Advanced Set Up

Duration

30 minutes with a heat source underneath the pot while steaming.

Who is this for?

The advanced set up is for women wanting to steam for longer sessions or who desire more heat.  This is recommended for women who are not classified as sensitive users as listed below.

• Women with short menstrual cycles (27 days or less)
• Women with IUDs
• Women prone to infections (bacterial, yeast, viral, herpes)
• Women with other indicators of excess heat (i.e. hot flashes, night sweats, infections, burning sensation)
• Women under the age of 13
• Fresh interim bleeding or spotting in between periods (or more than one period per month)

Directions

• Fill your stainless steel or cast iron pot with 1.5 – 2 litres of fresh water and put the lid on.
• Put the hot plate into the sauna, place the pot on the hot plate and turn it on to high making sure you leave the lid off the sauna to prevent it from getting too hot.
• Bring the water to the boil then turn the hot plate off.
• Remove the pot lid, add 3 tablespoons of herbs (either loose, in a muslin bag or in a tea ball) and leave to steep for 10 minutes with the lid on. After 10 minutes the water will have changed colour from the herbs.
• Remove the pot lid and check the temperature of the steam with your inner wrist.
• If it feels comfortable, you are ready to sit on your steamer.  If it’s still too hot, wait 30 seconds to one minute and then try again.
• After about 10 minutes or when the steam decreases, turn the hot plate to low or slightly higher (until you get the level of heat that you require) and continue to steam until 30 minutes have passed in total.

Get Creative Without A Sauna

Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Please note that the directions in the Mild & Advanced Setups have been written assuming you are using a sauna box.  If you don’t have access to a sauna, but would love to experience the benefits of steaming, I’m pleased to inspire you that there are many ways to do so! You can get creative at home with a broken chair and a toilet lid, cutting a hole in a stool or any other way you can come up with.  Let your imagination run wild!

Squat Over A Pot

At it’s simplest form, you can squat over a small pot for a Mild Setup, though be prepared this is definitely not the most comfortable! Make sure to surround the pot with a towel so you don’t touch the hot edges. I’ve tried this while traveling, but definitely prefer the comfort of my sauna at home.

One way to squat is to completely stand over the pot and drop your skirt, towel or blanket over it and then squat down.  Or you can get into an all fours position (on knees and elbows) and let the steam rise up.

Broken Chair

Take the seat off a broken chair and place a toilet seat over the frame.  You may want to cut the legs down on the chair to make the steam source closer to the seat for a more ideal steam temperature.  Place the pot underneath the chair and if it feels comfortable (and you are not experiencing hot flashes or a burning itch) drape a cotton sheet over your lap or wrap it around your waist to trap more warmth from the sides.

Stool

If you have access to some power tools you can cut out a hole at the top of a stool or side table.  IKEA have a great range of inexpensive raw wood stools to experiment with. Sand off the edges of the hole to make it nice and smooth.  The top of the stool can be sealed with coconut oil which is a nice natural sealant.  Place the pot underneath the stool and if it feels comfortable (and you are not experiencing hot flashes or a burning itch) drape a cotton sheet over your lap or wrap it around your waist to trap more warmth from the sides.

Don’t have herbs?

Even if you don’t have access to herbs and would like to explore what steam alone can do, simply boil up some water and steam over that.  Remember the last time you had a blocked nose and it cleared while standing in the shower?  The same thing is happening down there in your sacred space while squatting over steam.  The steam magically melts down and out whatever you don’t want up there.

There’s also the option of adding a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to 6 cups of water OR 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar to 6 cups of water and steaming over that.  This is an option that can be used if you have sensitivities to any of the herbs, but still want to experience the benefits of steaming.