Temazcal: shvitzing in Oaxaca

Oftentimes when I travel, I avoid signing up for organized tours. I don’t like that feeling of being a tourist, so I end up missing out on really informative and cool experiences. Recently though, I’ve added them to my travels, with very mixed results. This experience with my daughter was worth it, in the end.

A driver, Nathan, picked us up at our Airbnb. He then drove us outside of the city center, 20-30 minutes or so, over many speed bumps to get to Temazcal Oaxaca. Not sure what it is about Oaxaca, but man do they love a speed bump. It turns out Nathan went to University of Texas at Austin, and was a business major, which is what my son is about to be, so it was interesting to talk to him about his experience in the U.S. and in Oaxaca, and to learn how he applies his degree to his business, producing videos for spaces and hotels around the world. He also told us a little about the traditions of the Temazcal, that it’s been a cleansing and spiritual practice for thousands of years in the region. But he neglected to warn us of its intensity. Once inside the gates Nathan disappeared entirely.

A woman in traditional Zapotec dress approached. We were instructed to sit in the peaceful courtyard and drink from the pitcher of water. There were birds singing, mellow music playing, hammocks swinging in the breeze, generally looked and felt like a hippie hangout. But it was just us two.

We were then instructed to disrobe, keeping on just a bathing suit, and to follow one of the women into the clay yurt type structure, being sure to duck down low to get through the doorway that leads into the space. Once inside, we were seated on little wooden chairs. The heat source was against the wall: big, hot volcanic rocks sitting on a fireplace grate.

The guide sat with us then pressed different herbs that were grown on the property into our hands. We were instructed to rub these together between our hands to release the oils: first basil, then something unrecognizable but similar to oregano, and finally rosemary. She then took a bundle of the mixed herbs, dipped it into a bucket of water, and splashed it onto the hot rocks. Wow. The heat got intense quickly. She sat behind us and sang a song, then departed, leaving us to sweat on our own. She came back in after a certain amount of time, time which we had no real way of counting, and laid some towels on the floor. She told us we could sit down there on the floor, as it’s a little cooler than in the chairs. We both obliged, as we were nearing overwhelm. She asked if we wanted her to splash more water on the hot rocks, to which we both replied, God NO! A while later she returned, telling us to lay down on the towels to get cooler. We flatten out immediately, and decline the splashing of the water again, and every other time.

After some minutes, she returned and gave us relief by pouring cool water over our heads, life-saving at this point. I’d like to say I was tough, could handle the discomfort, but I barely held on, until that water. Neither of us have any idea how long we were in there but it wasn’t likely longer than thirty minutes. And that was enough! It was intense. We crawled out of the door, and were led to a cold plunge; even better than the cool water pour, truly the best thing ever experienced.

After cooling down, we were led to a room where we were instructed to lay down on large mats for massages. While these were not the best massages, they were just fine. Truth is, I’m always a little on edge during massages, wondering what they’re doing when they’re not touching me, anticipating what they’ll do next, etc. so it was no surprise that they weren’t mind-blowing. I know, I’m weird like that.

After getting dressed and sipping more water in the courtyard, Nathan reappeared to drive us back to our Airbnb. I’d like to say we slept like babies, but that’s never my reality. We did go out for a lovely meal, because good food always works to return me to my senses.

Am I glad I went? Sure. Do I recommend it? Equally, sure. The question for you is would you or wouldn’t you?