Guided Sauna Rituals

A return to heat, breath, ritual, and the ancient art of tending the body.

What Are Guided Sauna Rituals?

Guided Sauna Rituals are immersive, therapeutic experiences that combine heat, breathwork,

somatic awareness, traditional whisking practices, and moments of intentional rest.

Rooted in Nordic, Baltic, and Eastern European sauna traditions, these sessions invite you into a

slowed, sacred atmosphere—where warmth softens the body, the mind unwinds, and the nervous

system recalibrates.

With gentle guidance, each ritual becomes a journey:

• to feel your body more deeply

• to let heat melt tension

• to reconnect with your natural rhythms

• to release, cleanse, and replenish from within

These rituals can be offered one-to-one, in small groups, or as part

of your retreats and sacred community gatherings.

What to Expect in a Guided Sauna Ritual

A typical session may include:

Arrival & Intention Setting

Grounding practices, breath awareness, and settling into the space.

Heat Immersion & Somatic Relaxation

Stepping into the heat slowly, learning to meet the sensation with softness and presence.

Aromatic Steam & Plant Allies

Infusions such as birch, eucalyptus, or pine carried through the steam for respiratory, emotional, and energetic support.

Whisking (Venik / Vihta)

A traditional plant-based practice using bundles of birch, oak, or other leaves.

Whisking offers:

• rhythmic stimulation of the skin

• improved circulation & lymphatic flow

• deep relaxation

• cleansing of the fascia

• grounding through tactile contact

  This can be relaxing, invigorating, or deeply releasing depending on the technique used.

Cold Plunge or Cool-Down

Rebalancing the nervous system with cold exposure, fresh air, or grounding water.

Rest, Integration & Tea Ritual

Time to lie down, ground, be wrapped, sip herbal tea, eat fruits and allow your body to integrate.

Benefits of Guided Sauna Rituals

Guided Sauna Rituals support the whole system—physical, emotional, and somatic.

Physical Benefits

• Thermal regulation supports detoxification through vasodilation, increasing flow of oxygen & nutrients throughout the body

• Enhances circulation & cardiovascular health

• Relieves muscle tension + joint pain

• Reduces inflammation & Strengthens immune function

• Improves sleep + hormonal balance

• Alternate heat and cold rounds produce heat & cold shock proteins shown to enhance stress resilience, have anti-inflammatory effects & protect brain health

• Plant friends (whisks-vista (Finnish) - are rich in polyphenols (specifically tannins & flavonoids) which are deeply therapeutic, cleanse skin & calm inflammation, release different aromas which can calm or energise, clear the respiratory system & boost immunity amongst many other benefits!

Nervous System & Psychological Benefits

• Releases a cocktail of neurochemicals - primarily dopamine & beta-endorphins, linked to relaxation, euphoria (aka sauna bliss/high) & stress relief

• Recalibrates nervous system through both sympathatic then parasympathetic activation

• Reduces stress, anxiety, and overwhelm

• Releases stored tension in the fascia and tissues

• Encourages emotional softening and expression

• Creates a sense of safety and inner spaciousness

• Helps release held emotions

• Connection to self & others - Promotes safety in a group and co-regulation

• Is natural, removes some of the masks & is body positive and inclusive

Somatic & Energetic Benefits

• Builds capacity to feel sensation safely

• Enhances interoception (body-awareness)

• Clears stagnant energy in the body

• Supports grounding, clarity, and inner reset

• Reconnects you with cycles of heat–cold–rest

• Connects to the Elements & Nature

Community & Ritual Benefits (if group-based)

• Strengthens bonds and trust

• Creates shared, meaningful experiences

• Awakens ancient memory of communal bathing and tending

Who These Rituals Are For

These sessions are ideal for individuals seeking-

• holistic detox + renewal

• deeper embodiment & connection to senses and pleasure

• emotional release

• nervous system regulation

• a sacred personal or communal ritual

• supportive recovery from stress or burnout

• fun and connection with others through shared experience and ritual

• group meditation and co-regulation