Burning Man: A Cathartic Culture

photo courtesy of: blog.gaiam.com

I've been waiting in line for over an hour directly beneath the blazing sun. I've been standing for so long I've forgotten, I'm butt naked. I'm in front and behind dozens of strangers of every shape and size. We're all in this together. 

Burner virgins tiptoe to the dressing area diffidently. They look around as if to rhetorically ask, "do I take off my clothes now?" They expect gawking, but everyone's just minding their own business. Soon enough, so do they. 

Finally, I get to the front of the line. I step out of the one-hundred degree weather into a tiny wooden dome that's even hotter: a makeshift steam room. It's about twelve feet from one side to the other and there's bodies, bodies, bodies crouched everywhere: squatting on the floor, sitting on the bench and stretching. It's hell, but when I get out the desert will feel like a freezer. 

Inside the dome, the dynamic between the bathers evolves. Sometimes, it's a spiritual environment with a unified chant or meditative ohm. Sometimes, there's massage trains or an impromptu yoga session. Often, everyone's just chatting, laughing and getting to know one another. 

It's a space of relaxation and rejuvenation. Like everywhere else on the Playa, you make it your own. 

A hose spraying cool mist is passed around the dark sauna. Eventually a kind voice turns to you and asks, "need a spritz?" It's a godsend and when you're handed the hose you return the favor without hesitancy. It's karma in its most simplistic form and the added element of vulnerability in the form of nakedness is what breeds this atmosphere of trust. 

Nudity is just one manifestation of this culture built around supporting people to explore and become comfortable with every facet of who they are. As a first-timer, it'll only take a few days for you to realize that no matter how square or strange you might be Burning Man loves you. It's a moment of disbelief and liberation simultaneously. What will you do then? Not even you can predict, but I can assure you that you'll find yourself in circumstances you couldn't have imagined in your wildest dreams. When the week's over, you'll return to your life changed forever.