Less-Mess Vihta

Some call it a vihta, some call it a vasta, some call it a whisk.

Traditional Finnish sauna vihtas are made from a bouquet of birch branches used to gently whisk oneself to promote circulation and open pores.

Our durable 25 inch sauna vihtas are designed to be reused many more times than their original counterpart with much less mess. The wooden handle and polypropylene strands will stay intact for longer.

Our whisk is made with a wooden handle and durable polypropylene strands.

In original Finnish sauna culture, the whisk was a “bouquet” of tender birch branches which was used to gently whisk oneself to promote circulation, open pores, ease tense muscles, and provide therapeutic properties from the natural oils in the birch leaves.

The leaf whisk would only last for a few saunas and then crumble or drop its leaves creating a mess. The birch whisks needed to be made in early spring before leaves reached full maturity, so a big pile was made and dehydrated to last a full year. The whisk was then rehydrated in a bucket of warm water while the sauna heated up.

The modern version is the less mess, less fuss version which will last a very long time. We have customers coming in to finally replace theirs after 20+ years of heavy use. Use it wet or dry. Try dunking it in cool water and whisking yourself once your skin is good and hot, working from the toes and fingers and moving towards the heart. You get nice tingles as you feel the blood flowing. Feels great on tight shoulder muscles.