The heart ritual of the sauna
The Aufguss is the ceremonial high point of a sauna session: water — often with essential oils — is poured onto the hot stones of the stove, the rising steam abruptly increases the perceived heat, and the sauna master distributes the wave of heat through the room with a towel. The Finns call this burst of steam “löyly” and mean by it more than physics: the spirit of the sauna itself.
How an Aufguss works
A classic show Aufguss lasts 8 to 12 minutes and follows a dramaturgy: an announcement of the theme and the scent, several infusion rounds of rising intensity, and between them the towel technique — from gentle fanning to the towel helicopter that drives the heat onto the benches. Afterwards: out, cool down, rest. In many houses an infusion schedule with fixed times and changing scents belongs to the sauna day.
The etiquette
Its own rules apply to the Aufguss: come in time — during the ritual the door is not opened, and every opening lets the löyly escape —, follow the instructions of the sauna master, and whoever can no longer bear the heat leaves quietly between the rounds, not in the middle of one. Beginners sit on the lower benches and take a place near the door.
The Aufguss in a spa hotel
From the classic Finnish infusion at the Landromantik Hotel Oswald to event formats with ice, fruit or sound — infusion culture has become a discipline of its own, including championships for sauna masters. For the spa day that means: study the infusion schedule, take in one classic and one themed Aufguss — and build the rest of the day around these fixed points.
