways in a desperate haste to find the sauna, I couldn’t help but wonder if the multi-million dollar facility was Whitman’s best-kept secret. I’d been in it only two other times — once for a five-second glance through the doorway in an effort to at least peek inside each of the campus buildings, and another for a stint in the stands at a women’s basketball game against Whitworth University.
Despite having glanced into the building before, the Sherwood Athletics Center remained a mystery to me. Up until this semester, I thought that the building was only open to student athletes and a select number of night classes or activities like Zumba. On the facility’s webpage, though, the college lists a series of “Community Amenities,” including the sauna. On the Hours and Availabilities page, the college explicitly states that the Sherwood Athletic Center is “open to Whitman staff, faculty and students.”
So, when I visited the sauna for the first time, I felt a mix of fear and suspicion about the space itself. Despite listing hours online and stating that the building is indeed open to members of the campus community, I worried that I was somehow breaking through red tape to take advantage of the college facilities in the school that I attend. The “Mission Impossible” theme song played in my head, and it seemed to grow louder as I walked through the building. Flyers indicated that a “desk attendant or building supervisor” would check in any students seeking the refuge of the sauna, yet no such attendant appeared. Additionally, sauna hours are only available in the gym itself, where more flyers indicate the opening hours in two hour blocks throughout the week:
Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m–10 a.m, noon–2 p.m., and 6 p.m.–10 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m–10 a.m and noon–2 p.m.
Weekends (when the athletic center is open): noon–6 p.m.
As I read the flyer and snapped a picture for future reference, I spiraled through a series of theories seeking to explain why the facility’s availability was hidden in the depths of an athletics building. Although the sauna was recently reopened after being marked as “Out of Order” last Spring, confusing and limited information about the sauna (like a non-existent check-in desk and no specific hours posted online) restricts engagement in facilities that are constructed for the college community.
When I sat in the sauna accompanied by friends, I realized that the space was built for all the traditional benefits of any sauna: improving skin health, sleep quality, muscle soreness and more. Even after one use I felt rejuvenated, ready for a solid night of sleep and like I had a new space where I could catch up with my friends while breaking from my old routine. I am curious about the benefits of repeated use as well, especially since a study published by the National Library of Medicine cites possible long-term benefits to heart health and stress-management from routinely visiting dry-saunas. Especially since off-campus options for sauna bathing require either a hefty investment in an at-home sauna or a monthly gym membership at the rare facilities that include them, the sauna’s presence at Whitman gives students on a budget the opportunity to bask in luxury without the high price tag.
Information about the on-campus facility, though, is only passively promoted through flyers tucked away in the Sherwood Athletic Center. Although students are allowed into the sauna, they may not have access to information about its uses, availability or location. Because of this, they may not have been able to use this space until recently. The sauna is an underutilized facility — it was a best-kept secret, but it may now offer a resource for campus-wide interest in wellness.
