[A year ago, she would've been blushing and fidgeting and hurrying to at least put on her shirt, if not also an undershirt and some kind of jacket. But this isn't a year ago, this is right now, and she's never had anything impressive to look at "up top" anyway. Instead, she hums thoughtfully and picks up another towel, ruffling it through her messy wet hair.]

Mm, how to put it? Just by sitting in the sauna, all hot and sweaty, you're really aware of your body. Getting whacked with the birch branches, even gently...you're already sensitive, keyed up. Anything extra is overload. And the harder they hit you, the more overwhelming it is. Your adrenaline starts going, and your blood is rushing, and it's just a lot. Like some kind of high, I guess.

[The towel on her head sweeps back a final time, dark hair springing back to scruffy, fluffy fullness.]

And then you take a cold shower, but you can still feel your skin throbbing. You're still aware of your body. So you feel clean and cooled off but still...I don't know. You feel so much more alive, or at least I do.