Sauna ritual experience story
Sipping herbal tea at the table of the “new” Ezermaļi guesthouse, I find myself unable to take my eyes off Aina, who literally radiates light and goodness, which is further enhanced by her white linen clothing. As soon as we greet each other, Aina’s charming simplicity and kind smile do not go unnoticed.
It seems that this is what a person who leads a bath ritual should be like. Because a bath is a process of purification not only of the body, but also of the spirit and soul. The sanctuary of Māra.
Bathhouse master Andris from Saka has been leading bathhouse rituals for 7 years and is still improving his skills, discovering new knowledge and tricks. Aina is a pharmacist and masseuse from Vērgale by profession, but as it turns out later, her delicate and experienced performance in the “slat dance” is not inferior to Andris.
Our first hour of meeting passes in this way. We drink herbal tea while both sauna masters share their experiences and opinions with us, as well as let us in on each other's sauna secrets.
They arrived at the sauna ritual in Ezermaļi fully prepared with their “instruments” – a lounge chair, head and foot pads, not to mention the sauna brooms. “How many leaves fell? Two, three… That’s absolutely nothing,” Andris proudly taps the wall of the hall, demonstrating his sieved birch brooms, which have still retained the green color of the leaves, because they have been stored in the dark. The sun’s rays would turn the birch leaves brown and easily fall apart.
The time for tying brooms should be observed according to events in nature and one cannot blindly adhere to folk beliefs. “If it is believed that birch for bath brooms should be cut around Midsummer, then what should I do if spring comes 2 weeks later on the Pāvilosta side?” asks the bath owner rhetorically. When going to Ezermaļi, the bath owners also sow some fragrant “delicacy” in each broom. For us, it is mint in birch bath brooms, and marjoram in reed brooms. Other aromatic and pleasant herbs are also good – lemon balm, chamomile, bindweed or wormwood. Andris refrains from using oregano in the bath, because it suppresses men’s desire to make love…
Both herbal teas and any herb in the sauna ritual enhance natural energy and promote deeper cleansing of the skin and body, as well as normalize the functioning of the digestive tract and, of course, provide wonderful relaxation.
The sauna must be heated to 60°C in advance. No more is needed. The owner of Ezermaļi, Māris, took care of this before the sauna masters arrived. We had a light meal shortly before going to the lava. Andris explains that it is not recommended to go to the sauna on an empty stomach, because then you will have a headache the next morning. Of course, overeating is also not recommended.
The two bathhouse attendants, Andris and Aina, work in tandem – in shifts. Since we are two bathhouse attendants, we can soon see how comfortable it is. Only one of us can be on the bench at a time.
Sipping herbal tea, Agnese is already ahead of the curve, trying to guess about the hanging of the legs during the bathhouse ritual, but both bathhouse attendants remain mysterious. However, very soon we will be able to see the entire arsenal of methods on the lava.
We can feel how much our eyes are shining waiting for the moment when we will be able to enjoy such a proper sauna ritual that we have only read about in magazines or seen on television. It is hard to believe that all these sauna miracles will happen right here in our beloved Ezermaļi.
The beginning of the sauna ritual – warming up
The first step in the sauna is warming up. The bath is covered with a clean sheet. There is a wooden pad under the head, and cold soaked sauna brooms are placed around the neck and on the head to cool the head. One sauna broom pleasantly warms the lower back, and Agnese's guess also comes true - the legs are raised up on a small bench.
The warm-up can begin. I close my eyes. It's easy to breathe. Aromas mix around me and warmth, like the sweeps of a broom, moves through my body. My heart rate quickens. Every now and then the cold broom on my head is replaced with a chilled one. The foot-slapping seems to be the most wonderful. After the warm-up, I go to the living room to rest without rapidly cooling down.
Scrubbing
The next step in the sauna ritual is scrubbing. After warming up, the skin pores are open, allowing them to be cleansed. The sauna masters have prepared a salt scrub with spruce buds, which is used to scrub the entire body from head to toe.
Andris praises the Ezermaļi sauna because it is not surrounded by a layer of aluminum foil, which is typical of specialized sauna insulation materials. This way, the energies of the Earth and Space are not retained and the so-called energetic and healing bathing is possible in the sauna.
The culmination of the sauna ritual – the big bath
The culmination of the sauna ritual is the big spanking. The sauna bench is covered with ferns and Agnese is the first to go towards well-being. Birch brooms are cooled on the head and mint pleasantly pleases the nostrils. The bathers, taking turns, take a breath and an unprecedented “firework” of brooms begins – they whiz in the air, alternating with spankings on the body.
With sharp movements of the bath brooms, all the negativity is energetically “pulled out” from the palms and feet and “flashed” against the lava. And indeed – these movements make the whole body tremble. At the climax of the ritual, held by the bath attendant, I go to the pond. Aina holds me in the water on her arms and allows me to completely relax. It feels like the world is spinning around me and I involuntarily laugh like a child from the feeling of well-being. To experience maximum joy, I enjoy what is happening with my eyes closed. The world has become so easy and simple. Only the most important thing remains.
Cooling down and relaxation
We return to the sauna bath to warm up after swimming in the pond. Small needles prick our hands and feet. When we touch Agnese's hand, we can feel it trembling from the blood circulation – they are also “needles”. Then the lounge chair we brought with us is put into use. We are wrapped in blankets all over so that the body's processes slowly return to normal after the sauna ritual.
The feelings are indescribable. Everyone has to experience them for themselves. It seems that Agnese will never stop smiling, how happy she feels. Tears of joy sparkle in her eyes when Aina hugs her and kisses her as well. I enjoy a feeling I have never experienced before after a sauna – there is lightness and not the slightest feeling of fatigue. My consciousness is pure and clear. It remains like that for several more days. I notice that even greater peace of mind has come into my soul, my thoughts have settled down and the fatigue has gone away.
If a sauna is close to your heart, then a sauna ritual in Ezermaļi, led by bathhouse owners Andris and Aina, will allow you to enjoy a sauna in a completely new quality. I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone!
→ Book a sauna ritual and a guest house by phone +371 29 122 870 (hostess Aiga)
