aufgus — Nick Gammon Photography
The Aufguss World Championships, at Thermen Bussloo, Voorst, NL which is partly a performance and partly a ritual where essential oils having been added to ice and water are thrown over the hot sauna stones by the sauna master. Rapidly increasing the temperature of the sauna, which may exceed 90c. The sauna master then brandishes towels driving the super-heated air over the attendees, who are largely naked. .During the competition, the performances of the sauna masters are judged by an international jury on the theatre of the piece, the scents added to the water, but most importantly on their wafting technique. Which has evolved over recent years to resemble a form of artistic gymnastics, where competitors spin their towels high into the air, between their legs, or juggle two towels at the same time.
