The Herbal Ritual

You thought herbal tea was for drinking. Here, you bathe in it — with your whole body. Ubud takes its name from the Balinese word ubad — medicine, the healing herbs. At BALI SAUNA Ubud, herbs are the heart of the sauna. At the entrance stands a shelf of small jars — seventeen Balinese herbs. You choose your own mix, pack it into a tea bag with your own hands, and set it steeping. The brew comes out strong — it is for löyly, the burst of steam when you pour it over the hot stones, not for drinking — and the ten to fifteen minutes it needs are just enough to shower and change. Then you carry it into the dome — a four-metre 3V geodesic dome at 80-90°C — and pour it over the Mount Batur stones yourself. Most saunas scent their steam with synthetic aroma oils; here it is the opposite: real herbs, brewed on the spot, poured by you. A herbal steam you can only breathe here, in the town named after herbs. Then the 17°C and 10°C plunges.

How it works

1. Browse the shelf of small jars at the entrance — seventeen Balinese herbs; choose by scent, by mood, or ask us
2. Pack your chosen herbs into your own tea bag, with your own hands, and start the steeping
3. It steeps strong for 10-15 minutes — this brew is for löyly, not for drinking — while you shower and change
4. Carry your brew into the dome and pour it over the Mount Batur stones yourself. Breathe in the 80-90°C heat
5. Plunge — 17°C first, 10°C when ready
6. Rest by the fire pit under the trees, then repeat

The herbs

Amethyst Herbal Steam

In the deepest part of the site there is one more room — the Amethyst Herbal Steam, with one whole wall made of small amethyst stones. The idea behind it is the old way of healing: stone, herb, water. Herbal steam from a distiller flows into the room continuously. You lie down in the steam, and a faucet inside lets you pour water over your head as you go. Message us on WhatsApp in advance so we can fire up the still. If it's already running for another guest's booking, you can join right away without a reservation.

For sauna people

Sauna fans know two styles: Aufguss, where a sauna master performs with towels, and quiet Finnish löyly. The Balinese herbal ritual is a third thing — a recipe you mix yourself. It is closest to the old bathhouse traditions where the herbs were the point, and it only exists here because the herbs grow here.

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