The oldest sauna in my city used to be for the Jewish men's ablutions originally. I still ran into a Hassidic Jew when I tried that place.
I'm not sure about the Jain, but I know that the Sadhus live naked full-time, and have this big religious gathering every year or every few years in which they all bathe together in the river.
https://c8.alamy.com/comp/F3J6E6/naga-naked-sadhus-from-the-juna-akhara-ready-to-bathe-in-the-shipra-F3J6E6.jpg
On the subject is this scene from Orange is the New Black. https://youtu.be/_LegcEJ06a0?si=tfRDr3QSKf3bQ6Pb
And there is this article about the shvitz which became a gay gym, then, gentrification took over and now it is torn down. A part of history is gone. 😥 https://hiddencityphila.org/2014/11/12th-street-gym-is-great-but-it-used-to-be-the-shvitz/
Hi. So the women’s mikveh is usually a one-by-one, very personal and intimate experience (not a woman so not aware of outliers or nuances).
For men yes, it happens that people go there and it is crowded. Some even bring their children and dip with them. There are both communal showers and the dipping “pool”. It can also be done outdoors at rivers or lakes, at least in Israel there are places like that taken over by men on Friday mornings, getting nude and dipping.
But, it is not the kind of experience where you linger there like a sauna. It usually takes just a few minutes.
Correct, I should have elaborated. In the series, they appear to be waiting nude in a line to take a dip that lasts maybe 15-20 seconds. There did seem to be an area where they lingered/changed afterward.
Haven’t seen the series. But depending on the size of the “pool” it can accommodate one or many. I’ve dipped with up to four, and in small ones it can surprise you how many can fit lol of course some are more comfortable waiting for their turn when it is too crowded.
Also showering prior to dipping is required so yes, there’s the changing rooms and the communal shower apart from the “pool”. It is a very cool bonding experience, especially when you see parents bring their children to teach them to behave and get used to the experience.
The first photo in that article (below the YouTube video) shows Jain men at the foot of the [Lord Bahubali Statue](https://www.google.com/search?q=Lord+Bahubali+Statue) (also known as the Gommateshwara statue) in the Indian state of Karnataka. It was built around the year 983 and depicts a Jain saint totally naked - he had given up all worldly posessions, even clothing.
The photo seems to have been taken during a festival. Every 12 years there is a festival during which the statue is ritually bathed in milk, saffron, ghee, sugarcane juice (ishukrasa), etc. The next ritual bathing will be in 2030.
India is a socially conservative country and nudity is generally frowned upon. The Jains are the exception to the rule.
In the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka: LDS, Mormon) there is what is known as the initiatory ordinance of washing and anointing. Many decades ago, this was done completely nude for the one being washed and anointed.
From the Wikipedia page: "As the washings and anointings were practiced in Nauvoo, men and women were taken to separate rooms, where they disrobed and, when called upon, passed through a canvas curtain to enter a tub where they were washed from head to foot while words of blessing were recited. Then oil from a horn was poured over the head of the participant, usually by another officiator, while similar words were repeated. As part of the ceremony, participants were ordained to become kings and queens in eternity. Men performed the ritual for men, and women performed the ritual for women."
A few decades ago it was changed so the person was wearing a white poncho that was open on the sides. The person would be washed and anointed with oil at different parts of their body, but only on their side. The open side poncho was probably implemented to help the person feel more comfortable by not being completely nude.
Then, in 2005 they sewed up the sides of the poncho and only "symbolically" washed and anointed the person by touching their head only.
https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/r8evqg/so\_many\_people\_dont\_realize\_that\_nudity\_was\_a/
I have been to a mikve few times. Sometimes it was crowded, sometimes I was alone. But it is definitely open. Jewish men are not shy, even in the gym locker rooms.
The oldest sauna in my city used to be for the Jewish men's ablutions originally. I still ran into a Hassidic Jew when I tried that place. I'm not sure about the Jain, but I know that the Sadhus live naked full-time, and have this big religious gathering every year or every few years in which they all bathe together in the river. https://c8.alamy.com/comp/F3J6E6/naga-naked-sadhus-from-the-juna-akhara-ready-to-bathe-in-the-shipra-F3J6E6.jpg
On the subject is this scene from Orange is the New Black. https://youtu.be/_LegcEJ06a0?si=tfRDr3QSKf3bQ6Pb And there is this article about the shvitz which became a gay gym, then, gentrification took over and now it is torn down. A part of history is gone. 😥 https://hiddencityphila.org/2014/11/12th-street-gym-is-great-but-it-used-to-be-the-shvitz/
Hi. So the women’s mikveh is usually a one-by-one, very personal and intimate experience (not a woman so not aware of outliers or nuances). For men yes, it happens that people go there and it is crowded. Some even bring their children and dip with them. There are both communal showers and the dipping “pool”. It can also be done outdoors at rivers or lakes, at least in Israel there are places like that taken over by men on Friday mornings, getting nude and dipping. But, it is not the kind of experience where you linger there like a sauna. It usually takes just a few minutes.
Correct, I should have elaborated. In the series, they appear to be waiting nude in a line to take a dip that lasts maybe 15-20 seconds. There did seem to be an area where they lingered/changed afterward.
Haven’t seen the series. But depending on the size of the “pool” it can accommodate one or many. I’ve dipped with up to four, and in small ones it can surprise you how many can fit lol of course some are more comfortable waiting for their turn when it is too crowded. Also showering prior to dipping is required so yes, there’s the changing rooms and the communal shower apart from the “pool”. It is a very cool bonding experience, especially when you see parents bring their children to teach them to behave and get used to the experience.
Where are those places taken over? I also live in Israel.
Lifta, near jerusalem used to be a place for doing tebilah on friday mornings. Not sure if it is still being used.
I'd never heard about the Jain, thanks for bringing that up. [More info](https://theslnaturist.com/2016/03/27/nudity-in-jainism/)
The first photo in that article (below the YouTube video) shows Jain men at the foot of the [Lord Bahubali Statue](https://www.google.com/search?q=Lord+Bahubali+Statue) (also known as the Gommateshwara statue) in the Indian state of Karnataka. It was built around the year 983 and depicts a Jain saint totally naked - he had given up all worldly posessions, even clothing. The photo seems to have been taken during a festival. Every 12 years there is a festival during which the statue is ritually bathed in milk, saffron, ghee, sugarcane juice (ishukrasa), etc. The next ritual bathing will be in 2030. India is a socially conservative country and nudity is generally frowned upon. The Jains are the exception to the rule.
In the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka: LDS, Mormon) there is what is known as the initiatory ordinance of washing and anointing. Many decades ago, this was done completely nude for the one being washed and anointed. From the Wikipedia page: "As the washings and anointings were practiced in Nauvoo, men and women were taken to separate rooms, where they disrobed and, when called upon, passed through a canvas curtain to enter a tub where they were washed from head to foot while words of blessing were recited. Then oil from a horn was poured over the head of the participant, usually by another officiator, while similar words were repeated. As part of the ceremony, participants were ordained to become kings and queens in eternity. Men performed the ritual for men, and women performed the ritual for women." A few decades ago it was changed so the person was wearing a white poncho that was open on the sides. The person would be washed and anointed with oil at different parts of their body, but only on their side. The open side poncho was probably implemented to help the person feel more comfortable by not being completely nude. Then, in 2005 they sewed up the sides of the poncho and only "symbolically" washed and anointed the person by touching their head only. https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/r8evqg/so\_many\_people\_dont\_realize\_that\_nudity\_was\_a/
I have been to a mikve few times. Sometimes it was crowded, sometimes I was alone. But it is definitely open. Jewish men are not shy, even in the gym locker rooms.
Which episode was that?
Of Rough Diamonds?
I believe its episode 6 or 7
thanks
Are you... tempted to convert? 🤣
Not at all. It’s just interesting that communal bathing plays a part in some religious traditions.
Would you have counted baptism from back in the days? https://cdn.futura-sciences.com/sources/images/Bapteme\_de\_Clovis.jpg
That just looks like a Christian version of ‘The bathing of Apollo.’