Aufguss Take 2, Pirts Experience - The Spirit of Latvia?

Postcards from the Touchless Edge? No. 4?, by Erin Lee & Alina Hernandez

In our last postcard, we took you into the world of the Aufguss competition, a high altitude journey taking us to the heights of heat experiences, and all things event sauna at Thermen Busloo, in the Touchless universe. In this next postcard, we do a close-up of an experience that left us profoundly relaxed and deepened our understanding of the more intrinsic and holistic elements of aufguss including culture, meaning making and even spiritual undertones and awakening.?

Here’s our take on the Latvian sauna experience, Pirts.?

“Miesai un Garam IK”?

According to SEIC (Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship in Countryside), LATVIAN TRADITIONAL PIRTS* (BATHHOUSE) RITUALS?

“Latvian traditional?pirts?is known as wet bathhouse, where one gets use of the hot air, moisture (steam), water and plants as they work on human organism. Several types of?pirts?are accessible in Latvia and one of them is called?smoke?or black?pirts.??It is the oldest bathhouse that Latvians have used over many centuries. Steam bath is both physical and spiritual purification, self-harmonisation, evening up of all functions, and source of energy.”? This echoed our experience – and more.?

We were initiated to the Pirts experience outside, creating a human circle around a serene pool where Benoit De Bock, our host and “pirts master,” introduced the ritual and its rich history. His goal, as he beautifully put it, was to "guide others in achieving harmony and well-being through natural treatments."??

Establishing a tranquil and sacred tone, we were guided into the Pirts in silence, taking our places on the wooden benches. As we entered, we were greeted by the soothing warmth of the log-burning stove, mingled with a welcoming aroma that filled the air. The gentle sound of the Handpan (a steel drum) resonated softly in the background, while the air was delicately infused with the scent of nature (burning herbs), setting the scene for a calming and immersive atmosphere.??

Guided by gentle chanting we were taken to a state of quiet, relaxed breathing. What followed was a harmonizing mix? of? intensity of music mirroring the increasing heat from the stove. We were rhythmically wafted with a variety of tree leave whisks including — birch, English oak, red oak, linden, maple, sweet gale, and eucalyptus — each adding its distinct fragrance to the air. Along with the leaves, herbs like mugwort, wormwood, lavender, mint, yarrow, and tansy were introduced, heightening the sensory experience.??

Essential oils of birch and birch tar permeated the room, deepening the feeling of purification, while infusions of linden tea were used to enhance the therapeutic effects of the steam. The combination of the growing heat, music, and aromatic elements created a deeply immersive, multi-sensory ritual that transported us into a state of profound relaxation and connection.??

Just as the heat peaked, the windows and door were thrown open, flooding the room with a refreshing burst of cool air. We were then doused with cool water from the branches, revitalising us as we continued our journey.??

We made our way to the lake, where we gathered before entering the water...walking barefoot, in silence, and with mindfulness and the invitation to go inside. As we arrived on the shore and joined hands and, with eyes closed, entered the chilly but invigorating water, creating a group spiraling figure as we entered the water as a collective. Each individual focusing on their breathing and the connection between us. On the count of three, we submerged, repeating with joyous abandonment.?

Afterward, we returned to the pirts for a second session, similar to the first, but this time it felt easier to reach a deeper, more personal space. Guided meditation helped to focus and release tension. Despite being in a room with 50 others, there was a sense of solitude and inner stillness.??

As the ritual concluded, we each exited the room in silence.??

?Reflecting later on our experience, we gathered our thoughts and summarised the key pieces that makes pirts so special in the sauna realm.?

• “Miesai un Garam IK” (For the Body and Soul), a true immersive experience, screens not included!??
• The Magic’s in the Steam – The Latvian pirts is a traditional steam bath, akin to a sauna, yet distinguished by its singular practices deeply rooted in Latvian folklore and wellness traditions. We realised that the beauty of what Benoit and Elizabeth had done, was to mirror an authentic pirts experience, that in its natural setting occurs housed in a small wooden structure or log cabin, often nestled in nature, and near a river or lake.??

• Latvian pirts is unique at the root, and very much a Naturopathic treatment experience because it offers emotional relaxation, physical therapy, aroma therapy, and hydro therapeutical procedures, to which massage and cosmetology can be added. The experience can be highly spiritual and healing, focusing on cleansing the body, mind, and spirit.??

• Flapping and massage with besom (plants and twigs bound in a bunch) is a specific massaging technique that enhances circulation of blood in upper layer of skin and deepest tissues. Circulation of blood, lymph and inter-cellular fluid is stimulated in the whole body. Any besom exudes phytoncids that neutralise bacteria engendering diseases, and volatile oils, while triggering the feel-good and evidence benefits similar to Forest Bathing.? Besom is delivered with movements that are elastic, gentle, and gently touch the body like a light caress.??

In our final reflection, we realised that the pirts offers a unique “journeying” from the outside to the inward states of the mind, and in so doing, calms the mind and elevates the spirit.?

It is a deep invitation to; “trust the process,” a reminder that, in the hectic and often automated stress of modern life, the pirts is like a meditation – communing with nature that at its core is a biophilic experience that deeply connects us to the outdoors while being cocooned in a log house - bringing the forest in with all of birch, oak, lavender, and other botanical wonders while ushering in a wellness ritual that is at once deeply personal, and a collective experience that shows us just how connected we are to others on our natural world.??

Until next time, in"Touchless Synergy"

?Erin & Alina?