Latvia
Riga's sauna culture is one of Europe's most distinctive. The Latvian pirts — a wood-fired sauna ritual using beaten oak, birch, and linden branches (pirts slotiņas) along with herbal infusions — is listed on the UNESCO intangible heritage list and remains central to Latvian life. Venues range from city-centre wellness spas like Kleopatra SPA and Kalipso to traditional pirts-masters who run guided multi-hour rituals in cabins on the Riga outskirts. Mārtiņielas pirts and similar operators offer beginner-friendly entry points. Sessions are long (2–4 hours), often guided by a pirtnieks who tends the fire and performs the slotiņa whisking — a sauna experience closer to a wellness ceremony than a drop-in heat session.
A Latvian pirts is a wood-fired sauna ritual using heat, steam, and whisking with oak or birch branches (pirts slotiņas). A trained pirtnieks (sauna master) guides the session with herbal infusions and controlled heat. It is listed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Several operators run guided pirts sessions in Riga and within 30 minutes of the city. Mārtiņielas pirts and Rīgas pirts masters are the most established. Expect a 2–4 hour session with a pirtnieks, not a drop-in format.
Traditional pirts sessions are typically single-gender and nude. Modern urban wellness venues in Riga (hotel spas, wellness clubs) follow swimwear norms in mixed sessions.
The Latvian pirts is generally wetter and more ritualistic than Finnish sauna — lower temperatures (60–75°C) but higher humidity, with herbal steam and branch whisking central to the experience. Finnish sauna is hotter and drier.
