The sauna at Thermea Spa Village Winnipeg is more than a place to sweat—it’s a stage where Ritual Artisans like Quincy Hiebert weave stories through heat, scent, and movement.
This summer, Quincy and her Winnipeg teammates are gearing up for Aufgusshow 2025, the Canadian National Sauna Performance Championship, hosted at Thermea Spa Village Whitby. The stakes are high: a chance to represent Canada at the AUFGUSS-WM world championships in Italy. For Hiebert, a former contemporary ballet dancer turned Aufgussmeister, this is an opportunity to showcase Winnipeg’s unique flair and make her community proud.
From Ballet to Sauna: Quincy’s Path to Ritual Artisan
Hiebert’s journey to Thermea Spa Village Winnipeg began with a leap of faith. A seasoned dancer with a background in contemporary ballet, she craved a new challenge after years with a Winnipeg dance program.
“My mom saw a posting for a Ritual Artisan at Thermea,” Hiebert recalls. “I had no clue what Aufguss was, but the idea of performing intrigued me.”
Her interview revealed a role that blended creativity and wellness—choosing essential oils, curating music, and guiding guests through sauna rituals. Trained by Thermea’s Artisans, Quincy brought her dance expertise into the sauna, introducing fluid, ballet-inspired movements with a giant wooden fan and her Aufguss towel.
“Guests love the grace of it,” she says. “It’s like choreography, but with heat and scent.”
Her first Aufguss was a revelation. Performing to a slow, instrumental track by an indie band, Hiebert felt both vulnerable and exhilarated in the intimate Finlandia sauna, which seats about 40.
“You’re so close to the guests—you see their reactions, their sweat, their peace,” she says. “I got lost in the music and the movement. It was exhausting but so fun.”
Crafting a Show Aufguss: Art in the Heat
An Aufguss is a guided sauna ritual where a Ritual Artisan, or Aufgussmeister, pours water infused with essential oils onto hot stones, creating fragrant steam. Using towels or fans, they circulate the scented, heated air to envelop guests, enhancing the thermal experience with music and choreography.
Unlike the meditative Aufguss rituals at Thermea Spa Village Winnipeg, a show Aufguss is a theatrical spectacle. Designed to entertain, it emphasizes storytelling, dramatic choreography, and bold sensory elements. For Quincy, planning a show Aufguss starts with the oils or music, depending on the vibe.
“Sometimes I pick oils based on the season or weather—like cozy scents for winter or bright ones for summer,” she says. “Other times, a song stuck in my head sets the tone.”
Her favourite blend? Mandarin Red, a sweet citrus oil, paired with Peru balsam, a resin with a balsamic glaze and powdery vanilla note. “It’s unique, like nothing you’ve smelled before.”
Music is her heartbeat. Quincy gravitates toward dynamic tracks with peaks and lows, like Florence & the Machine or Hozier, whose emotional depth resonates with guests.
“I match my towel and fan movements to the music’s rhythm,” she explains. Inspiration comes from nature, weather, and other Aufgussmeister on social media. “I’ll see a move online, practice it, and find a song that fits. Or I’ll imagine performing to a track and build the ritual from there.”
The Road to Whitby: Training for the National Stage
The Aufgusshow, the Canadian National Championship in Whitby, is a big leap. The Logga sauna there holds 90 people—more than double Winnipeg’s capacity—and features advanced lighting to enhance the show. Heibert’s preparation is intense: researching music that tells a progressive story, testing oil blends, and selecting props that work in the larger space.
“It’s a lot of cardio and stretching to build endurance,” she says. “I’m training at home and at work, perfecting every move.”
Last year’s competition in Chelsea, QC, gave her a taste of the big stage. Performing a duo with a colleague in a bigger sauna with coloured lights and 60 seats was a shock.
“It was a whole new layer of stage presence,” she says.
Winnipeg’s Unique Spark
Competing against Artisans from spas across Canada, Winnipeg’s team brings a distinct edge.
“We all have such unique styles,” Hiebert says. “Our music, our storytelling, our audience engagement—it’s unlike anything I’ve seen.”
Training in Winnipeg’s smaller sauna has taught them to maximize space, a skill they’ll unleash in Whitby’s larger arena. “We’re hungry for this,” she adds. “We’re ready to show what Winnipeg can do.”
The shift from Winnipeg’s intimate rituals to Whitby’s competitive stage is daunting. Quincy says that in Winnipeg, it’s about creating peace for a small group, whereas in Whitby, you’re performing for a crowd and judges who know Aufguss. It’s about precision and impact. The AUFGUSS-WM criteria judge heat distribution, charisma, and timing, making every detail critical.
A Dream Worth Chasing
For Hiebert, representing Winnipeg—and potentially Canada—in Italy would be a personal triumph.
She’s excited to perform her story in Whitby, explore the Logga sauna’s light setup, and learn from other Canadian Aufgussmeister.
Why Aufguss Matters
Quincy urges Winnipeggers to experience an Aufguss as it’s not just hot air—it’s a story, a performance, a healing moment. Guests have cried from joy or found rare peace in her rituals.
“It’s unlike anything else—your mind, body, and senses are fully engaged.”
She wishes more people knew the effort behind each ritual—the love poured into choosing oils, music, and movements—and that everyone is welcome, no matter their state of mind. One quirky tip? Instead of clapping, knock to show appreciation. It keeps sweat from flying!
As Hiebert prepares for Whitby, Winnipeg has a chance to rally behind her. The Aufgusshow isn’t just a competition—it’s a celebration of sauna culture, creativity, and community. Whether she’s waving her fan to Hozier or infusing the air with Mandarin Red, Hiebert is ready to make her city proud. Will she take the stage in Italy? For now, she’s focused on Whitby, where her story—and Winnipeg’s spirit—will shine.
“It would mean everything to honour my team, my dance roots, and the Artisans who trained me,” she says. “It’s about paving the way for Canada in the Aufguss world and showing what we can do.”
Written by Shayna Wiwierski, @shayna_apopofcolour
