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Diary Highlights
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15 Sep 2021
Hamlet, Robin Hood and Marie Curie inspire sauna masters at Aufguss World Championships 2021
Last week marked the eighth annual Aufguss World Championships, hosted in one of the world’s biggest saunas in Katowice, southern Poland.
Aufguss is an entertaining, communal sauna ritual that – at its simplest – involves an aufguss master waving a towel to distribute the sauna’s heat, usually set to music and with essential oil fragrances adding to the experience. But the top sauna masters can get very creative, weaving in storylines, costumes, and complex movements to enhance the experience.
The event was hosted at Palac Saturna’s Colosseum Sauna Arena – capable of holding 300 people – where crowds gathered both inside and outside the facility to watch 28 of the world’s finest aufguss sauna masters from 11 different nations battle for the world titles.
The seven-day competition gathered sweat enthusiasts from around the world, including representatives from the Japanese Sauna Association.
Slovakian sauna master Robert Zidek scooped the Aufguss World Champion Single Team title with his interpretation of an ageing actor desperately trying to play the role of Hamlet, while battling his inner demons.
Zidek drew the crowd in with his vivid storytelling and was praised by judges for the variety of unique and challenging towel techniques used during his performance.
In the doubles division, The Netherlands’ Sigrid van Rijswijk & Rianne van Mierden took home the world title after their synchronised performance.
Other stories told through the championships included interpretations of Robin Hood, the biography of Nobel Prize-winner Marie Curie and a performance exploring depression.
The 2021 judging panel evaluated performances based on professionalism, increase and distribution of steam/heat, waving techniques, fragrances, theme and implementation, atmosphere and team spirit.
Spa Business spoke to Lasse Eriksen, development manager for Farris Bad in Norway, who is both a judge and board member of Aufguss WM, which organises the event.
“Aufguss brings the ancient ceremonies together as each sauna master shares his/her culture through the use of fire, earth, water and air.
“It's a physical, spiritual and social experience that gives you a sense of being present in the moment,” Eriksen said.
“It’s a modern way of storytelling within the sweat room and a good storyteller can take you on the deepest, most magical journeys and combined with good steam it becomes powerful.”
The next World Championships are scheduled to be hosted in the Netherlands at Thermen Bussloo between 12-18 September 2022.
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19 Apr 2024
Galgorm Resort gears up to host UK Aufguss Championships next week
UK sauna enthusiasts will converge at Galgorm Resort in Northern Ireland next week for the
highly anticipated second annual UK Aufguss Championships.
27 Mar 2024
Thailand's first lady attends APSWC Awards ceremony recognising industry excellence
The Asia Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition (APSWC) recently marked another year of industry
achievement with a prestigious awards ceremony held during the 2024 APSWC Round Table
event in Bangkok, Thailand.
08 Mar 2024
Global Wellness Day 2024 to champion reconnecting with nature
Global Wellness Day (GWD) is set to mark its 13th annual celebration on 8 June 2024, under
the theme #MagentaNature, emphasising the vital connection between humanity and the
natural world.
04 Mar 2024
SHA Wellness receives top accolade at 2024 World Spa and Wellness Awards
Eight of the world’s leading spa operations were honoured at the annual World Spa and
Wellness Awards during a glamorous ceremony held in London over the weekend.
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01 Mar 2024
Second edition of UK Aufguss Championships set to heat up Galgorm Resort
The ancient art of aufguss will be celebrated this April with the Second UK Aufguss
Championships at destination spa and hotel Galgorm Resort in Northern Ireland.
06 Feb 2024
Canyon Ranch announces Enchant at The Ranch wellness festival
Destination wellness brand Canyon Ranch will host the first edition of its beauty and wellness
festival, called Enchant at Canyon Ranch, from 17 to 21 March at its Tucson resort and spa in
Arizona.
10 Jan 2024
Spas of America unveils Top 100 Spas of 2023, Spa at Séc-he lands first place
Spa and wellness travel website Spas of America has unveiled its Top 100 Spas of 2023, with
The Spa at Séc-he in downtown Palm Springs, California, taking the top spot.
20 Dec 2023
We Work Well unveils 2024 event schedule for fitness, wellness and hospitality industries
International hosted buyer event company We Work Well (WWW) has confirmed dates and
locations for its 2024 conference calendar.
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