A 3-Part Guided Contrast Therapy Series in collaboration with Alchemy Springs

When:

  • May 28 @ 6-9PM PST

  • May 30 @ 6-9PM PST

  • June 1 @ 4-7PM PST

Where:

Sauna Garden @ Alchemy Springs
939 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Rooted in the practice of contrast therapy, Somatic Aufguss is a guided series and experience that blends sauna ritual, cold water therapy, breathwork, and embodied movement to explore the art of resilience.

Each session is a multi-sensory experience incorporating essential oils, towel-waving, immersive sound, and somatic practices to bring you into deeper presence.

Through deliberate exposure to the heat and cold, you’ll be led through a process of slowing down, resetting your nervous system, and attuning to the subtle intelligence of your body. Expect to release tension, recalibrate your mindset, and leave feeling clear, grounded, and alive.

Book 1 or attend all 3 and witness the journey that unfolds.

This is more than a class—it’s a ritual for the nervous system.

  • Grounding | Earth | Intuition

    SESSION 1: Wed May 28 @ 6PM-9PM PT

    Root down to rise up.

    This session invites you to find safety in your body. To soften the mind, and reconnect with your inner knowing. Using breath, and mindful movement, you’ll be guided through a contemplative ritual to ground your nervous system and enhance intuitive awareness. Let the warmth of the sauna and the chill of the ice bath help you shed layers of mental noise, leaving space for clarity and calm.

  • Inner Power | Fire | Transformation

    SESSION 2: Fri May 30 @ 6PM-9PM PT

    Awaken the fire within.

    This ritual is an invitation to reclaim your power —facing the intensity of hot and cold with a steady breath and open heart. You’ll use movement, breathwork, and guided visualization to activate inner power, process stuck energy, and move through discomfort as a portal for transformation. A journey of resilience, renewal, and becoming.

  • Surrender | Air | Joy

    SESSION 3: Sun Jun 1 @ 4PM-7PM PT

    Release your grip to find joy in the challenge.

    Our final session leans into the energy of letting go—softening into the present through the breath. With the support of sauna and ice baths, we’ll invite spaciousness, levity, and states of joy. Gentle movement, guided visualization and conscious breathing, will help you release, and be open to receive.

Meet your guide: Alycia

Alycia Wong is Denver’s first Sauna Master and a Somatic Embodiment Facilitator with 13+ years experience transforming well-being through empowering mind-body-spirit practices.

Her mission is to shift the paradigm around self-care, guiding people to reclaim their inner power and live fuller, more meaningful lives.

About Alchemy Springs

Alchemy Springs is an urban bathhouse inspired by nature's elements in San Francisco, designed by Olle Lundberg.

The Sauna Garden is a space to relax, connect, and unwind while Alchemy Springs takes shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Aufguss is a traditional sauna ritual originating in Europe that enhances the sauna experience through the use of aromatherapy and dynamic towel-waving techniques. Essential oils are diffused through steam (löyly), releasing therapeutic scents into the air. A trained sauna master then uses rhythmic towel movements to circulate the heat and aromas, creating a deeply immersive, multi-sensory experience that supports physical, emotional, and mental renewal.

  • This practice is a powerful reset for your body and mind. Moving between the heat of the sauna and the cold of the plunge builds resilience, strengthens your cardiovascular and immune systems, and helps regulate your nervous system. Through the somatic practices woven into each session, you’ll also release tension, shift your mindset, cultivate greater emotional balance, and leave feeling more grounded, clear, and energized.

  • Each session will include a guided journey of intention setting, breathwork, light movement, visualization, and multiple rounds of sauna and cold plunge. You'll experience the traditional Aufguss ritual layered with somatic embodiment practices designed to help you slow down, tune inward, and reset. Expect a mindful, and deeply restorative experience where you'll be gently led through each phase.

  • The total session time is 3 hours.

    Each Somatic Aufguss Ritual workshop will last about 60 minutes allowing time for guided practices, sauna and cold immersion rounds, integration, and rest.

    An example program includes beginning with our first sauna ritual that will last about 20 mins, followed by rounds of 2-mins guided ice baths, ending with a final sauna ritual of about 7-10 mins.

    The remaining 2-hour time is available for free flow use of both the sauna and ice baths at your leisure.

  • Please bring your own towels, robe and sandals for this experience. We have a limited quantity for sale upon check in - subject to availability.

    Please note that Alchemy Springs enforces a clothing-required policy. All guests are kindly requested to wear appropriate swimsuits throughout their visit. As the site is still in development, Alchemy Springs has temporary changing rooms and lockers, and outdoor open-air showers only.

  • Arrive well-hydrated and plan to bring a water bottle to stay hydrated throughout the session.

    Avoid eating heavy meals within 30-60 minutes of a session to minimize digestion discomfort during the extreme temperatures.

  • All-levels (first-timers included) are welcome to these workshops. No prior sauna or ice-bath experience is necessary. Alycia will open with an overview of safety protocols and what to expect prior to each session.

    We recommend you discuss any medical conditions with your health professional. Contraindications to be cleared prior to participation by a health professional include if you are pregnant, suffer from a cardiac condition, high or low blood pressure, or have a history of fainting.