Sweat Lodges

Native American sweat lodges are used for a purification ceremony known as Temazcalli, or sweatbath. Sweat lodges are not simply spas, although they do induce sweat and purification, as spas do. Rather, sweat lodges are sacred places that purify not only the body, but also the spirit.

Sweat Lodges and Purification
The physical virtues of sweating have been lauded for centuries. Sweating is good for the body, for many reasons. The skin, our body's largest organ, is an organ of elimination. Like the bowels and the bladder, the skin eliminates waste. During a sweat, the pores open up more completely, and the skin is able to expel toxins and waste that may have been stuck there for a long time.

Also, when a person sweats in a sauna, spa or sweat lodge, she goes into a false fever. This faux fever is the secret behind a sweat lodge's ability to heal us physically. When the body feels its temperature rise, it assumes that it is in the throes of a fever. The immune system goes into overdrive, producing a veritable flood of germ-fighting, health-boosting responses. The white blood cells and the organs of the immune system rally together to fight off the imagined fever, which in turn creates a healthier, stronger body.

Of course, the physical benefits of sweating are secondary to the spiritual benefits. Temazcalli is a time of intense prayer and spiritual renewal. If you have never been to a sweat lodge before, we welcome you with open arms. Call us or email us, and we will guide you through the simple, necessary steps of preparation.