Step out
of high gear.
Ninety minutes on the rooftop with Justine Clark. Heat that builds until you are properly done with it, then still water and a voice telling you exactly where to put your attention. Nothing to learn, nothing to keep up with, and no experience assumed. You lie back and somebody else runs it.
The dates
Three sessions to start with, on the first Saturday of the month. Eight places each, which is the number the rooftop works at rather than the number it holds.
- Saturday 3 October 3pm
- Saturday 7 November 3pm
- Saturday 5 December 3pm
November and December are not open for booking yet. Ring us on +64 27 233 5695 and we will hold you a place.
The ninety minutes
You are told where to go and what to do with your attention the whole way through. Nobody has to work out how long to stay in, or what to do with their hands.
-
Arrive
In off Tennis Lane, a welcome and a quick look around the building, so nothing upstairs is a surprise when you get there.
-
Settle
Tea, then one breathing exercise Justine leads. Five minutes in and the day has already started to come off.
-
Into the heat
Upstairs and split three ways: four in the hot stone sauna, two in the infrared, two in the spa bath with the jets off. Justine stays outside and talks you through it, working through points on the face, with aromatherapy going in both saunas. Fifteen minutes.
-
Swap, then the quiet bit
You change stations and the instruction gets lighter: a self-guided sequence you follow with your own hands, then a long guided relaxation to finish. You come out slower than you went in.
The three stations
All three are on the rooftop, outdoors, and you will use two of them.
Hot stone sauna · 100 degrees
Dry heat coming off the stones, and it builds until you are properly done with it. Four at a time.
Infrared sauna · 70 degrees
Gentler and more gradual. You can breathe easily and hold a conversation, and you still sweat properly. Two at a time.
Spa bath · 38 to 40 degrees
Jets off, water still, somewhere to sit and be warm while you listen. Two at a time.
Here is the part most people do not expect. In the sauna your heart rate climbs about as much as it would on an easy bike ride. It is afterwards, once you are out and sitting still, that it settles below where it started. Which is why the quiet at the end is the bit everybody remembers.
Who is guiding it
Justine Clark runs the session. She stays outside the cabins the whole time, which is what makes it work in a group: nobody is watching a clock or wondering whether they should get out.
She describes the guided part as Yoga Nidra style, and the way she puts it is that you are stepping out of high gear. You lie down or sit comfortably and she talks you through the whole thing. No movement to learn, no complicated breathing, and nothing to get right.
Who it suits
- Anyone running hot, and after ninety minutes where nothing is asked of them
- Anyone who finds sitting still easier when somebody else is setting the pace
- People who want the rooftop without having to work out what to do up there
- First timers. There is no movement to learn and no experience assumed
- Pairs, and people coming on their own. Eight places, booked one at a time
Before you book. This is 100 degree heat and a spa bath at 38 to 40, outdoors. If you are pregnant, have a heart condition, have high or low blood pressure, or take anything that changes how you handle heat, talk to your doctor first and tell us when you arrive. You can sit a rotation out at any point and nobody will make anything of it.
Questions
What do I bring?
Togs, a robe or a big towel, a towel for showering, and a bottle of water. Togs are the one people forget, and you are between two saunas and a spa bath, so you will want them.
Do I need to have done anything like this before?
No. There is no movement to learn and no experience assumed. You are told what to do the whole way through.
What if the heat is too much?
Step out. The spa bath is the gentlest of the three and it is there for exactly that. Nobody is keeping score, and sitting a round out is a normal thing to do.
Is it outside?
Yes. The whole session after the tea is on the rooftop, which is open air. Dress for the walk up rather than for the saunas.
Can I come with someone?
Yes. There are eight places and they are booked one at a time, so book yours and theirs together and you will be in the same session.
What if I cannot make it?
Our cancellation policy applies. Ring us as early as you can and we will do what we can with the place.
Eight places, once a month. For ninety minutes the only thing you have to do is turn up and be told where to go.