Palm of the forest
Everything begins from the forest
It’s not customary to say exactly where the vihta materials come from. Often, they are received as gifts. Gathering the materials always requires permission — from the forest owner, from the forest itself, and from the tree. Branches are always collected under a waxing moon. If the moon is waning, the leaves come off too easily. Only a few branches are taken from each tree to minimize any harm. It’s easy to spend several hours in the forest. Good snacks and binoculars for birdwatching are always part of the trip.
Trees are alive. They are extremely conscious creatures. They have thoughts, especially wishes and beautiful memories.
Some of them are transformed by traditional handicraft methods into beautiful sauna whisks in the hands of a skilled artificer. The whisks made of different types of trees are individual, and their message is always different. In the summer, I prepare hundreds of vihtas, keeping the intention in mind. When tying a vihta, a good flow is needed — preferably an empty mind. Happy and cheerful thoughts are welcome, but making a vihta in anger is not recommended.
Finished vihtas are dried or frozen if they won’t be used within the next few days. Every summer, the stores fill with a slightly different mix of various vihtas.
– As a rather holistic sauna healer, I feel my role is important – I deliver a letter directly from the forest and trees. About the message itself, I may only know the title or the main idea, but my job is just to be a intermediary. I would believe that because of those messages, people could feel much better inside their own thoughts.
Classical vihta treatment
Above all, it is a preventative, relaxing and cleansing experience. It is a combination of massage, herbal medicine and aromatherapy. Vihta treatment is excellent way to relief of stress. It improve sleep quality and increased metabolism and superficial blood circulation. It improves joint mobility and helps muscles recover. It can really promote healing processes, but mostly sauna is strenghtening well-being. When you focus on the good, it increases and there is less room for the bad.
There are several different types of vihta used to move the löyly and touch the skin. For example, birch, oak, maple, alder, aspen, linden, juniper and rowan are used in the treatment. The vihta made of different trees feel different, and they also have different ingredients and aromatic oils. Also the way how to use vihta, varies. The caring vihta treatment culminates in a traditional sauna washing ritual with a vihta, where a vihta dipped in soapy water brushes the skin.
The vihta tretment takes about 20 minutes, but with little conversation and löyly before and after, it will take about 1-1,5 hours. you can wear a swimsuit if you want, but it is not necessary.