Every Tuesday is women’s day at Geneva’s Bain des Paquis, which is a sort of promenade into lake Geneva with a small lighthouse at the end. Either side is lined with sand and it is typically crowded with half-naked sun-worshippers throughout the summer. The view of the city from there is really quite pretty. In the winter time there is a sauna, Turkish bath and hammam, and on Tuesdays, it is reserved exclusively for women. Years ago when I used to live and work in Geneva and my daughter was still small I used to look forward to these Tuesdays where I would enjoy some quite time and some steam by the lake, either by myself or with a girlfriend. Ever since I moved back here nearly two years ago, I haven’t returned, though I have been meaning to. For one thing, the friend I used to go with is busier now, and it is less fun to go alone. In any case, this week I decided I to go. The first thing I noticed was how most women had much less body hair than a few years back! Also, the two only girls wearing bikinis were Anglophones; the rest were stark naked (I brought a sarong into the sauna and Turkish bath).

(Photo courtesy of the Geneva Tourism website)

It was a gloomy March day, with the temperature not rising beyond four degrees Celsius, perfect for a sauna. As I lay in the wooden room with the heat up to ninety degrees, the water in the lake looked more and more tempting. This is coming from a girl who will typically not go for a dip unless the water is twenty-eight degrees. When I used to frequent this place, I would not even consider dipping my toe into the lake though my courageous friend went for a swim. Finally I left the sauna, relieved by the cool air as soon as I opened the door outside, walked towards the lake. There were a few steps with a metallic handle going down, but the water only skimmed the last step; the lake was unusually low. I stared for a bit, looking around; I was alone, clutching my sarong and my towel. I turned around, and headed to the resting room, a room with deck chairs and blankets for relaxing. Who was I kidding?