What actually happens in a session?
Four rounds of heat, venik and cold water over about two hours, led by a master, in silence.
You arrive, hand over your phone, drink tea and stop talking. The first round is gentle — the body needs to adapt before anything is done to it.
In the second round the master works you with the venik: steam is pushed along the body, held, released. This is par, and it is the centre of the ritual. Then cold — a plunge, or cold water poured over you — and then rest on deck, in silence.
That cycle repeats three to four times. It ends with tea and no conversation. Most people are quiet for an hour afterwards. That part is called the afterglow, and it is what people come back for.
Updated 2026-09-02