How to turn a sauna visit into a mini spa with things you have at home?

Going to the spa is lovely – refreshing yourself in the pools, taking part in the exciting rituals led by the sauna masters, having a massage or a body treatment done… but a mini spa can also be created at home. Elamus SPA head sauna master Johanna Jakobson recommends doing sauna rituals at home, as it makes bathing more exciting and more varied. During sauna rituals you can, for example, do skin care, meditate or clear the airways with different aromas. Johanna gives advice on how to turn a sauna visit into a mini spa yourself, with things you have at home.

Advice on which ingredients to use in a body scrub

Johanna moisturises her facial skin daily, and once a week when at home she has a more thorough skin-care day, using different body scrubs and moisturisers.

Once a week she leads sauna rituals at Elamus SPA and during the skin-care rituals she does the body scrub or moisturising along with the visitors.

When working as a sauna master, Johanna mixes the body scrubs herself. She considers shea butter her most favourite ingredient, as it moisturises, nourishes and softens the skin very well. She shares a tip: if you get a tattoo, shea butter helps it heal faster and better than any cream bought from a pharmacy.

Of the body scrubs, Johanna’s favourite is a honey-sugar mix. She mostly uses it on facial skin only. She explains that sugar exfoliates the skin very gently – which is why it is the best for the face.
Honey is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, and it also moisturises the skin. As a result you achieve silky soft skin.

Three body scrubs Johanna recommends making yourself:

Honey-sugar mix

For the honey-sugar mix you have to mix runny honey and ordinary sugar together. Johanna adds that the finer the sugar, the more gently it exfoliates.

Johanna recommends going by feel when mixing, but using about three times less honey than sugar. If you want a runnier mix, add more honey, and for a drier mix, less.

Once you have an even mix, apply it to the facial skin with circular movements and massage until all the sugar grains have dissolved. When the grains have dissolved, you can rinse it off right away, but you can also leave it on the skin for 5–10 minutes and then rinse.

Honey-salt mix

For the honey-salt mix you need to mix runny honey and sea salt together. Johanna warns that ordinary table salt may be too harsh on the skin.

The recommended amount is the same as for the honey-sugar mix, meaning three times less honey than salt.

With salt Johanna recommends exfoliating only the body, not the facial skin, as facial skin may be too delicate.

Spread the mix over the whole body, using a larger amount on the soles of the feet and elbows, for example, as these places usually need the most exfoliating. The sauna master recommends massaging the mix into the skin until all the salt grains have dissolved from the skin, and then rinsing it off.

Sugar and shea butter body scrub

To make this mix you should combine equal amounts of shea butter and sugar.

Massage the mix into damp skin until the sugar grains have dissolved and the shea butter has absorbed. Afterwards rinse yourself clean.

A body scrub with shea butter and sugar has several jobs: shea butter helps retain moisture in the skin and softens it, while rubbing with sugar removes dead skin cells.

• The sauna master recommends using all these mixes in the sauna or straight out of the shower, so that the skin is sufficiently damp, clean and receptive to the body scrubs.

Music and aromas create a meditative experience

Johanna recommends the sauna as a very pleasant place to meditate. For this, when going to the sauna it is worth putting on meditation music, adding aromas to the steam water and simply letting yourself be for a while. At the same time, sweating frees the body of toxins and gets the circulation going better.

Music has its place in the steam ritual too – put on some pleasant music, take along whisks, a towel for making wind, cold water and one pleasant aroma that clears the airways.

Music creates the mood, whisking cleanses the body of toxins, speeds up the metabolism and improves circulation. Making wind with a towel gets the air in the sauna moving better and brings sharper heat to the body. The sauna master recommends toughening yourself up with cold water towards the end of the ritual, to strengthen the immune system.

Elamus SPA offers a wide choice of sauna rituals

Elamus SPA has a wide choice of sauna rituals, which are free for visitors. Enjoy them and take away some tips to make your sauna visit at home more exciting too!

Aroma journey in the forest

Walking in a spring forest, you can feel nature coming to life, the leaves caressing you and the senses calming down.

Aroma journey into freshness

A warm sauna and refreshing aromas clear the airways, add energy and make you feel alive.

Aroma journey to the land of sleep

A flower-scented sauna creates a calm mind and helps body and spirit relax. Sweet sleep is guaranteed.

Honeyed exfoliation

In a low-temperature salt sauna you can exfoliate your skin silky soft with various mixes and nourish it with sweet honey.

The magic of whisks

You should always go to the sauna in a good mood and with a calm mind. Against a background of relaxing music, the sauna master introduces different whisks, their aromas and their touch.

The power of steam

A hot sauna together with whisking has been distinctive to Estonians since the time of our ancestors. Gradually building up the heat activates the metabolism and relaxes the muscles. As a bonus you can let yourself go and take a little cold plunge.