Poland’s Karolina Jarzabek is the first woman to be crowned top aufguss master in the world at the Aufguss World Championships, held at the new Spa Berendonck in The Netherlands recently.
Aufguss is an entertaining, communal sauna ritual that – at its simplest – involves an aufguss master waving a towel to distribute the sauna’s heat, usually set to music and with essential oil fragrances adding to the experience. But the top sauna masters get very creative, weaving in storylines, costumes, and complex movements.
Jarzabek’s performance of ‘Magic Night – the story of the puppet who came to life once every 7,000 years’, earned top honours in the singles category.
“The secret to the perfect aufguss is just to be yourself, my show was from the heart and did just that,” Jarzabek tells Spa Business. “It’s been a tough year for me getting divorced, becoming a single parent and having problems at home and work and I drew inspiration from my favourite songs, smells and the night sky full of stars (which I love too) for the ‘transformations’ in my performance.”
Jarzabek started her aufguss adventure three years ago at Chocholowskie Thermal Baths in south Poland, which is owned by her father and uncle. She admits to being a complete novice “I’d never been to a sauna before, I came to training in a dress and high heels.” But she grew in confidence after getting some tips from fellow Polish aufguss champion Rob Keijzer. She’s based in Chocholowskie the majority of the time but also travels to spas across Europe.
Of being the first female aufguss champion she says: “Nothing but hard work and patience will lead you to where you are and when you’re there it doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman.
“It’s a very special thing for me because aufguss is just at the beginning of its history and I’ll definitely be a part of a it for a long time.”
Poland also won in doubles, as Katarzyna Klajn and Lukasz Dluzniewki’s humour-filled interpretation of the Spanish masterpiece Don Quixote, inspired the international jury.
Over 350 participants from national qualifier events took part in the 7th annual Aufguss World Championships, and the final included almost 100 participants from 11 qualifying countries.
The best teams and shows were presented in a 200-person sauna. The five-day battle attracted sweat enthusiasts from around the world, including representatives from the Japanese Sauna Association and Russia, with daily guests topping out at 1,200.
Jury member Lasse Eriksen says an increasing number of professional dancers, artists and actors are joining the aufguss profession and that the waving techniques and shows are getting more creative. Other shows this year included an interpretation of the film Billy Elliot and the story of the Suffragettes.
The 2020 Aufguss World Championships will take place on 7-13 September at the Palac Saturna hotel with Pompeii-inspired Roman baths in Czeladz, south Poland.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2019 issue 4
Editor's letter: Democratic wellness
To truly flourish, the spa industry needs to step outside its comfort zone and reach out to different markets with new and exciting business models, says Katie Barnes
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Boundary-pushing wellness in Iceland, self-care focus at Devarana and Civana’s equine retreat all feature in our spa menu round-up
Interview: Alexandre Cantin
Canada’s Groupe Nordik wants to open 10 nature spas, focusing on bathing and thermotherapy, by 2027. Katie Barnes talks to its VP of growth and strategy
Promotional feature: Starpool - Star quality
Wellness expert, Starpool, is known for offering complete wellness solutions with Italian design flair, enabling operators to create world class treatments and experiences
Training: Covering all bases
Resense joins forces with Lobster Ink to create an online training program for multiple spa roles
Promotional feature: Gharieni
Spa equipment innovator, Gharieni, is partnering with leading spas around the world to showcase its products to clients in real world settings, as CEO, Sammy Gharieni, explains
Research: Positive picture
ISPA’s latest US spa study shows continued growth across key metrics and pinpoints CBD and gen Z as trends. Russell Donaldson reports
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSystems - Cool customer
Rainer Bolsinger, who heads up hotel and spa sales of icelab at Zimmer MedizinSystems, and icelab customer Chenot Group, explain how cryotherapy can be incorporated into your business
Promotional feature: Biologique Recherche - Skin deep
Biologique Recherche has spent the past 40 years developing technology and products to understand the skin on an individual level. Pierre-Louis Delapalme and Rupert Schmid tell Spa Business about the Parisian brand’s latest innovations
Research: On the move
The global physical activity market is now worth US$828bn according to a new GWI study. But what emerging trends do spas need to know about?
Promotional feature: SpaSoft - Onwards & upwards
The enhanced integration between SpaSoft and multiple PMS systems will help your team save time, remove the possibility of human error and create an elevated guest experience
Software: Monetising
How is software helping spas to navigate e-commerce and further monetise their relationship with clients
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
Poland’s Karolina Jarzabek is the first woman to be crowned top aufguss master in the world at the Aufguss World Championships, held at the new Spa Berendonck in The Netherlands recently.
Aufguss is an entertaining, communal sauna ritual that – at its simplest – involves an aufguss master waving a towel to distribute the sauna’s heat, usually set to music and with essential oil fragrances adding to the experience. But the top sauna masters get very creative, weaving in storylines, costumes, and complex movements.
Jarzabek’s performance of ‘Magic Night – the story of the puppet who came to life once every 7,000 years’, earned top honours in the singles category.
“The secret to the perfect aufguss is just to be yourself, my show was from the heart and did just that,” Jarzabek tells Spa Business. “It’s been a tough year for me getting divorced, becoming a single parent and having problems at home and work and I drew inspiration from my favourite songs, smells and the night sky full of stars (which I love too) for the ‘transformations’ in my performance.”
Jarzabek started her aufguss adventure three years ago at Chocholowskie Thermal Baths in south Poland, which is owned by her father and uncle. She admits to being a complete novice “I’d never been to a sauna before, I came to training in a dress and high heels.” But she grew in confidence after getting some tips from fellow Polish aufguss champion Rob Keijzer. She’s based in Chocholowskie the majority of the time but also travels to spas across Europe.
Of being the first female aufguss champion she says: “Nothing but hard work and patience will lead you to where you are and when you’re there it doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman.
“It’s a very special thing for me because aufguss is just at the beginning of its history and I’ll definitely be a part of a it for a long time.”
Poland also won in doubles, as Katarzyna Klajn and Lukasz Dluzniewki’s humour-filled interpretation of the Spanish masterpiece Don Quixote, inspired the international jury.
Over 350 participants from national qualifier events took part in the 7th annual Aufguss World Championships, and the final included almost 100 participants from 11 qualifying countries.
The best teams and shows were presented in a 200-person sauna. The five-day battle attracted sweat enthusiasts from around the world, including representatives from the Japanese Sauna Association and Russia, with daily guests topping out at 1,200.
Jury member Lasse Eriksen says an increasing number of professional dancers, artists and actors are joining the aufguss profession and that the waving techniques and shows are getting more creative. Other shows this year included an interpretation of the film Billy Elliot and the story of the Suffragettes.
The 2020 Aufguss World Championships will take place on 7-13 September at the Palac Saturna hotel with Pompeii-inspired Roman baths in Czeladz, south Poland.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2019 issue 4
Editor's letter: Democratic wellness
To truly flourish, the spa industry needs to step outside its comfort zone and reach out to different markets with new and exciting business models, says Katie Barnes
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Boundary-pushing wellness in Iceland, self-care focus at Devarana and Civana’s equine retreat all feature in our spa menu round-up
Interview: Alexandre Cantin
Canada’s Groupe Nordik wants to open 10 nature spas, focusing on bathing and thermotherapy, by 2027. Katie Barnes talks to its VP of growth and strategy
Promotional feature: Starpool - Star quality
Wellness expert, Starpool, is known for offering complete wellness solutions with Italian design flair, enabling operators to create world class treatments and experiences
Training: Covering all bases
Resense joins forces with Lobster Ink to create an online training program for multiple spa roles
Promotional feature: Gharieni
Spa equipment innovator, Gharieni, is partnering with leading spas around the world to showcase its products to clients in real world settings, as CEO, Sammy Gharieni, explains
Research: Positive picture
ISPA’s latest US spa study shows continued growth across key metrics and pinpoints CBD and gen Z as trends. Russell Donaldson reports
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSystems - Cool customer
Rainer Bolsinger, who heads up hotel and spa sales of icelab at Zimmer MedizinSystems, and icelab customer Chenot Group, explain how cryotherapy can be incorporated into your business
Promotional feature: Biologique Recherche - Skin deep
Biologique Recherche has spent the past 40 years developing technology and products to understand the skin on an individual level. Pierre-Louis Delapalme and Rupert Schmid tell Spa Business about the Parisian brand’s latest innovations
Research: On the move
The global physical activity market is now worth US$828bn according to a new GWI study. But what emerging trends do spas need to know about?
Promotional feature: SpaSoft - Onwards & upwards
The enhanced integration between SpaSoft and multiple PMS systems will help your team save time, remove the possibility of human error and create an elevated guest experience
Software: Monetising
How is software helping spas to navigate e-commerce and further monetise their relationship with clients
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
Longevitix, a clinical platform for preventive and longevity medicine, has launched its AI-
powered intelligence system to help physicians deliver continuous, personalised longevity-
focused care at scale.
Atmantan Wellness Centre, an integrative wellness destination in Mulshi, near Pune in India, is
expanding its portfolio by adding a new centre in Hyderabad that will launch between 2028 and
2029.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
