From Vanity Fair · Liz Baker Plosser · · 2m
Wellness Has a New Sport, and It's Very, Very Hot
Aufguss, a European sauna ritual, is becoming a competitive sport in America with towel choreography, scented steam, and theatrical performances.
In brief
Aufguss, a European sauna ritual, is becoming a competitive sport in America with towel choreography, scented steam, and theatrical performances. Aufguss is transforming from a European wellness ritual into a competitive American sport that combines athletic skill, theatrical performance, and extreme heat endurance…
The Celestial Sisters perform
Joli and Alexi Irvine, former Cirque du Soleil stars, smash sage-infused ice onto hot rocks and whip towels overhead in a 120-seat Brooklyn sauna.
Heading to the world stage
The sisters compete at Aufguss World Championships in Germany this week. Last year they finished 13th among 40 teams at their debut.
What is Aufguss exactly
A European sauna ritual where a master pours scented water or ice over hot stones and uses towels to circulate steam. It's now daily at US bathhouses.
Show Aufguss is athletic theater
Competitors perform with costumes, lighting, music, and choreography in 175-degree heat. They drill towel grips, snaps, and throws for months.
Heat physics meets performance art
Athletes must understand air circulation to move heat without roasting people on the highest benches. Each row up is 10 degrees hotter.
Fifteen minutes of immersive heat
As your heart rate climbs and core temperature rises, Aufguss transforms the ordeal into an experience of music, scent, movement, and steam.
Judges score like figure skating
They scrutinize towel choreography, heat distribution, and storytelling. A dropped towel costs points, and competitors must look effortless throughout.
“Just like figure skating, every detail counts. One dropped towel or one unsafe moment is like falling on a jump.”
The towel technique lexicon
The helicopter loops overhead like a lasso. The parachute whips air onto spectators. The pizza launches fabric upward to catch rising heat.
Americans bring theatrical flair
At Nationals, performers staged a hockey romance novel adaptation and a three-act dragon battle. A professional dancer won the solo title.
The audience is all in
Spectators paid around $80 to sweat on wooden benches. They sway to the beat, smile as towels snap heat onto their bodies, and talk about ritual.
From baby deer to world class
Bathhouse brought a Belgian sauna master to train staff in 2022. Four years later, American performers are qualifying for world championships.
“We were like baby deer on ice. The quality of U.S. aufguss now isn't 'kind of getting good.' It's really good.”
A uniquely American style emerges
Performers with real stage backgrounds are bringing timing, presence, and professionalism. They're close enough to feel the audience breathing with them.
“You can feel the audience breathing with you, reacting to the heat, scents, movement, and emotion in real time.”
The essence
Aufguss is transforming from a European wellness ritual into a competitive American sport that combines athletic skill, theatrical performance, and extreme heat endurance.
