A Fantastic Day from the Long Spring Holidays
Thank you to the Latvian Bathhouse and SPA Association, Aija Stepanova, and all the bathhouse lovers and bathmasters who visited our bathhouse. We experienced heartfelt warmth, sharing of knowledge and experiences, the first thunder, lightning, rain, the spirit of the sauna, and so much more...
Everything in nature and in a person is united.
On Saturday, we experienced a magical “berry” sauna day at the Lejasmārtiņi bathhouse — full of sensory “berries,” pearls of wisdom, and the blessings of nature. 🍓 The sun shone, thunder rumbled, and nature’s blessings pulsed from every corner as we visited the bathhouse couple Inese and Juris Vasiļevskis in Ķekava Municipality.
Such rare sauna days exist when the synergy between nature and bathmasters is so powerful that everything the bathmaster offers is pleasant and beneficial. The space and time itself seem to cooperate with the bathmaster. How else could the smiles of sauna guests smell sweet, and the heavy raindrops start dancing right after the bathing, not a moment before? The soul rejoices, and one feels whole — with oneself, with nature, with the sauna family — in the here and now. It’s in these moments that the feeling of true happiness is born: everything is one. 🧡
Inese and Juris thank their teachers — Aelita and Juris Batņa at the Lielzemene Sauna School and Sarmīte Strautmane at the Dziedaris Sauna School — who laid the foundation for their path, which began 13 years ago with the creation of the Lejasmārtiņi sauna and their unique sauna story.
On sauna day, we listened to our feelings — not just exploring the physical properties of plants but also tuning in to what our own sensations told us while mixing herbal scrubs. It was fascinating to see whether the “messages” aligned or differed. Inese revealed that every plant — be it a tree or the tiniest grass — has its own vibration that we can learn to sense. The more time we spend in nature and tune into plants, the stronger our sensations become. Then come miraculous revelations — some plants go unnoticed, while others call to us and "step into the light" to meet us. 💚 Plants sense our intentions, desires, and energy, and they “come” when called by a person.
Inese shared a message from an old oak: why do we rejoice at old, grand oaks, but not always at the wise, elderly people beside us? A paradox revealed by a tree. Each of us is responsible for growing into a strong, healthy, magnificent tree, with something to offer to the world. 🌳
Inese Vasiļevska shared much about plants and their use in the sauna. For instance, some herbs should not be used fresh in summer sauna sessions — such as marigold, St. John’s wort, angelica, and elecampane — to avoid skin burns. One summer favorite at Lejasmārtiņi is a bedstraw sauna bench covering. Yet Inese encourages us to use only those herbs we know and love, and to regularly enrich our knowledge of plants, discovering the miraculous plant world that exists to help us.
We made wonderfully aromatic herbal scrubs, each one unique — just like each of us. At Lejasmārtiņi, salt-based plant scrubs are treasured. Inese and Juris are mindful of salt in the sauna, urging people to read labels and check whether store-bought salt or baking soda is pure or mixed with anti-caking agents that can be harmful — even toxic. Inese recommends using rock salt, and soda is not used at all. To preserve the aroma and potency of herbs in scrubs, Inese suggests grinding them in small portions right before use, so the plant’s energy and essential oils don’t evaporate too soon.
A wonderful idea was a sauna meditation using juniper wood discs, on which everyone drew their feelings before and after the sauna using colored pencils. 🎨 A beautifully visual way to feel the impact of the sauna on one’s well-being, as drawing and writing emotions often comes more easily and brings delightful self-discoveries.
Inese and Juris say that only those who truly need to find their way to Lejasmārtiņi end up there — where the sauna rarely exceeds 60°C and radiates a deep, soothing warmth. Celebratory saunas, healing saunas, and “sauna births” are frequent here, attracting visitors from near and far — even from Japan, Australia, and the USA. Inese shares that the sauna connects people across the world with invisible threads.
A special experience happened during a “sauna birth” when guests from Tatarstan wanted a sauna blessing for their baby — a tradition they remembered from Soviet times and practiced for infants under one year. A grandmother had urged the young couple to find a Latvian sauna and repeat the ritual for their child, once again reminding us that everything is one. 🧡
Stepping through the sauna door and closing it, you enter another world where time stops and you can have a conversation with your inner spirit. Juris takes care of all the practical aspects, including preparing enough sauna whisks for the winter. Inese is responsible for the plants — for tea and scrubs. She says: “Together, we create an atmosphere where one can slowly surrender to the sauna process, so it is peaceful, safe, and as deep as the guest is ready to go.”
The story of sauna plants has grown beyond the sauna itself — Inese has created a heart-driven project: the natural cosmetics brand RUUTE, with a mission to help people awaken their senses to everything natural and valuable — also in beauty care. The positive effects of active plant compounds on the human body are truly admirable. Such are the nature-inspired “cocktails” Inese has created, including 💚the tale of yarrow: https://ruutecosmetics.com/.../pasaka-par-pelaski-inese...
Learn more about what was explored and discovered at Lejasmārtiņi sauna day here: https://latvjupsa.lv/2765-2/
This was the fourth event in the project “Sauna Days in Ķekava Municipality. Learning about sauna knowledge and healthy sauna practices.” Organized by the Latvian Bathhouse and SPA Association in cooperation with BDR Mežapuķes (Baldone). Supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Support Service, and Daugavkrasts Partnership.
The goal of the project is to educate residents of Ķekava Municipality on sauna knowledge and healthy sauna use, in order to preserve and maintain one of our cultural and historical values — the traditional Latvian sauna.
We look forward to more meetings on the sauna path in Ķekava Municipality 💚 — each one different, unique, and uniting sauna friends!