Herbal Steam Sauna in Thaland

I’m a heat junky. Unlike many first time visitors to Thailand who can no more imagine voluntarily sitting in a hot steam room than eating spicy food, I enjoy both with great pleasure. I still remember my first Thai meal -- a Tom Yum soup that shocked, surprised and delighted – and for sheer steaminess could have moonlighted as a herbal steam sauna!

When I found my first herbal steam it was the aesthetic equivalent of the plastic-chairs-and-linoleum-covered-table-restaurants that serve the finest Tom Yum: a tiny concrete room overlooking a derelict mini golf course. The “herbal” component was a big pot of herbs boiling outside. Depending on how often the attendant roused herself to stoke up the rubber wood fire or add fresh herbs, the inside temperature ranged from tepid to searing. Completely inadvertently, the grotty venue had recreated the essence of herbal steam-ness: a refreshing combination of heat and cold. Despite the odd ambiance, the experience never left me.

It’s not easy to trace the origins of herbal steam. In Thailand, the herbal steam bath is apparently an age-old tradition which, like massage, has been passed down through generations of skilled practitioners. Thai herbal medicine incorporates components from various other traditional healing arts including Ayurvedic remedies from India, Chinese medicine and Theravada Buddhist traditions.

The original Thai herbal steams were located in rural temples. The medicinal steam vapor was used to treat skin ailments, muscle stress, and respiratory problems. Besides leaving you smelling great, there are a host of other benefits to be derived from the herbal steam: improved circulation, relief from tension, ridding the body of toxins, clearing respiratory passages, aiding digestion, soothing aching muscles , cleansing and rejuvenating the skin, and promoting sound sleep.

In the old days, the monastic herbal practitioner would collect a mixture of fresh and dried essential herbs for the specific occasion or patient. The roots and rhizomes included turmeric, prai (closely related to ginger), lemongrass, bergamot lime, camphor and tamarind leaves, among others. Often, the specific combination depended on what was naturally available in nearby kitchen gardens or forestsã

Though hardly any herbal steams still operate in rural Thai temples, the tradition has grown exponentially in hotels and dedicated spas throughout the country. The herbal steam rooms on Samui incorporate many of the herbs found in the local version of Tom Yum. The most commonly used are lemongrass and lime leaves and camphor (too much of the latter, if you ask me). My personal steam symphony includes a mixture of prai combined with aromatics like lime, lemongrass and turmeric.

An added benefit of the herbal steam is to prepare the body for a massage. The steam enters the lungs, allowing the therapeutic herbs to effectively be absorbed into the body. Whatever herbal oil or warming rub the masseusse applies will be absorbed more readily after the herbal steam. Also, warm and relaxed post-herbal steam muscles can be more easily stretched by the masseur.

Some people enjoy the steam primarily for relaxation. Others have found it a marvelous way to freshen up after a rough night, or before one! Sometimes I go in just to remind myself of the audacity of that first bowl of soup.

When NOT to steam
It is not advisable to use the herbal steam if you have a fever or an inflammatory disease or injury, if you are in your first trimester of pregnancy or if you have been drinking alcohol. People with a history of heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma or skin disease shouldn’t go in either!

By Shelley Poplak

Back to steam