Naked and outrageous: Don’t sweat it at this chic Norwegian spa that celebrates nudity

We are men and women of all shapes and sizes, of all ages – and of all strengths. A beautiful woman (dressed in a bathing suit and sarong) dances around the sauna, artfully waving a towel to dispel the heat and the smell of the coals.

Your wahey is a stark contrast to what I feel. I’ve always hated my body (my mom put me on my first diet when I was eight – which pretty much destroyed my body image). So it’s no wonder I’m hesitant to visit The Well, just outside Oslo, Norway.

The Well is the largest spa in Northern Europe – covering 10,500 square meters with 13 swimming pools, 15 saunas and steam rooms and 140 showers.

This is the water baby of Stein Erik Hagen, Norway’s second richest man and a die-hard spa fanatic.

He selected the best spa traditions from around the world, spent £30 million and assembled them under a massive solar panel roof.

Freeing: Above, a sauna master twists a towel to spread warmth and well-being throughout the pit (stock photo)

The spa and hotel with 104 rooms is located in the village of Sofiemyr. The lobby is more reminiscent of an art gallery than a hotel. Hagen collects art on a monumental scale. He also likes “natural nudity.” Apparently for health and hygiene reasons. Sweat evaporates more easily if it is not absorbed by swimwear, and synthetic fabrics are breeding grounds for bacteria and mold. It’s enough to undress you.

Hagen also wants to encourage his countrymen to adopt the body acceptance culture of Central and Northern Europe. It seems that the Norwegians are only slightly less prudish than us Brits, and baring everything is quite a task for them too.

Although nudity is encouraged in the saunas and swimming pools, it is far from compulsory. You can buy sanitary swimwear (from £12) for the pools and cover up with a pestemal (hammam towel; £6) for the saunas. And outside the pools and saunas, everyone wears bathrobes.

I meet a group of women from Birmingham who have traveled to Oslo for a few nights for a weekend break. The nudity comes as a surprise.

The Well is the largest spa in Northern Europe – covering 10,500 square meters with 13 pools, 15 saunas and steam rooms and 140 showers

“But actually we really liked it,” says one of them. “It feels great to swim naked.” Didn’t expect to love this place but fell in love hook, line and sinker. It is deeply unpretentious, friendly, open-minded and generous.

Small details make the difference. A waterproof wristband doubles as a door key, spa access, locker key and debit card. Each robe has a letter of the alphabet on the back, so you’re less likely to run off with someone else’s.

I float for hours from the Laconium of the Northern Lights to the Steam Bath in the Crystal Cave; from the waterfall shower room to the super hot Russian banya. I fall in love with the Aufguss, the sauna ritual of placing balls of ice infused with essential oils on the coals.

While nudity is encouraged in The Well’s saunas and pools, it is by no means mandatory, reveals Jane

A “master” of the sauna spins towels and fans to spread the heat and scent to mood-altering music. It is totally addicting.

The Well takes its well-being seriously, but is never stubborn or strict. It is a cozy spa that follows in the footsteps of the Romans, where bathhouses were social centers – where good conversation and good food were as important as cleaning.

In the bistro-like main restaurant, everyone wears a bathrobe (even for dinner). It’s an equal mix of men and women (no children – The Well is only adults) and everyone is talking and laughing. It suddenly dawns on me that no one is scrolling through their phone.

Eventually – albeit slowly – I will embrace the naked thing. You realize that people actually come in all shapes and sizes; that no one cares what you look like but you. And yes, swimming naked feels wonderfully liberating.