The Herbal LexiconHerbal sauna
Herbal Sauna
ハーバルサウナ
What is a herbal sauna?
A herbal sauna is a sauna enjoyed by letting medicinal herbs rise with the steam.
In Thailand it is called “op samun phrai,” using ginger, turmeric, lemongrass and more. The Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) introduces its culture and history to Japan through on-site training in Thailand.
Browse by style
Thai-style herbal steam 21
Thai herbs such as plai, kamin (turmeric) and takrai (lemongrass) are simmered and the steam fills a sauna room or a tent. The room is usually kept at a low to middle temperature, around 40–50°C.
Yakuso (medicinal herb) steam 63
The style found at bathing facilities across Japan. It covers rooms such as the kanpo yakuso salt sauna, where mugwort and kanpo crude drugs are turned into steam, as well as mushiyu and ishiburo — stone chambers warmed by hot-spring heat and lined with herbs.
Herbal löyly 22
Water in which herbs have been steeped is poured over the sauna stones, so the scent rises with the steam.
Vihta / whisking 14
Bundles of leafy branches — vihta, usually white birch — are hung in the sauna room, or used to whisk the body.
Tent style 16
Steam from simmered herbs is fed into a tent, entered by one person or a small group.
Frequently asked questions
How does a herbal sauna differ from an ordinary sauna?
Where Finnish saunas and Japanese steam saunas center on “heat and humidity,” the Thai herbal sauna (op samun phrai) makes “herbal steam” the star. Fresh herbs are boiled in a large pot and you bathe in that steam, so the room fills with their aroma. Each facility differs in its herb blend and steam method (wood-fired / gas / industrial), and each is tied to its local culture.
How has the herbal sauna been used?
In Thai tradition, the herbal sauna (op samun phrai) has continued across the country as an extension of everyday bathing and as a postpartum custom. Under the four-element view of Thai traditional medicine (earth, water, wind, fire), childbirth is held to unsettle the fire element in particular, and the postpartum practice of yu fai (การอยู่ไฟ) is described as aiming to warm the body back into balance. The herbal steam bath is one part of it, reported as having been understood as a way to warm the body, raise a sweat, and clear the skin and airways. The blend of herbs differs by region and by venue, and the recipes are handed down. The Japan Root Herb Association (JRHA) presents it not as a medical practice but as “time to open the senses and meet your own body,” to bring into modern life.
Is yomogi-mushi the same thing as a herbal sauna?
Yomogi-mushi is a Korean-derived style in which you sit on a stool with an opening and mugwort steam rises from below; it is usually offered as a single-person apparatus. This guide covers rooms you enter with your whole body — sauna rooms, steam rooms and tents. Many facilities also offer yomogi-mushi alongside; where that is the case it is noted in the “Style” row on the facility page.
Op Samun Phrai
Op samun phrai (อบสมุนไพร) is a term from Thai traditional medicine: “op” means to apply steam to the body, and “samun phrai” means medicinal herbs (poetically associated with the spirits of the forest). It roughly means “to bathe in the steam of the forest’s herbs.” It is the original name for the herbal sauna, used long before the Western word “sauna” reached Thailand, and deeply rooted in local life.
Sources
Only facilities whose permanent use of herbs in the sauna could be confirmed on their official site or an equally citable source are listed. The date of confirmation appears on each facility page.