For Latvians, the summer solstice has always been a special time. Nature is at its fullest, the days are at their longest, the plants are at their strongest, and we naturally feel drawn closer to the earth, water, fire, and ourselves.
That is why, during this time of year, sauna becomes more than washing or relaxing. It becomes a small ritual — a place to pause, cleanse, and take in the energy of summer.
You dont need a complicated ritual or a lot of preparation. Very often, the simplest things create the strongest feeling: the fresh scent of birch, cool water after the sauna, a bundle of herbs on the bench, or a few quiet minutes in silence.
How to prepare a solstice sauna ritual?
1. Start with the atmosphere
Before heating the sauna, prepare the space. Air out the room, lay out clean towels, prepare water, sauna whisks, scents, and everything else you may need, so there is no need to rush once the sauna has started.
A solstice sauna is not about speed. It is about feeling.
Bring the power of plants into the sauna. Decorate the corners and entrance with fresh birch branches, cover the benches with fern leaves, and use different plants from your garden, yard, or nearby meadow. Place freshly picked mint or birch leaves into a bucket of hot water. Later, you can pour this herbal water over the stones to create a soft, natural summer aroma in the sauna.
This way, the sauna becomes calmer even before the first steam.
2. Tie your own herbal sauna whisk
If you can, prepare a fresh sauna whisk or a small bundle of herbs. It can be used not only for whisking the body, but also simply for its scent.
A beautiful solstice bundle can be made from birch, mint, meadowsweet, chamomile, and a few meadow grasses.
For your sauna whisk, you can choose:
Birch — for freshness, a green summer scent, and the classic sauna feeling.
Oak — for strength, grounding, and a deep earthy aroma.
Linden — for calmness, softness, and a warm, gentle mood.
Meadow plants — yarrow, meadowsweet, mint, chamomile, or clover, which bring a special solstice scent into the sauna.
If you want to add another mood to the sauna space, choose aromas made especially for sauna use. Fresh and natural scents are perfect for summer — birch, northern pine, cedar, or our favourite: smoky wood and tar. This scent brings back memories of an old countryside smoke sauna — a small sanctuary filled with the aroma of smoke, dry wood, pine, and tar
Use aromas gently. The scent should not take over the whole sauna — it should only support the feeling.
3. Choose your small ritual
What will be the heart of your solstice sauna? Choose one small ritual that feels right for you this evening.
A ritual for calm
This ritual is about slowing down, breathing, and being present.
During the first sauna round, simply sit in silence and let your body warm up slowly. Do not try to pour too much water on the stones or stay inside for as long as possible. Just breathe in, breathe out, and let your body adjust to the warmth.
During the second round, pour a little gentle steam with your chosen sauna aroma and silently say to yourself:
“I let go of what I no longer need.”
After cooling down, return for the third round. Take your sauna whisk or herbal bundle in your hands, breathe in its scent, and say to yourself:
“I welcome the strength, peace, and light of summer.”
To finish, rinse off, wrap yourself in a soft towel or robe, and allow yourself a few more minutes of doing nothing.
A ritual for strength
This ritual is about awakening the body and taking in the energy of summer.
Prepare a birch, oak, or mixed herbal sauna whisk and soak it lightly in warm water before use. During the second or third sauna round, begin with gentle movements — first simply touch the body with the whisk, allowing yourself to feel its warmth and scent.
Then lightly whisk the shoulders, arms, back, and legs, as if waking the body for a new season. The movements do not need to be strong. Even gentle whisking can be very powerful.
Silently, you can say to yourself:
“I welcome strength, courage, and life.”
After whisking, cool down in fresh air, in the shower, in a pond, or with cool water. Let your body feel the contrast between the heat of the sauna and the summer evening.
A cleansing ritual
This ritual is about washing away what feels heavy — from the skin and from the mind.
Before the sauna, prepare a natural body scrub, for example a mix of salt and honey, or a gentle herbal scrub with dried plants. Once your body is warm, apply the scrub in slow circular movements, paying special attention to the arms, legs, shoulders, and feet.
Do it slowly, without rushing, and say to yourself:
“I cleanse and release what feels heavy.”
Afterwards, rinse thoroughly with warm or cool water. To finish, you can apply body oil or simply wrap yourself in a towel and sit quietly, allowing your skin and mind to feel lighter.
4. Remember to rest after the sauna
A solstice sauna ritual does not need to be intense. It is better to take several shorter rounds than one very long one.
Between sauna rounds, cool down in fresh air, rinse off in the shower, go into a pond, or simply sit outside with a glass of water. Sauna is not a competition with heat. It is a conversation with yourself.
Most importantly, no matter which ritual you choose, leave time for rest afterwards. Resting after sauna is just as important as the ritual itself.
Do not rush straight back into everyday tasks. Make a cold herbal tea, wrap yourself in a towel or robe, and enjoy the after-sauna feeling.
This moment is often the most beautiful one — the body is warm, the mind is quieter, and the summer evening feels a little deeper.
To finish
A solstice sauna does not need to be complicated. It does not need to be perfect, extremely hot, or full of rules. Warmth, water, plants, scent, and a moment to pause are enough.
Latvian sauna traditions remind us that wellbeing often begins very simply — with the presence of nature, a clean body, a calmer mind, and the feeling that you are exactly where you need to be.
This solstice, enter the sauna more slowly. Breathe a little deeper. Leave everything unnecessary behind the sauna door.
And let your summer begin with peace.