Level 1. Bath masters basics

Date: 2023-02-02, 17:00
Organizer : Lithuanian Bath Academy

This is an intensive and fun introductory course of healthy sauna basics and whisking. It is targeted to zero-experience users but also suits the more seasoned sauna goer. Lithuanian and Baltic sauna traditions incorporate steam, leaf whisking and various natural bathing practices.

A sauna attendant is not only a back rubber but, at the very least, a sauna guide and sometimes a bit of a shaman. A good master considers the person's state of mind - he tries to make him feel better, relieve pain, and drive anxiety away. A good sauna should be organized so that the person is central and the sauna is secondary. Sometimes people bring too many rules with them when they go to the sauna - even about the sauna itself.

Believe me, this excessive knowledge and regulation could be better. Instead, he needs to learn to improvise how nature improvises - the season's change but do not repeat themselves. A good bath-taker can go on a separate journey with each person, which can be one thing but also be another... A bath-taker must avoid injuring the human body with too much heat or the mind with too much verbal intervention, and he must allow the person to be in the bath...
We will teach you how to work in the sauna by combining technical skills with a holistic understanding of the sauna ritual.

During this course, you will learn how to work individually with your sauna guest during a classical sauna treatment with a few simple tools, helping them to adapt to the sauna environment and open up to a transformative sauna treatment.

Course schedule

1. February 2, 17:00 - 21:30. The ABC of Lithuanian Pirtis. Introduction to four-fold structure of traditional holistic Lithuanian pirtis, lead by the most experienced bah-master.
2. February 3, 11:00- 15:00. Introduction to individual rituals. You will try to perform the most ancient steam bath bodywork  - leaf whisking continued by relexing honey treatment.
3. February 5, 11:00- 15:00. The light whisking. Professional 1:1 training of the most effective whisking techniques, led by most experienced Bath Academy teacher.

You will learn self whisking for your own benefit

During the first day we'll explore our senses and get real experience of traditional Lithuanian steam bath. We'll do the first step in learning leaf whisking trying fun and playfull self-whisking technique.

Second day you will learn sweet (yes, because we use honey for it...) traditional Lithuanian bath massage and will do simple, but effective back whisking.

During the third day we'll go deeper, exploaring techniques and movements, which will make you work easier and more conscious.

Take a chance to open new understanding of sauna and bodywork!

Important! This training consists only of practical themes. Getting full certificate of completion will require participation in theoretical webinars and getting approval of following themes: „Steam bath basics“, „Plants in a steam bath“ and „Basic whisking therory“

Themes covered

• Bodywork of the back

  In this practical theme, we learn the basic techniques of gentle body touch and massage. Soft, relaxing touch is included in all basic sauna techniques and treatments - light bathing, body scrubbing, and massage. The skills on this topic will benefit further training that are included in the Professional Sauna Therapist training program.

  Skills developed in the workshop

  • Preparation for bodywork, laying a person down
  • skin stroking
  • warming rubbing
  • oiling the skin
  • working on the deeper subcutaneous tissue
  • ergonomics and safety of movements
  • effective transverse work
• Healthy steam bath procedure

  The first practical theme(topic) of the Bath Masters course  is the Healthy Sauna Procedure. It is dedicated to learning about a healthy, bioresonant sauna. During the sauna, we go through a complete sauna procedure consisting of 4 stages:

  • introductory warm-up
  • sweating stimulation
  • Soaking in the steam and self-bathing

  This workshop is essential for those wishing to continue their studies and further their knowledge, but it is also available simply to try a healthy sauna treatment in a good sauna (often with a good gourmet sauna stove).

• Introduction to whisking

  A practical theme to learn and test the work of a sauna master. The first steps towards a new profession take place in a safe environment, in a good sauna, with the help of an experienced trainer. This topic is usually taught in the form of a sauna evening (a practical session in the sauna), during which the teacher introduces and demonstrates the main points of practical work in the steam room and the students try it out in practice. In this way, they have the opportunity to test themselves as future sauna practitioners and get a better idea of the level at which they would like to learn the sauna trade.

  
  A student washes clients body in a steam room for the first time.

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  This theme has additional information available only to logged in users.
• Light whisking techniques

  
  Dry training  - individualized teaching of effective movements

  We teach a student the basics of warming: to warm the client's body safely and evenly and gradually cool him so he can safely and calmly leave the hotroom without the supervision of a bath master. Such treatment can also be performed as a full bath procedure in cases when the client is tired and wants to rest and relax.

  Content of the training:

  1. Basic whisking movement clacification
  2. Contactless techniques
  3. Light superficial techniques
  4. Warming of the underskin and muscles

  We work with small group and provide individual training.

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• Self whisking

  Important theme and one of major aspects of sauna education that is very often neglected by even prominent bath mastership teachers. Yet it is even more complex then whisking other person.

  This theme covers

  • initial warming of the feet
  • enhancing blood circulation
  • self massage with whisks
  • self whisking of shoulders, sides, back
  • ergonomics of self whisking
  • different postures: sitting, laying

Rimas Kavaliauskas & Birutė Masiliauskienė - experienced international steam bath mastership coachers and instructors.