The Sauna Ritual Everyone is Talking about

Aufguss is getting a lot of attention right now. Major publications have covered it. Spas are adding it to their programming. There is an Aufguss World Championship held every year in Europe.

But the ritual itself is not complicated. Understanding what it is, and why it works, is straightforward once you strip away the performance elements that come with its public version.

What Aufguss Actually Is

Aufguss is a German word. It translates roughly as "infusion" or "pour over."

In practice, it describes a specific approach to a sauna session: water infused with essential oils is poured over hot stones, and a fan or towel is used to move the rising steam deliberately through the room.

That's it. Heat, scent, and intentional airflow.

The result is a session that feels more complete than a standard sauna. The heat reaches you more evenly. The scent moves with the steam instead of staying concentrated near the ceiling. The room responds to what you do rather than just sitting at a fixed temperature.

Where It Comes From

The practice has roots in both Finnish and German sauna culture.

In Finland, the tradition of throwing water on hot stones, löyly, is foundational. The steam created by that pour is considered the soul of the sauna. Getting it right matters. ‍

In Germany and the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, that practice evolved into something more structured. Saunameisters developed specific techniques for distributing steam using towels and fans. The essential oils came in as the ritual became more deliberate. The fan technique became something that could be taught, practiced, and refined.

Today aufguss has spread well beyond its origins. It is practiced in spas across Europe, increasingly in the United States, and by individuals in home saunas who want more from their sessions.

Why the Fan Matters

A sauna without a fan is passive. Heat rises and collects near the ceiling. The upper portion of the room becomes intensely hot while the lower air stays cooler. When you pour water on the stones, steam rises quickly, lingers near the top, and slowly drifts down — or moves toward the vent without ever passing through the space evenly.

A fan changes the physics of the room.

Used after a pour, the fan brings heat down from above and moves steam through the space in a controlled way. The motion is not forceful. It is directional. A few deliberate passes is enough to even out the temperature, carry the scent to where you are actually sitting, and make the room feel more consistent from floor to ceiling.

This is what drew us to building the Starboard North fan. Not the performance aspect of aufguss, but the functional one. A well-made fan is a tool for controlling how heat moves. That is useful whether you are practicing traditional aufguss or simply trying to get more out of a standard session.

Why Essential Oils Behave Differently in Aufguss

Scent in a sauna is not straightforward.

Most essential oils are designed for cold-air diffusers. They are optimized for slow, low-temperature evaporation in open air. In a sauna, the conditions are completely different: temperatures above 180°F, rapid humidity spikes, and steam that moves fast.

Standard oils react accordingly. They spike with intensity on the first pour, then disappear. What's left is heat and water with almost no scent behind it.

Aufguss practice addresses this problem in two ways. First, by using oils specifically formulated for high-heat conditions — oils that are built to open gradually and hold rather than flash off immediately. Second, by using the fan to move scent through the room as it rises rather than letting it collect and dissipate near the ceiling.

When both elements work together, a well-structured oil and deliberate airflow, scent settles into the room instead of disappearing from it. It moves with the heat. It remains as the session builds.‍ ‍

This is the principle behind the Starboard North essential oil blends. Not intensity on the first pour. Behavior across the full session.

What Aufguss Looks Like in a Spa vs. At Home

‍In a professional spa setting, aufguss is often theatrical. A trained Saunameister leads a group session, chooses the music and the oils, performs specific towel or fan movements choreographed to the session arc. Some sessions incorporate costumes, narrative, and lighting. The Aufguss World Championship includes categories for this kind of theatrical performance.

That version is compelling to watch. It is also not what most people will do at home.

At home, aufguss is simpler. It is a solo or small-group practice of intentional heat management. You heat the room fully. You add a few drops of oil to your ladle water. You pour deliberately and let the steam rise. You use a fan to shape where it goes.

The difference between an aufguss session and a standard sauna is not complexity. It is attention. You are making choices about how the heat moves instead of just waiting for it to reach you.

How to Start

You do not need much.

A sauna that is fully heated before you begin. A ladle. Essential oils formulated for heat — not home diffuser oils. And a fan designed for sauna use, with enough surface area to move air without requiring force.

Add three to five drops of oil to your ladle water, not the bucket. Pour gently over the stones. Let the steam rise and settle briefly. Then use the fan in slow, controlled passes to move it through the room.

Give the room time to respond between pours. Aufguss works best when it builds gradually. The goal is not to fill the space all at once. It is to layer heat and scent in a way that holds.

That is aufguss. Practiced simply, it is one of the most effective ways to improve what a sauna session actually feels like.

The Starboard North aufguss fan is handmade in Michigan for home sauna use. Our essential oil blends are formulated specifically for heat and steam — structured to open gradually and hold across a full session rather than flash off on the first pour.