Downhill, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell, came out a couple of weeks ago. It did not do well at the box office or with critics, but the subject matter was kind of a bummer. The trailer makes it look like something that would kill it on Netflix, but that people wouldn’t want to pay for. (See also: Marriage Story.) It’s about a couple having marriage problems after a family ski trip to Austria. Julia, Will and the movie’s co-writers Jim Rast and Nat Faxon (The Descendants), were on Late Night with Seth Meyers. They talked about filming in Austria and Julia told a funny story about being surprised to see old fat naked dudes in the sauna.
Nat Faxon on the mad scramble to get to the ski lifts in Austria
They have an aggressive way of getting on the lift. [In America we line up.] There it’s just an opening and it’s a massive crowd. People [put] their skis in between your skis. It’s so tight.Julia Louis Dreyfus was surprised at the naked saunas
I did go to a spa. They’ve got a whole sauna and steam life there. I’ve got a towel, I take it off, I sit. Two men in their 50s, 60s, quite overweight and talking a mile a minute come in completely naked. I’m so shocked. I didn’t really understand [the coed part]. I just put my head down, prayed to Jesus Christ I didn’t know them particularly well and skidaddled. It was bad.
[From The Late Show via YouTube]
They joked afterwards that people got mad at them for shutting down the ski lifts. Plus Jim Rash told a story about trying to grocery shop and being surprised at how fast they checked you out. He said a guy at the store told him during a bad experience “don’t worry they hate everybody.”
I have told this story many times, so I’m sorry if you’ve read it before. I used to live in Germany where they saunas are nude, it’s considered rude to wear a towel (you sit on one of course) and they’ll tell you to take off your bathing suit. You just get used to it because the saunas are amazing. I miss them so much. It grosses me out to see people in gym clothes in the sauna now. So it’s surprising to me when people still don’t know about this.
Also, I was so frustrated in Germany by the lack of polite lining up to do anything. There is a different culture around that, especially compared to the south where I live now and where people will go out of their way to let you ahead of them. I don’t want to offend our German or Austrian readers by passing judgment, but this was a culture shock for me and I had a few words with people over it.
Here’s that interview and it’s a fun watch. I remember when Jim Rash, Nat Faxon and Alexander Payne won the Oscar for adapted screenplay for The Descendants in 2012. Their category was introduced by Angelina Jolie in that iconic high slit dress and Jim clowned on Angelina by sticking his leg out just like her.
Bombshell!
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photos credit: Avalon.red and Getty
Here in Japan at the gym they have something called “Ofuro”. It’s a big bathtub inside the shower room. They have also sauna. No clothing allowed not even swimsuits. At the begging I was a bit appalled but then I became used to it but no way I’m using the big bathtub. The grammas attending the gym they really seem to enjoy chatting with each other while on the big tub thou. But I would never be ok with a coed sauna
Glad we got you onboard with sauna etiquette. I was so surprised and grossed out to see people in bathing suits in the sauna in the US. Ugh.
But you‘re right about lining up, it drives me crazy on the subway here. They won‘t even let people get off the train before starting to squeeze in.
My worst pet peeve about living in Germany is how in the East especially people want others to get out of their way when walking down the street and if you don’t they will walk into you or shoulder check you. It drove me crazy. I can walk down the sidewalk with hundreds of other people in downtown Chicago and no one runs into me. And if they do they say sorry, they don’t act like it’s my fault for being in their way!
Quite often saunas will have dedicated time slots that are just fro women or just for men, but most is mixed. Mentioning that the two gentlemen were quite overweight is a bit rude and quite against the spirit of a shared sauna – no gawking, no judging.
“grossed out to see people in bathing suits in the sauna ” – genuinely curious, how is that bathing suit is more gross to see that some fat old guy genitalia??
I also live in Germany now, but I’m not into sauna anyway lol
Labab. I was taught that you can’t wear a swimsuit that has ever been near chlorine which most have. Even after washing it gives off fumes. If you ever been in a sauna where you can smell chlorine, fabric softener etc it actually makes sense. The fumes are overwhelming
Not seeing, smelling.
Plus, unless you look very hard (which is not polite), you don’t see that much of peoples’ genitalia, usually. Most people will come into the sauna wearing a towel, spread the towel and then sit down.
Did someone give Julia a Kim Kardashian dress?
Downhill is a remake of Force Majeure, which is a pretty good movie and on Hulu right now – watch that instead of the (presumably) bad US remake
I’ve been to a few Korean spas in the ATL area. Luckily, you’re only naked in the separate gender areas. Wouldn’t feel comfy being naked around a bunch of men.
“I don’t want to offend our German or Austrian readers by passing judgment, but this was a culture shock for me and I had a few words with people over it.”
No offense taken, I completely agree. It’s annoying to no end. We’re barbarians, I’m sorry.
And re: nude saunas I’m weirded out when I’m in a sauna in UK. It’s so normal for me to strut around naked in front of complete strangers that I’m unusually self-conscious when I have to wear a bathing suit. I’m willing to die on this hill: Nudism is the fast track to body positivity and self acceptance! Once you see that other people are … *just people*, too, life becomes so much easier. Plus, nude saunas teach you politeness. I’ve *never* been stared at, I *never* stare. We actually look into each other’s face when we get to know someone in a sauna.
Exactly – I think (without wanting to offend anyone) that Americans have a very complicated relationship with naked bodies whereas in Europe people are more comfortable and there is not so much shame attributed to being naked. A naked body is not something you have to hide away. I love going to the sauna and honestly I don’t care about anyone there or the fact that they’re naked and I am super comfortable being there minding my own business. I really think it adds to body positivity and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way!
As for the queuing thing….yeah probably not our strongest asset 😀 but I would say that overall us Austrians are rather polite – even sometimes too polite in the sense that we kind of avoid (public) conflicts at all costs…I think Christoph Waltz once described it perfectly in a late night show…
Co-signing all this. I am Austrian too and good god we are awful at queuing. So pushy, even older folks (or rather especially… ) try to cut in line or get on public transport before others have disembarked. I do prefer our stance on nakedness though. We arent the friendliest bunch, our customer service is lacking but I prefer it it to the (seemingly) fake American smiles and small talk.
Well, I am American and I love *everything* about Austria and Austrians. I don’t even mind the queueing thing. I like how matter of fact yet still polite they are. I love the weird sense of humour. I love that you can walk into any clothing shop and walk out in a full-on dirndle. I love sauerkraut with every meal. I could never tíre of the cafes and the little glass of water with your coffee and Sissi cakes. I LOVE IT ALL.
But y’all do love being nekkid.
I’ll say it: I’ve never cared for Germany.
Okay, the streets and homes are clean and I like those fancy toilets that spin around and clean every time you flush. That’s about it.
Woo! Pretty mountains! We have pretty mountains.
Woo! Castles! Nope.
I don’t care for the attitude, art, music, food, language or any of it and most Germans smoke like chimneys and could use a shower and washing machine more often.
I always say Germany is men’s town: Big breasted blondes, beer and brats.
It’s okay! Lots of people hate Americans. That’s fine.
Out of actual curiosity, which part of Germany have you been to? (Northern German over here 😉 )
Little more southern, mostly around Ramstein AFB, Stuttgart not Munich or anything. I wish I had made it to Switzerland.
Here is something a lot of people including Americans don’t know: Holloman AFB, New Mexico is the American home of the German Air Force.
I was there with them.
Some were okay. Some weren’t just like any other group but they seemed to like the area a lot. New Mexico has mountains and sands the color of snow.
The Germans sure drove up the cost of housing in the area.
I sold my house for more than it was appraised. Not great for buying though.
These comments about Germans & Germany is giving me second hand embarrassment. You took a trip somewhere & didn’t like it, don’t start thinking you are the knowledgeable one about the people, culture & that they need to wash themselves more often. Bejinkers, this post is horrible. Nobody needs to know your *opinion* about Germany, Germans & how they drove up home prices for poor Americans (fyi- “The Germans” did not drive up the price of your house, it was a simple case of employers that hired people in an area who changed the supply/demand ratio). Maybe when you think to yourself “I’LL say it!”, you should listen to that nagging voice that is telling you that most people would not say it and just keep it shut.
Ps- It’s not okay! Lots of people are xenophobes. That’s not fine.
Fortunately, I neither need nor care about your opinion.
We all have them, huh?
I don’t like Germany. So what?
What drove up the price of housing is that the Germans weren’t allowed to buy.
They had to rent, so, the locals bought the houses to rent.
Well, the German AF just moved to Texas, so, there’s that.
I do love Spain partly because of the people.
Take note.
ouch. tell us what you really think! Who stole your bratwurst back in Germany and p*ssed you off? I lived in the greater Stuttgart area for almost 4 years and while I couldn’t adjust to all the customs and certainly didn’t understand all of it, nothing of what you stated above rings true to me.
I’m with MC2 on this. Nancypants, your comments was both rude and ignorant. How dare you trash a beautiful culture, rich in art and history, and language you clearly don’t understand and come across as not intelligent or worldly enough to do so. You come across as a shallow, ignorant American.
Save your judgement for the mirror.
This is all so untrue (most Germans smoke? Nope. They don”t shower and wash their clothes? WTF) and makes you sound very uneducated. You only went to a small part of Germany (the South I guess, as there are the most castles and no mountains anywhere else) and you’re only rattling off the cliches (everyone’s blonde and big-breasted? Sure.)
I went to a nude coed sauna soon after giving birth, I had gained 70lbs and felt insecure so I thought I would keep my swimsuit on. After a while I took it off because it was more uncomfortable being the only one wearing one. It was transformative, my Venus of Willendorf body did not garner stares and for a time I felt free. I highly recommend coed spas.
This!
I have a few huge scars and always felt insecure about it.
Started going back to the sauna (we often went as a kid) and seeing all these different bodies walking around not caring was so freeing!
Americans have weird relationship to naked bodies i think, maybe because you sexualize it so much?
Im from Finland, and i think its the same pretty much in all europe, we don’t bat an eye if we see naked people xd People skinny-dip etc, and we don’t stare so you don’t have to watch peoples private parts even if you share a space together naked. Sorry for spelling/etc errors.
i really enjoyed taking my kids to spas in Germany. The first time they were a little confused about the lack of separate changing rooms but quickly got used to it. By the time we were visiting beaches in Spain they didn’t even comment on the nude people playing badminton.
Back in 2000 my family went to Austria for a month. I was in my 20’s and my brothers were in their teens. And my stepdad was there. Everybody wanted to go to the spa, so we had a very complex schedule arranged based on the allowed combinations of family members. After one or two visits I didn’t much care about the strangers anymore, but was always worried one of my family members would screw up the schedule.
I go to Korean spas here in LA all the time. They are nude, but not co-ed, so I feel very comfortable. I don’t think I would be able to handle a co-ed spa. To each their own.
I’ve been to a nudist camp, took me a few hours to go without top, 24hours to ditch the bottoms. Pools were no clothes. Had fun, there was some swingers there but mostly it was very liberating. Didnt feel judged. I was the only POC there, I felt weird about that but even that went away. If I can do a whole naked weekend I can do a naked sauna!
Lived in Germany for 3 years and loved it (Bonn).
A few years ago, I took my then 20yo stepson on a 3 week cross country Deutschland trip. I warned him about the coed saunas. We went to one in Berlin but both wore our bathing suits (it’s my kid, couldn’t go naked). He was shocked at all the 50+ naked dudes but respected the culture.
It’s indeed a culture shock but one you have to appreciate for the basic fact that nudity is not shameful to them. It took me a while to understand it when living there and when I did, it was liberating!
Austrian here aswell but have to agree with Nat Faxon!! I loath the habit of Austrians nit beieng able to queue, be it at the ski-lift or at a busy store. Can’t get used to it and gets me in a fight every time… grrrr