Berghof Milk Estate Black Sauna
GENERAL INFORMATION
SEASON: January – December
FOR WHOM: individuals / groups (max 8 – 10 pers.)
SERVICES INCLUDED: 3-4 hours a workshop introducing and picking aromatic wild grasses for sauna + black sauna experience
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: bus “Rīga – Liepāja’ to Skrunda (~2 h 35 min), change for bus ‘Skrunda – Aizpute / Skrunda – Liepāja / Skrunda – Kuldīga’ to bus stop ‘Sieksāte’ (~11 min). Walk to the Berghof Milk Estate (~7 min / 550 m).
HOSTS: Sesks family
LOCATION
ADDRESS: Piena muiža, Siekstāte, Rudbāržu pag., Skrundas nov., LV – 3325, Latvia
DISTANCE: Riga 156 km
The Milk Estate Berghof (Piena Muiža) is a restored historical estate. The sauna house has been built on the foundations of the former barn. Its stonewall remains pleasantly cool both on very warm summer days and on very cold winter days. That’s why the hosts of the estate came up with the idea of setting up a black country sauna. The hosts explored the wisdom and construction assembly of the sauna furnace as well as studied the knowledge of Latvian, Ukrainian and Russian folks. The furnace of the black sauna is built using a huge amount of stones from the seaside. They have to be heated to a very high temperature. Such stones must be hardened, therefore those stones that live in the water are most suitable for that. The black sauna is heated for two days before the stones are hot enough.
Before sauna, guests will be taken to meadows on a master class for collecting sauna plants. Latvians are one of the few peoples in Europe who still use natural medicines to improve their health: flowers, seeds, fruits, roots, bark, leaves, their juices or extracts. These are often used also in sauna.
• Meeting the hosts, getting acquainted with the estate and surroundings.
• Master class for collecting sauna plants. Guests will get acquainted with the range of seasonal wild plants, their preparation for use in sauna, and their effects on physical, emotional and mental health.
• Sauna ritual with a sauna master. The process will include an introductory procedure for calming down the feelings and emotions, application of a natural scrub, made form seasonal nature gifts, treatment with sauna whisks made form wild plants. The ritual will be ended end with an application of a herbal compress.
• Enjoying a refreshing herbal tea or a glass of warm milk with honey.
