The whole concept of Aufguss is pretty weird. I don't know if Finns do it. Do they do it in Berlin? (Btw, my favourite German word is Katzenkratzentrommel: denotes a drum-shaped object covered in sisal rope, with not one, but three catnip mousies inside.)
Being British and (not) being Textilfrei: isn't Textilfrei the very thing a self-respecting Bloomsbury person would do? Or all the British expats in France, Italy or Greece ;-)
Unfortunately I don't have your range of experience with baths and saunas (from Bursa to Finnland via Italy, wow!). I've merely been lucky to have lived in Budapest and in Schwabenland (Swabian and Bavarian farmers used to have a home-grown version of the sauna, at least this is what they claim here). A dog's a dog. A Cat's a Cat. (T.S. Eliot)
the nicer effects are obviously that you really start to sweat with all those nice herbs in the aufguss. but you need a good Sauna master, one that fans you fresh air...
regarding textilfrei. britain has dropped the tradition of public baths, i think in the fifties. it has never really been into Nudist beaches or topless sunbathing in public gardens. even if they are english. nudist behaviour on the mediteranean beaches might be more widespread now, but not among those that go to the sauna back home.
There simply is no real sauna culture in Britain. you find your occasional sauna and steam room, but very rarly are there dedicated spaces, if they are they are usually seen as dodgy and pick up places for gay's. and the public baths obviously don't allow nudity, have no beds to rest on, no foodwarm facilities and no ice-cold plunge-baths.
Nothing.
