Learn the craft behind aufguss
Just Sauna Academy trains gusmestre with a focus on technique, craft and thoroughness. From your first course to a full training programme with practice and an exam.
Upcoming courses
Pick a date and sign up. New courses appear here as soon as they're out.
The training
Two steps to becoming a gusmester
We divide the journey into two steps. You can start from scratch, or join at Level 2 if you've already taken a base course.
Level 1 · Gusmester
Your first step towards becoming a gusmester
Gusmester Level 1 gives you a grounding in aufguss, the gusmester's role and the techniques behind a classic session in a modern format.
The course mixes theory and practical training, so you both understand the techniques and try them in the sauna.
You leave with a solid foundation for a safe, comfortable and professional session, and a strong starting point for building your own craft. You get a course diploma when you finish.
You'll learn about
- Sauna culture and the traditions behind aufguss
- The gusmester's role and responsibility
- Heat, and how the body reacts to heat and cold
- Essential oils: what they do, dosage and use
- Oils in water and on ice
- Ventilation and how heat spreads in the sauna
- Basic towel techniques and classic swings
- Music, intention and flow in a session
- Reading the guests during a session
- Basic safety, and looking after a guest who feels unwell
The gusmester's craft
More than a towel
Being a gusmester is about more than swinging a towel. It's understanding the heat, creating flow, reading the room and being present with the guests.
- 1Understand the heatHow heat moves in the sauna, how the body reacts to heat and cold, and why ventilation matters.
- 2Learn the techniqueClassic towel swings, the right dose of essential oils and the basics behind a session.
- 3Create flowHow music, scent, movement, timing and intention come together as one experience.
- 4Read the guestsA good gusmester feels the room, and adjusts intensity, pace and heat along the way.
- 5Create safetyThe basic safety principles, and what to do when a guest feels unwell.
Level 2 · Sauna Aufguss Master
Become a certified Sauna Aufguss Master
“The good Sauna Aufguss Master is the host who invites people into a sensory experience built on imagination, an eye for detail, a charming personality, technical skill and empathy.”
To become a certified Sauna Aufguss Master at Just Sauna, you present, document and carry out a themed session for the founder of Just Sauna. On the way there are training sessions, practice and a practical exam.
Before you start
- Experience from inside the sauna
- A base course from Just Sauna or a similar course, for example from the Danish Sauna Association, Gusmester.dk, Sauna85 or Nordic Health and Living
- The classic swings: the helicopter and the X, and variations like the parachute and flags
- Basic knowledge of oil dosage
- Basic safety, inside and outside the sauna
What you learn
- Sauna culture, heat and how the body responds to heat and cold
- Essential oils and their properties, in water and on ice, and ventilation with the towel
- What to do when a guest feels unwell
- Matching your movement to the music and the intention of the session
- Our "Sessions with Intention" method
What you practise
- Dosing oils, classic swings and the first advanced swings
- 18 shifts with a live, paying audience, where you prepare, lead and finish a session
- A mid-way evaluation with individual feedback ahead of the exam
Exam and diploma
After a practical exam you get a diploma showing that you can lead a modern classic aufguss, judged on the criteria the Danish Sauna Association uses at the Danish Aufguss Championship. The diploma is issued by Just Sauna, and the exam is held by a qualified examiner.
Meet your teacher
Ulla Rebbe Jerslund
Founder of Just Sauna · Gusmester · Teacher
Ulla has more than eight years' experience as a gusmester in Denmark and abroad. She has trained with leading gusmestre in classic towel techniques, show aufguss, heat, ritual sessions, herbs, banya and essential oils.
She won the Danish Championship in Team Show Aufguss in 2024 and has represented Denmark at the World Championship. She's a trained teacher from Projektakademiet and holds a Level 2 qualification in breathing techniques.
Where
Just Sauna Wellness
The course takes place at Just Sauna Wellness in Frederikssund, our wellness studio made for presence, recovery and community.
There's room for theory, practice and the big sauna, which seats 30 to 35. You'll also find a Cold Plunge, a wellness area, indoor changing rooms and warm and cold showers.
