Joining the Big Leagues: An Aufguss Competition

There’s a storm in the forecast today, but at 8 a.m., the sky is looking as blue as can be. It already feels like a balmy 30 degrees outside. And it’s just going to get hotter.

Peeking behind the scenes of Nordik Spa Village this morning, you’d find a buzz of excitement, far from the calm that naturally defines the spa. Armelle, our guide for the day and Rituals Manager, describes the energy perfectly: It’s electric.

Right above the Russian Banya sauna, groups of Rituals Artisans from Winnipeg, Whitby and Chelsea are preparing to compete for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Setting the Scene

Why are we hosting an Aufguss competition

Have you ever heard of AUFGUSS-WM? We wouldn’t blame you if you hadn’t. It is both an exclusive international high-level competition and a community. Earlier this year, Canada was officially announced, along with the United States and Iceland, as one of the three new nations to join AUFGUSS-WM. While we won’t partake in the championship this year, a welcome ceremony will be held on September 8 in the Netherlands.

Today, July 24, duos of Rituals Artisans selected from Groupe Nordik’s spas in Winnipeg, Whitby, and, of course, Chelsea, will do everything they can to be the ones chosen to represent us. Paula, Thermea Spa Village’s General Manager and part of today’s jury explains how there’s been a renewed energy about Aufguss since we’ve decided to join World Masters. Martin, the founder of Groupe Nordik and its spas agrees and talks of a domino effect that is sure to enhance the quality of the Aufguss rituals we offer.

The theme of today’s competition: A Canadian Aufguss. Annie, another member of the jury and a Product Manager over at Groupe Nordik explains how sweat culture is so predominant in Nordic countries. “Technically, Canada is a Nordic country too, so we’re a little late to the game, but we’re finally ready to make our debut, with our own little Canadian touch.”

What even is an Aufguss

Simply put, an Aufguss is a sauna ritual. Water (or in Canadian fashion, snowballs) enriched with essential oils is added to the sauna’s stove to create steam and heat. Rituals Artisans, sometimes called Aufguss Masters or Aufgussmeisters, then circulate the air using towels or large fans to reach every guest of the sauna. An intense multisensory experience, no two Aufguss rituals are exactly alike.

What makes a good Aufguss

For the judges

The World Masters know what they want when they look at an Aufguss. There’s professionalism, team spirit, fragrance usage and dosage, waving techniques, atmosphere, overall feeling, increase and distribution of heat and themes and implementation. All these are spelled out in their official evaluation catalogue which today’s jury will use to determine the winning duo.

Some judges also keep an eye out for something else. Senior Director Jeff defines a good Aufguss by the goosebumps he gets. “When the heat and the passion hit you, it’s a bodily reaction caused entirely by the environment that the artisans have crafted.” Similarly, Marc-Antoine, VP of Product and Innovation, looks for rituals that take him on a journey. “For 10 minutes, I don’t want to be in Chelsea, I want to be in the universe that these two people created.”

For the public

Camille brings a fresh take: “Fluidity is paramount. The technique can be good. The choreography can be good, but if it doesn’t all flow with the music, what’s the point?” To Christine, who will make it through all 9 Aufguss rituals of the day, it’s all about goosebumps, similarly to Jeff. “You have to feel it at your core.”

Katarina and Byron, who came to the spa today with the goal of beating their record of 5 rituals in a day (spoiler: they beat it with 8 today) love a good towel swap between two artisans. In the end it’s the heat distribution and the powerful push that takes it all the way to their perch at the top of the sauna that really does it for them. For Philippe, a strong towel move and the wave of heat that follows is what makes a good ritual.

What it takes to make it

Every Rituals Artisan here today only got two months to prepare for the competition. That’s 60 days of choreographing, practising, creating and most importantly, sweating.

Megan and Sandrine, a Chelsea duo, tell us about how they utilized Sandrine’s apartment building’s shared spaces to practise, to the joy and displeasure of some of her neighbours.

Jacqueline and Kasha, a Whitby duo, joke about how they practically moved in together in preparation for the competition. Having opposite work schedules at the spa, they had to find time whenever they could. 6:30 a.m. practices in Whitby’s large—the largest in America—event sauna became common. “I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else,” adds Kasha as they show off the Aufguss skirts they made, using leaves from their gardens to stamp the fabric with forest green appliqués.

Taking the Stage

8 unique Aufguss rituals

Whitby: Jacqueline and Kasha

Jacqueline and Kasha are our first duo of the day. Even though Jacqueline barely slept last night, they still spent this morning braiding greenery into each other’s hair. Standing tall in front of the sauna’s oven, they take a big breath and begin their celebration of Canada as the first snowball starts to melt.

As wild bergamot and yarrow fill the sauna, they expertly wave towels to disperse the heat and scents. They incorporate holding hands into their choreography seamlessly. The second snowball to make its way onto the stone is filled with hemlock and spruce, two plants readily available in Whitby. The duo’s addition of local tree veniks to the end of their ritual is a nod to the exclusive Arboreal ritual of Groupe Nordik’s spas, and a refreshing way to disperse scent, heat and water droplets through the sauna.

Want to add to your Aufguss playlist? Jacqueline and Kasha played Canadian artists City and Colour and Moontricks during their performance.

Winnipeg: Tasha and Amara

Tasha and Amara bring us the second Aufguss this morning. With Amara’s circus background and Tasha’s bachelor in Kinesiology, their love of movement and respect for the sauna is what guides their practice.

The pair showcases a twist on a classic. The first burst of essential oil to make it from the oven as music croons through the sauna is a blend of bright blood orange and petitgrain orange. As fat droplets begin to fall from the sky outside, the inside of the sauna is filled with sunshine. The balance of gentle and powerful movements from the duo makes for a lovely tableau. Sweet, floral and herbal rhododendron is the next essential oil to touch the sauna’s oven along with spicy black pepper for an energizing finish.

Chelsea: Romy and Fred

Nervous but excited, it’s Romy and Fred’s turn. The sauna is lit up in red at their request, a nod to the Canadian voyage we will soon undertake. Walking into the sauna with their backpacks, the duo lets us tag along on a road trip through Canada. From the Maritimes to the Rockies and ending somewhere along the West Coast, the storytelling aspect of the ritual is one they clearly hold near and dear.

The first snowball is reminiscent of the ocean and its freshness with eucalyptus and peppermint while the second takes us to the forest with balsam fir and juniper berries. After the ritual, Katarina and Byron, diehard fans of Aufguss, note their excitement at having been engulfed in a cloud of Juniper berries since Byron’s family is from BC and it reminds him of home.

Whitby: Ryan and Abby

Up next is Ryan and Abby. Walking into the sauna with Aufguss skirts that look as if they’ve been made from a lumberjack’s flannel, there is no question on the theme: the True North. Watching them perform their ritual, you’d never believe they only had 30 minutes to familiarize themselves with the Finlandia sauna last night. A perfect complement to each other, they know just how to let their partner shine. Mouthing lyrics, with colour high on their cheeks as Michael Bublé croons about how good he’s feeling, the sauna smells like the forest and the yuzu and wild mint of the first infusion.

Their excitement is palpable after their performance. The discovery of the nature of their relationship makes the ritual we just witnessed even sweeter: they’re actually a couple. As the sun comes back out after the first downpour of the morning, the pair gushes about how incredible it was to perform in front of the judges who, “made [them] want to try even harder.”

Want to add to your Aufguss playlist? Abby and Ryan played Canadian artists The Sheepdogs, Michael Bublé and Patrick Watson during their performance.

Chelsea: Zacharie and Xavier

After a short break for lunch filled with electrolytes for the judges who will sit through 9 Aufguss rituals today, it’s Zacharie and Xavier’s time to shine. The duo has home-based advantage as the sauna fills with whom they jokingly refer to as their fan club.

Clad in tuques, mitts, suspenders and the more sensible linen pants, they welcome us to the Frères Drouins sugar shack. Hop on an imaginary horse-drawn carriage through the maple forest. While we share a brunch, we drink hot mulled apple cider. Cinnamon, cajeput and clove essential oils bring the drink to life. While the storytelling is impressive, so is the synchronicity of all their movements. Incorporating traditional Québec dances and songs into their routines takes any local who has been to a sugar shack back to that feeling. The second infusion brings with it the opportunity to, as Zacharie says “se sucrer le bec” with some maple taffy in the form of thuya, Peru balsam and copal essential oils. Xavier even plays the spoons once and invites us to dance or clap our hands in time with the music.

In a cold pool after their performance, Jeff, one of our judges says he had goosebumps twice during this ritual.

Whitby: Victoria and Barbara

The Ontario duo invites us to take a trip up north. Whether the perfect vacation for us is at a campsite or in a cozy cottage, Barbara and Victoria will take us there today. Palmarosa and green mint essential oils fill the air as we journey through the forest. In between towel movements, they set the scene: now that we’re out of the city, we can look up and see the stars. It’s the perfect time for a campfire, brought on by melting snowballs filled with balsam fir. As they continue to disperse the steam, they both reach their hands to the sky, ensuring the heat at the highest level of the sauna is still manageable. It’s then that they announce that the last 60 seconds of their ritual will be a heat shower “if you can handle it.” As the towels wave to the beat and the heat stops just shy of unbearable, it’s a job well done for the two friends from Whitby.

Having traded the grand event sauna of Whitby for the cozy Finlandia in Chelsea, they reflect on how the heat filled the sauna in a beautiful way today.

Chelsea: Sandrine and Megan

Lucky number 7 Sandrine and Megan bring us an Aufguss ritual that marries English, French and Anishinaabemowin. It begins with sage, one of the sacred medicines, along with lemon and cinnamon for the bannock we’ve come to know as beaver tails.

With a sauna filled with warming scents, they speak of the Thunderbird. An emblem of protection, power, survival and strength within the Indigenous community. Its wingspan is said to be two canoes wide. When it flies, the flapping of its wings creates thunder and brings about the rains of change. As if the universe was on their side, thunder roars outside and lighting lights up the sauna. The result is immersive and magical in a way. As the downpour truly begins, they continue. Perfectly in sync with nature, their music and each other, each movement of the towel resonates.

After having cooled down a bit, they share details that may have been missed in the haze of the sauna. They reached out to local Indigenous business Mini Tipi to make their Aufguss skirt and then painted their nails to match. Megan and Sandrine’s university courses on feminism and indigenous studies made them ask, “what can I do for the community?” This Aufguss is a great first step on the road to educating others on indigenous culture.

Want to add to your Aufguss playlist? Sandrine and Megan played Indigenous artist Jeremy Dutcher’s renditions of Oqiton and Honour Song during their performance.

Winnipeg: Quincy and Mohammad

Quincy and Mohammad make their way towards the sauna to perform the last Aufguss of the competition. Mohammad is dressed as the sun as Quincy represents the moon: they are a study in contrast. The heat of the Aufguss that is to come, and the coldness of the plunge that will follow. The first snowball is calm, with lime and cedar while the second is energetic and powerful with pure balsam. Even in their towel movements during the ritual, the contrast is there. From Quincy’s artful choreography to Mohammad’s stability and strength, it all comes together to create a harmonious blend. The darkness brought by the storm makes the black lights of the sauna shine. The white towels and grand fan the duo use glow until the very end.

The Final Act

Choosing the winners

Using the rigorous evaluation grid of the AUFGUSS-WM, the judges sit down in the Lounge and, with difficulty, transform art into numbers. A point here for heat distribution. A deduction of half a point for dropping the towel, literally. Another point for charisma. Another deduction for going overtime. And so on, until a podium becomes clear, and a duo of winners is nearly sent on their way to the Netherlands.

And the winners are...

The third place goes to Whitby’s lovebirds: Abby and Ryan whose connection was undeniable.

The second place goes to Chelsea’s very own Sandrine and Megan whose attention to detail and incredible storytelling was recognized.

“And for the first place”, Marc-Antoine pauses, with a hint of suspense: The Drouin Brothers! As raucous cheer echoes in the Lounge, Xavier and Zach barely have a moment to bask in their joy as they must now perform an encore.

Less than an hour later, the sauna is filled with other participants, friends and coworkers. Surrounded by their peers, with a weight lifted from their shoulders, light as a feather as they perform their ritual one more time, the stoic pair cracks more smiles than they have all day. And there’s no question why.

But it’s not over yet, like Martin says in his closing speech of the evening “This is just the beginning.” The Drouin Brothers have barely two months to prepare for their euro-adventure. On September 8, they’ll be in Thermen Bussloo in the Netherlands, side-by-side with American and Icelandic Aufgussmeisters serving as ambassadors sharing their passion for the Canadian world of sweat culture.

Chelsea

Winnipeg

Whitby