Every Ritual Artisan has their own story: a first encounter, a spark of curiosity, a moment when everything suddenly feels right. For Quincy Hiebert, that moment came the first time she stepped into the sauna as a performer.
At Thermea Spa Village Winnipeg, her journey from the dance studio to the sauna became a rediscovery of rhythm and presence. What began with a nudge from her mother soon turned into a calling that blended artistry, heat, and human connection.
Before discovering Aufguss, Quincy spent her life in motion as a contemporary dancer. When she decided to leave the stage behind, she was searching for a new challenge and a new way to express herself. The answer came from an unexpected source: her mother.
“As much as I would love to take credit for discovering my love of Aufguss, my mom was the mastermind behind it all,” she laughs. “She sent me the job application with the text ‘This is perfect for you. Apply right now.’ So I did. And of course, she was absolutely correct.”
From the first time she moved a towel to music, something clicked. “It felt like everything made sense again in my life and my body.”
Two weeks of training later, Quincy was ready to step into the heat for her very first performance. Unlike the theatres she was used to, the sauna felt intimate and alive.
“I remember feeling more determined than anything else,” she recalls. “The sauna felt so different from a theatre, where the audience was nothing but a black void. Here, I could see everyone’s expressions, their sweat, and smiles. It created a new feeling of closeness and connection to my audience I had never experienced before.”
That sense of shared experience and of energy moving in both directions became the heartbeat of her practice.
For her debut performance, Quincy chose a single song: I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It by The 1975. “It has such an uplifting feeling,” she says. “And I’ve always resonated with the line, ‘Before you go, turn the big light off.’ I despise overhead artificial light: I’m strictly a natural and mood lighting person.”
Her oil choices were simple: yuzu and eucalyptus smithii. “Looking back, it was definitely basic,” she admits. “But I’ve always been obsessed with lemons, so yuzu was just a natural choice.”
As for the movements, Quincy kept them classic but intentional. “I made sure every move hit a beat with the music,” she says. “I played with the dynamics—slow and fast, soft and sharp—just like in dance.”
Two years later, Quincy’s style continues to evolve with her music and mood. “I find myself enjoying more energetic and contemporary sessions,” she explains. “I want people to leave the sauna feeling uplifted. We need more things to smile about nowadays, and I want to give that to as many people as I can.”
If she could redo that first Aufguss today, she says the spirit would stay the same, but her technique would shine brighter. “It would still be simple and classic movements, just with way better technique,” she laughs. “Except for the ending. I’ve been practising using two towels, and the last bit of that song picks up perfectly for some fun, dual-wielding work.”
As for the oils, she would keep something citrusy, like bergamot, and pair it with ho sho, cedar, or petitgrain. “And if it were my own personal sauna,” she adds, “I’d end with a smoke ritual: Palo Santo or myrrh, for sure.”
For Quincy, her first Aufguss wasn’t just a performance: it was a reunion with movement and connection. From the stage to the sauna, she found new ways to express rhythm, share joy, and spark smiles through heat and scent.
It’s a reminder that every beginning holds the potential to rekindle something within us.
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