Attieké, Junji Ito, and Sensory Deprivation Tanks [February 24]
Recommendations from Me
I’ve been living in Mexico City for two months, and there are lots of things that I love about my life here. Still, I sometimes find myself feeling homesick and nostalgic in strange, unexpected ways. This month I wanted to write about some of the experiences that I’ve found myself missing recently.
I spent many mornings of last year in communal Finnish-style wood-fired saunas. From the moment you enter, you are hit by a wave of hot, damp air: generally between 80°C and 110°C. At the bottom of this range, your body relaxes; at the top, there is an exciting intensity to every breath. I recommend combining this experience with a Parenie (Russian birch stick massage) and cold water plunge (3-10°C) for more invigorating contrast. I have warm memories of the Hackney Wick Sauna Baths in London, and the Wild Water Sauna near my childhood home in Pembrokeshire.
In November 2023, a friend took me to a communal volcanic hot spring in Yilan County, Taiwan. The spring was divided into roughly 8 pools of hot water (35-55°C), spaced between trees, wooden structures, and rock features in a beautiful walled garden. Completely surrounded by the sound of flowing water, this was the most tranquil (and social) bath of my life so far.
In terms of pure relaxation, I’ve found very few experiences which can compete with a visit to a hammam, a type of steam bath popular in Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa. I’ve been to a magical hammam in Istanbul, and a very rough hammam with two friends in a casino in Sofia, Bulgaria (we probably should have guessed) — still very fun.
I try to visit a sensory deprivation (floatation) tank every few months. For 60-120 minutes, you float in a mixture of ~1000 liters of water, and ~500 kg of Epsom salts, in complete darkness, with your ears submerged in water. I’ve found this to be a really consistent way to clear my head, and rest after/before a demanding week. Some people report visual hallucinations and increased productivity after long floats, but I mostly value this space as a calm escape from everyday life.
I spent one weekend of this month in a coastal town in the south of Mexico, and rediscovered how fun it can be to swim at a beach with BIG waves. Each wave is different, and navigating every one correctly takes a lot of concentration. So long as the water is warm, and I am with good friends, I could do this for hours. I left the weekend full of nostalgia for the beaches in my beautiful Wales.
P.S. Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!
Recommendations from Others
Julieta 2024
‘The photographer Robert Capa, and Walter Benjamin’s writing about photography’.
Sienka 2024
'Food from some African countries: 1) Tchiep, a Senegalese dish made with broken rice; 2) Attieké, a fermented cassava side dish from the Ivory Coast; 3) La bouillie, a morning porridge from Chad.’
Stella 2024
‘Junji Ito’s horror manga — scare yourself with black and white squares.’
Sam 2024
‘1) Sometimes it’s just the right thing to do to grab the chocolate bar when checking out at the store. 2) Showering at night is nice because it makes you able to be more comfy, plus you can listen to calming music while you do it. 3) Once in a while, hood up, lights down, sound off, people gone — do good work.’
Rubi 2024
‘Karaoke song: Home for a Rest - Spirit of the West. Listening song: Là où naissent les couleurs nouvelles - Alcest.'
