NOTEBOOK: THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT THE SAUNA IN LUSS

NOTEBOOK by BILL HEANEY

The last time I was in a sauna on Loch Lomondside, I was sitting on the shelf when Ulrika Jonsson walked in. She may have sashayed in, of course, in the way that movie stars are said to move, but I’ll keep this item cool.

Hot, hot, hot it may have been, but no steamy session took place between me and the gorgeous Swedish television celebrity, who was up here for a weekend at Cameron House Hotel with football personality Stan Collymore.

He was upstairs in bed – footballers sleep for hours during the day – and there was just the two of us, and what I spoke about with Ulrika was Loch Lomond, how beautiful it was and the local legend of floating islands.

Fish without fin/ Waves without win’/ And floating islands

I remember Ulrika was wearing gold rings on her toes and I wrote about that later in a Notebook for the Lennox Herald, where I was the editor at that time.

To say the tabloids were jealous is an understatement.

It was a story in the weekend newspapers about Luss village and the sight of people running around nude that brought the Ulkrika episode to mind.

I was also reminded of the time at Cameron House, before it ever became a hotel, that Patrick Telfler Smollett was chosen by the Conservative Party to be the prospective parliamentry candidate for West Dunbartonshire.

I was a partner in Fitzgerald Owens Newsagency at the time and we were asked by one of the national newspapers to do some pictures of Patrick and his wife, Gina, pictured left.

The late Gerry Fitzgerald came up with the idea that we should take the laird out on a boat to Inchmurrin and capture his image canvassing the residents of the nudist camp there.

He also had the idea that we should get a picture of Patrick canvassing the passengers on a Blue train which had been recently introduced on the Balloch-Queen Street service.

Then there was the Bear Park which never became the Bare Park and it remained rude to be nude.

So, does this weekend’s headline in a Sunday newspaper — Fury in idyllic Loch Lomond village as sauna sparks outrage over nudity and parking chaos — stand up? And what did it say?

Is there any truth in what the Scottish Daily Express printed on its digital news platform today — “The picturesque village is now embroiled in a row over a popular ‘controversial’ sauna”.

Stone Cottages, Luss, Scotland - stock photo — **The Loch Lomondside village of Luss has been described as ‘as Scottish as it gets’ .**

The sauna, known as Hot Tottie, has quickly become a hotspot for visitors from nearby towns like Balloch and Dumbarton, but not all locals are pleased.

The spa applied for retrospective planning permission to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority, an objector wrote claiming: “I know it’s hard to believe, but yet again recently I came home to find people changing out of wet clothes in the street in front of my house, naked. It’s not unknown for me to look out my kitchen window and see naked people changing in the street beside their cars.

“My biggest concern is that children live in this village. It’s unacceptable behaviour. We feel rather intimidated and don’t feel free to wander where people are having a sauna. Luss is a conservation village and is in grave danger of being destroyed by commercialism.”

The controversy has sparked a heated debate at community council meetings, with some fearing the sauna could destroy the village’s peaceful, historic charm.

One local told the Mail on Sunday: “This has become a huge issue and it’s threatening to spiral. There is talk that poison pen letters have been received by some people, and that’s not the sort of thing you wish to see in a village like this.

Residents of Luss are furious over the popularity of a sauna — **Residents of Luss are said to be furious over the of the sauna**

“The problem is that the actual population of Luss is quite small, around 400, but the number of visitors is huge, and it leads to tensions over things like parking.

“Some of the other things have been out of the ordinary, with people spotted wearing robes, or without robes, and that’s not on really.”

The sauna is charging users £15 per hour for a weekend “seat” at the sauna with a one-hour private session costing £100.

Luss community council convener Alison Charters is quoted as saying: “The siting of the sauna on the south beach will lead to a substantial increase in commercial activity in an otherwise relatively peaceful, scenic, and historic setting.

“This proposal seems part of a scheme to significantly increase commercial activity of this relatively quiet area which will benefit only a few but will be significantly detrimental to residents.”

Despite the objections, the sauna has its defenders. Several supporters have written to the national park authority, praising the sauna as a “positive addition” to the village.

One wrote: “The owners spoke at the community council expressing their desire to work with everyone and be a positive addition to the village.

“The sauna is on the beach, tucked away in between trees, quite some distance from any residential properties. I hope you grant planning permission.”

Another supporter said: “This initiative will bring a unique and valuable service to the area, promoting relaxation and well-being for the community.”