Chapter Eleven
Eleven
The snow was still falling as I left for the sauna, piling up against the door and weighing down the trees. Stalactites on stalactites hung precariously from the roof and the wind howled as the blizzard swirled overhead.
I couldn’t imagine the storm stopping anytime soon. Although staying longer didn’t seem half so bad now the cabin was warm and cosy. In fact, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go anywhere for a while. But I’d make an exception for the sauna.
My tankini with the missing jigsaw pieces seemed inappropriate under the circumstances, but it was the best of a bad bunch.
Ordinarily I liked a cheeky flash of flesh on holiday, but it was out of place here and felt ridiculous.
I’d layered my thermals on and had less than five seconds before I started sweating, so I pulled my hood up to protect my hair and got ready for a cold, dark walk.
My phone torch wasn’t much use, but at least it was a light in the mist as I kept my head down and walked into the wind.
Into nothingness. And I suddenly felt vulnerable on my own in the middle of a strange forest.
Man, or bear? Man, or bear???
I was half considering turning back when a turquoise umbrella bobbed towards me, hiding whoever was behind it.
‘Hello?’ I called.
Henrik peeked around the side with a smile, looking like a Teletubby in his red snowsuit. ‘Hei, Sara. Are you joining us for Fire and Ice?’
‘Yes,’ I shouted into the wind. ‘I was just on my way.’
‘Great! I am accompanying guests down as the weather is so bad. We don’t want anyone to fall.’ He held out his umbrella and nodded me under, which I was grateful for on behalf of my blow-dry. What was left of it, anyway.
‘Norwegian service,’ he said, offering me his arm.
I tucked in tight to make it easier for us to bundle along together.
Henrik’s snowsuit was soft and puffy, but I could still feel his arm through the feathers.
It almost felt like he was flexing under my grip.
Muscular and taut, he was holding me up as I skittered on the ice.
My boots were designed more for style than practicality, but they looked cute, so no regrets. I’d just have to watch my step.
‘The Swedes do it differently, eh?’
‘Oh, yes. It’s extremely poor over there.’ He smiled. ‘You won’t get door-to-door service in Sweden.’
‘I’ll let you know when I get there.’
‘These are for you, too,’ Henrik said, holding out two sachets. ‘Hand warmers.’
And they were already hot. ‘Oh wow,’ I said, popping them into my gloves and immediately feeling better.
‘Nice, huh? They help distract from the rest of the cold.’
‘Amazing,’ I said, shuddering. ‘How far is it to the sauna pods?’
‘Five minutes’ walk from here. They are next to the lake. Well, it’s a lake in the summer. Right now, it’s an ice-skating rink.’
Each step felt precarious as my boots tried to get some traction.
I leant my head into Henrik’s shoulder and trusted him to lead the way as the wind tried to push us back.
He was strong, so I wasn’t worried I’d fall, but I had to stay focused.
A sauna seemed entirely frivolous given the circumstances, but I was supposed to be on holiday – I couldn’t sit inside all day reading.
Henrik stopped and left me to balance on my own while he opened the door, then he took my hand and led me into the calm and warm.
‘Another bird in the nest,’ Celeste said as I pulled back my hood. ‘That’s three of us, then.’
Celeste and Will were sat in matching Dry Robes cradling hot chocolates, ready to go.
‘Hey, you two,’ I said, anxiously eyeing their outfits and feeling entirely underprepared. I only had my towel from the cabin to cover up with.
‘I think three is going to be it for today,’ Henrik said. ‘I’m impressed by all of your commitment to wellness.’
I was immediately suspicious at that. Commitment and wellness as buzzwords didn’t do it for me. Even though we were going for a sauna – and a sauna was a sauna, surely? – I could sense some kind of socially embarrassing test was coming.
‘The saunas can be seen through the window, over there,’ Henrik said, pointing in the direction of some fairy lights.
‘I suggest that instead of swimming today, we run from here to the sauna for our first burst of ice. Then two minutes in the sauna and back outside for two minutes. Repeat, repeat, repeat.’
And there it was. I’d been tricked, again. Henrik saw my face and thought I was disappointed.
‘Unless you want to do the swim?’ he said.
As if. The wind looked about ready to pull the trees up by their roots and start hurling them around. ‘No, no. I’m good, thanks.’
‘Storm chasing! Yeah!’ Will shouted, flexing his muscles to make Celeste giggle.
I had to say something.
‘I didn’t see the part about the swimming,’ I started.
‘Ja. It’s the cold to the hot,’ Henrik said.
‘Which sounds fun, and I love that for you guys, but I’m not massively keen.’ I was increasingly mindful of my teeny-weeny jigsaw tankini and wishing I’d worn my wetsuit, or even just some shorts.
‘No pressure to do the ice part of fire and ice, but you might find it a relief after the sauna. It is extremely hot in there,’ Henrik said. ‘Deliberately so.’
‘Of course. And missing out is totally on me. I thought the fire and ice would be in different huts.’
Will snorted. ‘Why would they put the ice in a hut, when it’s already on the ground?’
Smart-arse.
‘The last time I did this kind of thing, we moved between two rooms in the spa. Cold, then hot, then swim.’
‘Which is what this is, but without the swim so we don’t get hypothermia,’ Celeste said with a frown. ‘But it’s a better experience. We’re in nature. This is the real deal. You don’t get snow in a spa.’
‘They sit you in an overpriced freezer, then pop you in the oven,’ Will said.
‘Both experiences will have their advantages,’ Henrik laughed, coming to my rescue.
‘It’s just what I’m used to,’ I said, feeling defensive. There was nothing wrong with the spa version.
Celeste slipped off her Dry Robe. ‘Shall we get on with it, then?’
‘Absolutely. Sara, do you have your costume to change into?’ Henrik asked, taking in my waterproof trousers and thermal combo.
‘Yes. No. I’ve got it on underneath and then this to wrap myself in.’ I held up my green bath towel and Will and Celeste exchanged who is this idiot? glances. ‘Sorry, I thought towels would be provided.’
Henrik paused. ‘There’s a robe in the changing room you can put on between saunas, if you don’t want to run into the snow. You’ll still be more than cold enough to feel the benefit.’
There were signs everywhere insisting guests wash themselves while naked – with soap –
before using the sauna. ‘Naked’ was in capital letters.
It was like a boot camp. They wouldn’t know though, would they?
If I left my bikini on while I showered?
The poster glared at me as if it could read my mind and I quickly stripped off – please wash your face, bits and pits – then I patched my bikini back on and slipped on the robe.
I knew they’d have guest robes somewhere.
Bright orange, with Firefly stitched across the back in tiny green dots.
It didn’t look anything special on the peg, but it was velvety soft inside, and heavy.
A dressing gown version of a weighted blanket.
It somehow took the pressure off my shoulders and grounded me at the same time, connecting me with the moment.
I popped my purple Crocs on and went back out, feeling like I was dressed the part.
‘Ready?’ Henrik was in his swimmers and wearing the same robe as me. We looked like competing couples on a TV challenge. Me and Henrik versus Will and Celeste. I didn’t want to let Team Firefly down, but I also didn’t want to freeze to death. So…
I plastered on a smile. ‘Yup! Let’s go.’
Henrik jumped up and down like a pogo stick, suddenly invigorated, then flung open the door and disappeared into a cloud of snowy smoke.
‘Follow meeeeeee!’ he called behind him, and Will and Celeste followed with a whoop.
I went as fast as my little Crocs would carry me but I was already slower than everyone else and we were only on the first challenge.
I toddled out into the snow and couldn’t help but shriek as the cold smacked me in the face.
Blinded by the wind and breathless from the shock – this was what commitment to wellness got you.
‘Sara! Over here!’ Henrik called as my body started to cryogenically freeze.
I’d be found mid-stride once the storm was over, like the White Witch in Narnia.
I ignored the fact I couldn’t feel my legs and kept doing the motion of walking, like Theresa May dancing in the snow.
Henrik grabbed my hand for the last few steps, a silhouette against the heat and glow of the sauna behind him.
Like an alien grabbing an earthling and pulling them into the spaceship.
‘Ahhuhuhuu.’ I shuddered involuntarily as I made it inside.
The dry heat was delicious, enveloping me all over and making me shiver.
I rolled out my tiny towel on the bottom rack to lie down for a snoozy sauna and hung up my robe.
The others were sat on the edge of their seats with bright red faces and an egg timer between them.
‘It is extremely hot in here,’ Henrik said, stating the obvious. My eyelids were already sweaty, and they were always the last to go. ‘We recommend no more than two minutes at a time.’
The sands ran out and Team Canada leapt up.
‘See you out there,’ Celeste called, as they ran back into the snow.
‘I’ll wait with you,’ Henrik said, looking at me with concern.
‘I’m not sure I can do two minutes,’ I croaked.
‘I’m already too hot.’ I felt heady and dizzy, and my throat was dry.
Henrik handed me some water, and I pressed the glass to my face for a second, before pouring it all over my head.
The water mingled with the sweat, slow broiling me. I needed to get outside and cool down.
‘You’re meant to drink it,’ Henrik chided, though the corner of his mouth quirked up. ‘Time is up. You can put the robe back on.’
I couldn’t think of anything worse than putting a heavy, velvety robe back on. I wanted to remove everything, including my hair. ‘No, I… I… can’t. I’ll have to come out like this.’
He shrugged, grabbed his own robe, and we dashed outside.
‘Ye ha!’ Henrik shouted, leaping off the steps to join Will and Celeste, who were lying on the ground doing snow angels. Adrenaline junkies. The cold was absolute bliss for half a second, then quickly plunged me into frostbite territory and I was freezing once again.
The shouting, running and rolling must all be part of distracting the brain.
I stood outside the sauna panicking. Too cold to go forward, too hot to go back.
It was a temperature rollercoaster and neither option was enjoyable for more than a few seconds.
If only the snow could be warmer, and the sauna could be cooler, it would be perfect.
Which was probably where the swim came into it.
‘The pleasure is in the extremes,’ Henrik whispered, as if reading my mind, draping his robe over my shaking shoulders.
I wrapped myself up, snuggling into his hood.
The warmth was orgasmic, running down my spine and making me tingle.
He had a point. These little moments of heaven were almost worth the agony either side.
‘Back to the fire!’ Will shouted, and the four of us ran into the heat of the sauna and glared at the egg timer for two minutes, willing the sand to go faster, faster, faster, before going back out into the snow.
Back and forth, back and forth, challenging ourselves to sit in the uncomfortable.
I extended the number of seconds before putting my robe on each time and it was excruciating.
Five seconds suddenly felt like forever.
I couldn’t decide if it was getting easier or harder as we dared each other to keep going, but after forty minutes Henrik called it.
‘That’s enough for today. Well done, all of you, an excellent session – most wouldn’t have kept going for so long. You have more than earned your dinner. Go back, enjoy a shower and relax.’
I was exhausted from the adrenaline of being in survival mode and so, so happy to get into the heat of the changing room and put my woollies back on.
Feeling warmer and happier with every layer, like a human pass the parcel.
End to end it had been an hour of focus on something completely different; something other than Mark and the dogs, and work and what I was doing with my life.
It was impossible to think about anything other than the seconds ticking by while running between the fire and the ice.