When I go to the spa, I go for experiences. At the spa I don't just have a massage, I have an experience with all the elements that contribute to a well done massage: the music, the scents of the essential oils, the decor, the teas they serve and, of course, the energy that the therapist gives me.
Up until 6 years ago, when I heard about rituals in saunas, my thoughts went straight to hammam rituals - which, admittedly, I adore.
First they enchanted me with body scrubs (made of sugar, salt) and facial masks (made of clay, honey and all sorts of combinations) - which they made in dry saunas (90 degrees) but also in other types of saunas with temperatures above 60 degrees.
In addition to applying them to me, we were also given all the details about their properties and their contribution to our health, and all the steps we had to take in order to get the maximum benefit.
Through these mini-treatments in the saunas, combined with the cheerfulness and energy that the wellness specialists at Therme were transmitting, they conquered me and made me want to go there more often, to see what new things they have to offer.
I told you in detail here: https://desprespa.ro/spa/maur-saga-si-shamanic-dreaming-experienta-revitalizanta-pe-care-am-trait-o-la-therme-bucuresti/ about two such Aufguss experiences I had with them earlier this year.
This week I went back to Therme because I'd never made it to Sauna Fest - the world's biggest festival of sauna experiences: 3 weeks (October 3 - 23). They've been organizing it since 2017, they're now in their 4th edition (in the pandemic it wasn't held).
Cosmin Ciric - wellness director Theme Bucharest has managed to bring this year 45 Aufguss Masters - among the best in the world - who have at least 3 international competitions like Aufguss WM, Herbal Cup, and other national events dedicated to sauna health. They come from Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Czech Republic, UK, Slovakia and Romania.
Over the 3 weeks, more than 250 Aufguss moments are performed in the saunas - performances that have already this year enjoyed the appreciation and recognition of the international public - as part of the World Aufguss Championships WM in the Netherlands.
I went yesterday (Wednesday, October 19), together with my husband who had never attended such a show before.
In less than 4 hours we attended 4 Aufguss shows.
The first one - Vikings - was made by Pavel from the UK, in a 90 degree Bavarian sauna. An Aufguss show with woody, sweet and aromatic essential oils.
Throughout the sauna there was a smell of fresh timber through the mountain pine (mountain pine), Norwegian spruce (abies picea), zambru (Pinus cembra) - symbolizing the Viking ship that carried explorers across seas and oceans.
Cade oil (juniper tar), offered a smell of campfire and patchouli (pogostemon cablin) - an aroma of damp autumn leaves in the forest.
All in all, the show and the whole olfactory experience brought those distant times much closer to us.
We followed a hydration break and entered 3 of the thermal pools in the Palm area. The ones with Lithium, Calcium and Magnesium, respectively salt water from the Dead Sea. We spent 7 minutes in each.
They chose the moving story of a girl who is forced to marry a sultan against her will. The Sultan was reputed to kill his wives immediately after marriage - the next morning.
But the bride has a plan to sweeten the sultan with spices such as bay laurel (racemose pepper) with red pepper (schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) - primarily ice lumps, cloves (eugenia caryophyllata), ginger (zingiber officinale) - in the second and the red orange (citrus sinesis - Sicily) and sweet orange (sitrus sinesis - Spain) in the last lump of ice.
These essential oils were spread, one by one, by dancing and towel waving, throughout the Hollywood 60 degree sauna.
In addition to the health benefits (improved cardio-vascular system, lung capacity and immune system), Ashley and Gideon gave us an emotional performance.
When it was over, my only regret was that this unique journey into the fairytale world lasted only 15 minutes.
In parallel with 1001 Nights, there was another show: Towel Rush by Andrei, the Romanian champion, the man who represented us at the first international competition.
Cosmin told me that he made a FreeStyle Aufguss inspired in the Nordic tradition where people are hypnotized by Andrei's fast and agile movements. It is an Aufguss in which it seems that people don't even blink to catch every movement and every transition of this Nordic ritual of healing and balancing the body.
I had already participated in the Maur Saga - and I wrote to you here about all the steps of this eucalyptus-infused ritual.
This time Diana took care of us and we realized how big the difference can be: even if she followed the same protocol, the same steps, the fact that she interpreted it with so much grace, gentleness and delicacy, transformed Maur Saga into another experience:
Even though I never thought I would miss a show with Cosmin - when I got to the Therme, I liked the 1001 Nights show so much that I went to see Ashley again - in a completely different interpretation.
A modern Aufguss, energizing, stimulating, full of passion, dancing and funny moments. I don't think I have ever witnessed such an exhilarating performance:
Although the sauna was full, the girls managed to squeeze through us, on the steps, to get to the last row.
This time they used ice lumps with Himalayan cedar essential oils (cedar deodara) with cinnamon (cinnamomum zeylanicum), yuzu (citrus junos), mandarin (citrus nobilis) and geranium (pelargonium graveolens).
Even though it was 65 degrees in the sauna, maybe because I was clapping non-stop and couldn't help but keep up the rhythm even though I was sitting down, I came out of there sweatier than ever.
It was magical, it filled my heart with joy. Both the joy of the show itself and the fact that we can live such wellness moments in Romania.
Even though it was Wednesday evening, the parking lot of the Therme was full of people who had come in incredible numbers especially for Sauna Fest and all these Aufguss rituals were done with full saunas.
We left with the certainty that wellness is about to become a lifestyle in Romania.
Sauna Fest closes on October 23. If you can find a 2-3 hour break in your schedule up to and including Sunday, consider these Aufguss shows - which, in addition to fun and relaxation, fill your soul with excitement and bring a host of health benefits. Find the Sauna Fest program here.
Ioana Marian,
Founder despreSpa.ro
Founder despreSpa.ro
