The country’s traditional bathhouses, a cultural cornerstone, are making a comeback – and the experience is unforgettable
It is a crisp, moonless evening and the mercury is below zero. The place feels remote, primeval even and, but for the gentle swoosh of the pine and birch trees surrounding an icy lake, there is silence. I am wet and naked (albeit wrapped in towels), lying outside on a wooden bench but, to my surprise, not feeling cold. This is the culmination of my traditional Latvian pirts sauna experience – after an immersion in the frozen lake.
I had arrived at Ziedlejas, a pirts centre near Sigulda in the centre of the country, nearly three hours earlier to meet with pirts master (pirtsniek) Inese Mālniece in a smoke pirts – a dark, wooden sauna hut heated to about 65°C.
Over a cup of herbal tea, made from dried flowers picked in summer, Inese told me she was already trained in several alternative health practices when a “wise woman” proclaimed that she would become a pirts master. The subsequent knowledge passed on to her about the use of steam, herbs, physiology and ethics is deeply rooted in Latvian traditional culture, much of it embedded in folk story and songs.
Since Latvia’s independence in 1991, the use of pirts has become symbolic of a national identity suppressed for centuries during periods of occupation, most recently by the Soviet Union.
“Latvian people,” Inese explained, “have had an affinity with nature since ancient times, particularly with the forests which still cover much of the country”. It is from this woodland that the pirts master gathers twigs and bunches of herbs that are then tied together to create ‘whisks’ (pēriens): in our case, from maple, oak, linden and pine. The whisks release scents and oils that make a Latvian pirts experience unique.
After Inese and I have established establish a level of trust, I remove all my clothes and am led to a bench in the barely lit, steamy room. Smoke pirts are wet saunas in which heat is generated by a wood fire and ventilated only by the door. The air smells of smoke, tar and the forest. It is both pleasantly hot and intimate. Buckets of water sit on the floor alongside a pile of whisks that Inese has prepared for gentle “beating.” She’s wearing a conical felt hat to protect her head from heat and steam.
Ziedlejas sauna has dark, wooden huts heated to about 65°C (Photo: Ziedlejas)
In the past, most Latvians would have a pirts in the family, in which they would gather weekly to cleanse. The warm, clean and private pirts were also used as birthing chambers. Gentle welcome ceremonies (pirtīžas) were performed for newborns, and it is easy to understand how a ritual, using healing herbs, would be appreciated by new mothers. Fathers were subject to a hotter ritual with more thwacking to help them appreciate their responsibilities towards the family.
These old rituals, with links to a pagan past, are gaining in popularity, and many Latvian families are reintroducing pirts. Formally, it was strictly a family ritual but today, friends might gather for one, and there are public pirts in towns and cities for those who don’t have space for their own.
First the whisks are placed under my head, hips and feet to make the bench feel more comfortable and immediately I begin to relax. A wet towel is patted into shape around my head and over my eyes. What follows is felt, not seen. I hear the whisk being shaken out after being submerged in hot water, but I’m shocked by the wave of heat that is emitted as it is swept above my body.
Then, the whisk tapping begins, releasing oils from the leaves that cleanse and draw toxins from the body. This swooshing of leaves begins on my feet and continues all the way to my neck. It’s an odd sensation, initially comical but soon becoming almost reverential. The oils are washed off with jugs of tepid water followed by cooler water. The room is heating up and I sigh with relief when cold water is poured over my head and the towel is replaced. I turn onto my back and the tapping begins again.
The beautiful Ziedlejas sauna centre (Photo: Ziedlejas)
With a different rhythm and a salt rub, the procedure is repeated front and back. Inese sings a folk song that becomes hypnotic. I am seriously lost in the experience by this point and begin to feel overwhelming gratitude for the kindness being shown to my tired body.
Although the experience feels ritualistic, Inese explains that “no two experiences are the same as the pirts master knows what is right for the individual”.
The next round feels hotter and more intense. I am on my front when Inese whispers that now is the time to reconcile myself with negative emotions from the past, after which the beating becomes more urgent and the heat level increases.
Lying with my front exposed, she suggests that I reflect on those things that are preventing me from leading my best life. The thoughts are initially rambling, but in this magical cocoon they coalesce into something succinct, upon which I am still pondering.
This is when I am led out of the pirts and gently guided by Inese into the lake where she encourages me to submerge myself. Having noticed ice on the edge of the lake earlier, I am reluctant. Nevertheless I take a deep breath and go in. It is shocking and I scream.
This is when I am led to the bench to rest and reflect. Many people experience a euphoria at this point, but I feel as if I am inside a gyroscope: my dizziness down to dehydration. Inese keeps me safe, holding my hand and directing my breathing until I become calm. “Tonight you’re an astronaut,” she says. My skin sings gently, but my feet feel strange – as if they are made of swollen chia seeds dancing a jig.
Inside the sauna (Photo: Ziedlejas)
I’m not sure how long I rest before I return to the pirts for another round of heating and tapping, followed by a soothing massage of hot honey laced with cloves and cinnamon. “Pure honey isn’t sticky when hot” she assures me and it rinses off easily enough.
As we walk away from the pirts, I feel calm, hyper alert and honoured to have spent nearly four hours with this wonderful, spirited woman who had indulged my whole being.
How to get there
Riga is served by flights from the UK on Ryanair, Air Baltic, Wizz Air and British Airways.
How to do it
Traditional pirt experiences are found at centres throughout Latvia. The Ziedlejas smoke pirts costs €260, ziedlejas.lv/en
Alternatively, many of the spa hotels, in which Latvia specialises, offer a pared-down experience. For instance, the Baltic Beach Hotel in Jūrmala has a two-hour session for €99, balticbeach.lv/en/spa/sauna-rituals-embracing-ancient-traditions