SAUNA Theatre, said to be the UK’s largest sauna, is sitting in the courtyard of the Summerhall arts venue in Edinburgh this month.
I’ve had so many questions ever since the concept was announced in May and as visitors have been invited to don swimwear and enjoy the heat, I couldn’t resist trying for myself.
The Sauna Theatre brings together a programme of Aufguss – an immersive experience using heat, essential oils, “towel work” and storytelling within the “soothing heat of sauna”.
It is the first project from Sauna Sessions Arts Club and has been founded by James Grieve and Lucy Osborne, who are its co-creative directors. There are nine experiences in their programme of events, from a sauna rave to a literary saloon.
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Greive was there on Saturday afternoon to introduce the show after around 80 of us had changed into our swimwear surrounded by Edinburgh tenements windows. The courtyard space has several changing huts, lockers and a stall where you can rent towels and borrow flip flops for free.
As we enter, we also see the showers and the large pools for cold plunging.
Greive explains that Aufguss – which comes from the German, meaning "infusion" or "pouring over” – is a multi-sensory sauna experience with a practitioner, known as an Aufgussmeister, pouring water or ice infused with natural infused oils on to hot coals before using a towel to circulate the steam around the sauna with rhythmic moves.
We were already feeling the heat before our two Aufgussmeister’s started the ritual. A man and a woman put two large balls of ice infused with oils over the coals and poured water over them.
The steaming had started and I was personally transported back to a sweat lodge in the Peruvian sacred valley with the scents swirling around.
Two other performers then started the show. They rhythmically told the story of the “Mysteries of the Picts”. Like a sensory audiobook, the pair shared how although there are 5 million people in Finland and 3 million saunas – more sauna than cars – it is not an imported practice.
Over the three acts, they share the dates and details of discoveries across Scotland and Ireland which theorise that the Picts created saunas and steam rooms across the country, and that this may have been the reason the land was known for having such great warriors which the Romans could not defeat – “or a place where they sterilised their tattoo equipment”.
With intermittent Aufgussmeister performances, we took breaks and piled out into the courtyard to use the showers, cold plunge and enjoy a drink if we fancied. Staff were on hand throughout to let us know when the next session started and at the side, you could see the performers taking time and recovering.
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During the second act, the Aufgussmeister’s had solo performances and in the third, a joint finale with the crowd clapping along and cheering in awe at their towel techniques.
So many extraordinary things are happening all over the capital throughout August, and in that sauna, I think everyone was surprised at their capacity to clap along and cheer while very much feeling the heat and pushing their bodies.
My partner later said the experience was cleansing for his hangover, and it overall set us both up for the rest of our day at the festival. It was also surprising how normal it all felt. How ancient and natural, you could say.
With the Fringe being infamously busy, overwhelming and oversaturated for locals, visitors and performers alike, this experience was soothing and energising – which I didn’t think I would ever describe a Fringe show as being.
I really would recommend it to everyone, and stress how doable it is in between shows with the facilities they have on site.
Sauna Theatre @ Summerhall Arts is on until August 31.
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