No nudity please, I'm Canadian

The Bad Gastein region in Austria, where I went skiing last weekend, is famous for its waters. Many of the villages have wellness centers that include hot pools, saunas, spas, and medical treatments.

Spas and hot pools are the perfect way to end the day after hours of skiing. So Saturday evening we headed to the huge complex in the village we were staying in. We'd already visited once Friday morning for a massage, while we were waiting for my luggage to arrive (I arrived in Munich on Thursday afternoon, my skis didn't).

During the massage treatment I was a little uncomfortable when the therapist ordered me to take off my clothes while she was still in the room. She did leave after I started to get changed, and then came back in when I was lying on the massage table under a blanket.

Apparently I was not supposed to use that blanket, as she quickly whipped it off, leaving me lying there completely naked. A few minutes later she did cover me with another sheet, but it made me long for my Canadian massage therapists. To them, draping is an art, and you are never exposed during a massage.

Back to Saturday night. After dips in the hot pools, my friend Y wanted to try the saunas. Being claustrophobic, I am not fond of spending time in small, hot spaces, but I thought I'd go along for a while to see what it was like.

When we entered Sauna World (yes that's what it was called), we blatantly ignored the Nude Zone sign. After all, we saw other people lounging around in their robes and bathing suits, as well as people walking around completely naked.

Sauna World is a series of saunas set at different temperatures. We found one at a lower temperature and settled in. I did notice that everyone else was naked, but it was dark, and I thought I'd just be in the sauna for a few minutes. And really, how much coverage does a bathing suit provide?

Apparently far too much. 5 minutes or so later (which seemed like an eternity for me in a small, dark, hot space), a fully clothed sauna guard came in, chastised a few people for not sitting on towels, and then told me I'd have to take off my bathing suit if I wanted to stay.

Yep, I got kicked out for not being naked. I suppose if I wasn't looking for an excuse to get out of the sauna, I might have taken my bathing suit off and stayed a while.

Or maybe not. After all, I am still Canadian . . .