Campus Rec Reports Sauna Overcrowding As Students Prepare For Sweaty Parties
Campus CultureDrinkingWTF September 5, 2025 The New England Classic
THOSE COMFY CHAIRS OUTSIDE THE LOCKER ROOMS IN THE PLEX — Hidden gems on campus, tucked away in the locker rooms and heated to at least 100 degrees, are the saunas. These wooden-walled and dimly lit rooms are the final step in many gym-goers’ routines, leading to bright red faces and sweat-slick skin that sticks to clothes and glistens in the overhead LEDs.
These hidden gems used to remain, well, hidden. Yet with students returning to campus, Campus Rec has reported a never-seen-before sauna overcrowding. The number of students using the sauna has increased at alarming rates and our reporters at The New England Classic decided to investigate the root cause.
Upon entry to the women’s locker room, the Classic reporters were met face-to-face with the line for the sauna, extending all the way from the sauna to the locker room doors. The students in line tried using a number of excuses to make their way to the front, saying things like, “my roommate is in there,” or, “I just have to pee, let me in and I’ll be right back out.”
The Classic spoke to some of the women in line, asking them why they would be willing to wait for so long just for a sauna? They all responded similarly, saying that they needed to be ready for the weekend. One student, Aylauv Partees (LYNCH ’29), gave the Classic her reasoning, saying, “Last weekend, I went to the MIT frats and it was so hot I like literally almost passed out, so like I wanna be prepared. So I’m going to the sauna and the whole waiting in line thing is like good because I did that too.”
Conversely, upon entry to the men’s locker room, there was no line for the sauna, just a $10 cover fee. Instead, as the Classic reporters continued down the locker room hallway, they could hear a buzz coming from where the sauna is. The reporters inched their way down the hallway and were shocked with what they found.
That buzz they heard was 100+ students crowding the sauna. In there, they were crammed together with no space between them, and practicing making awkward extended eye-contact while poorly lip-syncing song lyrics. The Classic sent one brave reporter into the mix and learned that the students in there had similar reasoning as the girls. Ben Di’Meovar (MCAS ’28) told the Classic that he was also prepping for the weekend, saying, “I love it, actually, being in such a hot, sweaty, space with all of these guys. It’s preparation for the weekend, for sure, but also it doesn’t hurt being this close to other guys on a Wednesday night.” Not only does Di’Meovar feel the rush of the sauna, but he is also addicted to the touch.
