How to Aufguss

Everything You Need to Know (and a Few Things You Probably Didn't) Before Your First Aufguss
From a Certified Sauna Master

If you've visited Saunaday on a Wednesday evening this summer (or one of our special events), you've probably heard someone say, "You have to try the Aufguss."

If you're like 99% our guests, your next thought is probably:
Auf-what? Am I supposed to sign up? How intense is it? How do you...Aufguss?

One of the things I love most about Aufguss is that it's both deeply rooted in tradition and still evolving all around us. It's a living sauna culture, and we're fortunate to be watching it take hold in the United States in real time.

It's also one of those experiences that, without fail, can make me cry. If you know me, you know that isn't exactly a high bar—but there is something so incredibly moving about sharing an experience like this with a room full of strangers. For ten minutes, everyone is simply breathing the same air, feeling the same heat, and letting themselves be cared for. In a world that prioritizes individual over the collective, and asks us to perform, produce, and constantly look at our phones, it feels like such a rare thing.

Before I freak you out too much on why I love this, here's everything you need to know (and probably a whole lot more than you needed to know) before your first Aufguss.

And if this is all a little TL;DR? Just show up curious. We'll guide you the rest of the way.

Sauna Master Danielle moving steam and aroma through the room with towel choreography

First Things First: What is Aufguss?

Aufguss (pronounced off-GUS or sometimes off-GOOSE) is a German word that literally translates to "pour over."

The tradition began in Germany in the 1970s, when sauna attendants started pouring water infused with essential oils over hot stones and circulating the rising heat throughout the sauna with towels or fans.

What began as a practical way to refresh the sauna evolved into something much more: a guided ritual that combines heat, aroma, music, movement, and hospitality.

Today, Aufguss is one of the defining traditions of European sauna culture. Entire careers are built around becoming exceptional Sauna Masters, and there are even international competitions where masters choreograph immersive experiences judged on technique, storytelling, heat management, lighting design, and guest experience.

Here in the United States, the tradition is growing quickly. American Sauna Masters are now just two years into competing on the world stage, and here at Saunaday we're excited to be part of introducing this ritual to more guests every week. While there are currently only ~50 Sauna Masters certified by the Deutsche Sauna Akademie in the United States, we're proud to have five (!!) of them call Saunaday home.

Sauna Master Barbara preparing to drop the first snowball of the session on the stove

How to Join an Aufguss at Saunaday

The biggest point of confusion is usually timing. If our Wednesday schedule lists Aufguss sessions at 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m., those are the times the sessions begin.

That means you'll want to reserve an appointment that starts at least 15–30 minutes beforehand, giving yourself enough time to check in, change, take a quick rinse, and be waiting outside the Cedar Sauna when the Sauna Master is ready to begin.

I've Arrived...Why Is the Sauna Door Open?

A few minutes before the session, you may notice the Cedar Sauna door standing open. I know we typically all want to get that door closed as soon as possible, but prior to an Aufguss session this is very intentional.

Before each Aufguss, the Sauna Master prepares the room by lowering the humidity (door open!), setting out snowballs and botanicals, and getting everything ready for the ritual. Although it might feel natural to head inside early, it's actually best to wait just outside the sauna until you're invited in.

When the Sauna Master is ready, they'll welcome everyone inside together.

Next, Choose Your Seat

Before entering, grab one of our rolled sauna towels and find a comfortable place to sit.A few helpful tips for your first session:

• Heat rises! Higher benches are hotter than lower benches.

• The upper corners of the sauna are typically the hottest places in the room.

• You're always welcome to move to a lower bench during the session if you'd like a gentler experience. If it’s crowded, just tap someone on the shoulder and we’ll make room.

There's no best seat in the house—only the one that feels right for your body that day.

Once You're Inside...

We like to say simply breathe and receive.

Unlike a social sauna, Aufguss is a guided experience. The Sauna Master will lead the session through heat, aroma, music (or sometimes silence), and towel or fan techniques designed to circulate the heat.

While there may be smiles, laughter, even cheers after an especially beautiful towel movement, or moments of shared connection, this generally isn't the time for conversation or questions.

Just soften, and feel the music and air move around you. Allow yourself to be immersed in the experience.

If you're curious about anything, save your questions for afterward. Our Sauna Masters are always happy to chat once they've had a few minutes to cool down themselves.

What Happens During the Session?

Most Saunaday Aufguss sessions last 10–12 minutes and evolves over three parts. This could include three different essential oil snowballs or botanical infusions, and/or three songs.

Each Sauna Master brings their own style. Some sessions are quiet and meditative. Others are playful, energizing, or deeply emotional. We encourage guests to keep an open mind. Sometimes the experience you think you need isn't the one that ultimately gives you exactly what you came for.

With each song, the Sauna Master places a fresh snowball infused with a different essential oil blend onto the hot stones. As the snowball melts, fragrant steam fills the room while towel or fan techniques gently circulate the heat throughout the sauna. Alternatively, some sauna masters might use botanicals our essential oil diffusers.

These towel or fan movements aren't simply for show—they serve the very practical purpose of moving heat through the room. But they are also incredibly beautiful to watch. Recently chatting with a member after his first Aufguss, he said shared that it was the most entertaining 12 minutes he’d ever experienced in the sauna.

Feel free to keep your eyes open to watch the show...or drop-in and close them entirely.

Each round builds upon the last as the aroma, atmosphere, and intensity gradually evolve.

Sauna Master Stina moving air with silk fans

Essential Oils & Allergies

Every Aufguss features a different blend of essential oils or fresh botanicals.

Before each session, you'll find that evening's scents listed on our chalkboard schedule. If you have allergies, asthma, fragrance sensitivities, migraines triggered by scent, or simply dislike a particular aroma, we encourage you to review the schedule beforehand and decide whether you'd like to participate.

If not, the Aspen Sauna remains open throughout the evening. We added Aspen into the Bathing Ritual at Saunaday for this purpose—it’s considered the industry standard for guests with asthma, chemical sensitivities, or cedar allergies because the wood is virtually resin-free and releases very few airborne aromatic compounds.

What If I Get Too Hot?

It will happen sometimes—and it's completely okay. If you begin feeling lightheaded, dizzy, or uncomfortable, choose to move down a bench and/or quietly leave the sauna and let one of our team members know. We recommend finding a seat immediately while someone comes to you.

Our team is trained to help you cool down and will happily bring you water or electrolytes if needed.

As our Aufguss mentor Sauna Master Nate Daubert likes to say:

"It's much less embarrassing to leave an Aufguss early than to pass out in the sauna."

While a little dramatic, the point is received. Listening to your body is always the right decision.

Sauna Master Lynsey sharing botanicals harvested fresh from her garden

What Happens Afterward?

After each session, the Sauna Master leaves the Cedar Sauna door open for several minutes so the humidity can return to its baseline. Although Aufguss temporarily creates an intensely humid environment, traditional German sauna bathing is typically practiced in relatively dry heat for optimal sweating and cardiovascular benefits. (Sidenote: At Saunaday during non-Aufguss sessions, that humidity level translates to roughly one scoop of water on the stones per hour in Cedar—often even less when the sauna is well occupied, as guests naturally increase humidity through respiration and perspiration.)

During your reset time after an Aufguss, we recommend something like this:

• Drink some water (grab a SALTT packet at the front for additional electrolytes).

• Take a shower. Warm water on your feet is actually a wonderfully German way to help your body return toward neutral.

• Rest for a few minutes.

• Enjoy a 30-second to 2-minute cold plunge.

• Relax in the steam room or one of our lounge spaces.

• Attend another Aufguss if your reservation and space allows! If your reservation is nearing its end and you'd like to stay for another session, simply stop by the front desk. If we have availability, we'll happily help extend your visit.

The Auf-Geese at our regular Tuesday practice session 🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿

The Best Way to Experience Aufguss

Your first Aufguss may surprise you—because it's much more than a hotter or steamier sauna.

It's hospitality meeting aromatherapy. Performance meeting healing ritual. Heat therapy meeting culture. Individual experience becoming shared experience.

And no two Aufguss sessions are ever quite the same! Each Sauna Master brings their own background, personality, and creative voice to the ritual. At Saunaday, our diverse and talented Aufguss team (affectionately called the Aufgeese 🪿) draws inspiration from practices as varied as botanical medicine, yoga, breathwork, Dutch-style sauna gus, silk fan flow arts, hooping, music, and movement. The result is a collection of experiences that all honor the same tradition while feeling uniquely their own.

That's part of what makes Aufguss so exciting right now. While rooted in German sauna culture, it's still evolving—and we're all getting to witness that evolution together. As our program grows, we'll continue adding new sessions, exploring new styles, and welcoming Guest Gus from around the country and beyond to share their craft with our community.

In the end, my hope behind this is really simple: to help make Madison a destination for exceptional Aufguss and to build one of the Midwest's most vibrant sauna communities.

It's difficult to fully explain what Aufguss feels like (and why it means to much to me) until you've watched the first snowball melt onto the stones, breathed in the first wave of fragrant steam, and felt an entire room of strangers exhale as one.

I hope you’ll join us on the bench 🧡