My cheeks are flushed, and it’s not only the blistering 85 degrees inside the sauna. I’m inside the new BASIN Glacial Waters spa at the Fairmont Château Lake Louise, and standing before me is Kyan, a young Dutch guy, blond and bare-chested. A sheen of sweat glistens across his abs, making them look chiseled like those of a superhero as he theatrically waves a towel to send the steam toward me. I try to distract myself by focusing on a vast window that frames the snow-clad Canadian Rockies and the glitter of Lake Louise, but the speakers blare Despacito by Luis Fonsi, and Kyan begins to dance through the spacious room, spinning the towel above his head and only stopping to fan the twenty-something visitors scattered around the sauna.
When the soundtrack shifts to Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie, he starts hurling snowballs filled with aromatic oils onto the glowing red-hot stones of the sauna to release the scents of Siberian fir and forest fruits. Amid the thunderous music, the alpine views, the heat, and the fragrances enveloping me, the experience feels like a genuine sensory overload enjoyed communally, in step with the music. When it ends, Kyan thanks us and encourages us to hydrate and, if we dare, to plunge into a cold-water dip. I walk out feeling as if I had recharged my energy while having a good time.
Kyan is one of the six Aufgussmeisters (sauna masters) trained to orchestrate BASIN Glacial Waters’ fifteen-minute ritual of steam and sweat. This thermal bath retreat, inaugurated in September 2025, offers a broad array of hydrotherapy experiences, from Kneipp walks and hydrotherapy pools to Finnish saunas and bio-saunas. Yet the iconic aufguss ceremony included in all three-hour sessions is the experience that attracts most travelers.
The idea of sweating together in a community isn’t new, nor is it rare: the Romans had their baths, the Japanese their onsens, and Native American tribes gathered in sweat lodges. In Nordic countries, saunas have long served as gathering spaces, social hubs where friends and strangers sweat side by side and reconnect. “In many countries around the world, the sauna, especially the traditional one, is tied to the culture of the country, and community is a very important part of that culture,” explains Dr. Christopher Minson, professor of Human Physiology at the University of Oregon. “Interacting with others during sauna practice builds social bonds, responsibility, and a sense of belonging, aspects that can improve both physical and psychological health by increasing long-term interactions within the sauna.”
