This traditional bath is must do for anyone visiting Bhutan.
The stones, collected from river bank, are heated for 2-3 hours atleast and then added to a wooden bath tub. The wooden bath tub has 2 compartments, segregated by perforated wooden slab and is prefilled with river water and Artemisia leaves. The perforated wooden slab allows only the water and the herbs to pass through. The place I went had a wooden cabin with a door built over in such a way that the smaller compartment was outside and the larger one was fully enclosed, with a towel and a chair plus cloth hangars. Total privacy.
Hot stones heat the water
The hot stones – few of them depending on their size-are then dropped in the smaller compartment which heats up the water and then it is time to step into the larger compartment and soak the full body. The heated stones gradually release minerals that are very good for the human body.
The water was already very hot when I stepped in. It was a bit of a struggle initially to stay in the tub. Took few minutes for the body to fully adjust. Thereafter I was able to immerse my entire body in water-which was also a bit of struggle because the tub length was much shorter than my height! Also dipped my head. I could clearly smell the minerals and it was kind of a pleasant odour-something similar to hot spring baths.
Outside position of tub where hot stones and herbs are added The inside portion of tub The wooden tub
In hindsight, I should have been advised to step in earlier, that way, the body would have had time to adjust to the rising temperature of water.
Very relaxing but equally tiring
The bath is very relaxing and at the same time, extremely tiring-I felt drained out within 15 minutes. After about 20-25 minutes, as the water temperature fell, I asked for couple of fresh hot stones to be added. Overall, I spent about 40 minutes or so in the water, with couple of breaks when I sat out for a minute. Because of the heat, my heart started and continued to beat as if I was climbing Tiger’s Nest without a pause!
Difficult to sit beyond 45 minutes
It cost INR 1,500 per person and though they said I could sit as long as I wished, it is difficult to sit beyond 30-40 minutes and honestly, I am not sure if it advisable to sit for too long. Of course, if the water is kept warm and not hot, I could have stayed longer but that takes away the whole fun of a stone bath. Right? Imagine a sauna at 25 degrees celsius!
A combination of stone minerals and the herbs is supposed to cure few human ailments. Traditionally, hot stone bath is a community event in Bhutan, with people taking turns to immerse in the bath.