Sweaty Journey in an Urban Temazcal

While in México City, I had the opportunity to experience a temazcal, which is a type of sweat lodge that was used by pre-hispanic indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The word temazcal comes from the Nahuatl word temāzcalli meaning "house of heat". Temazcales are believed to have been used by indigenous warriors before and after entering into battle as well as pregnant women before, during, and after labor.

I didn’t know very much about temazcals prior to making my plans and I purposely didn’t look into it too much before my experience. Sometimes it’s nice to go into something without any expectations. I really like saunas and steam rooms, so I figured I would enjoy the temazcal, which I felt would be a more down-to-earth and intentional way to sweat the toxins out of my body.

Since I was in the city for two weeks, I was able to participate in two temazcal ceremonies, which were very different from each other. (I’ll save my second temazcal experience for another post.)

I met our host/guide at a café in the trendy La Condesa neighborhood. Then we took an Uber to the actual location. Due to traffic, it took us over 45 minutes to arrive. I was starting to think we were leaving the city and it was making me nervous to be so far away from the comfort and safety of my little airbnb (it was just me, one other guy, and our guide, also a male). We eventually passed through a secured gate and drove through a dark and quiet private road to get to the venue.

Once we stepped into the gated property, it was like I was in a whole other place. A large, open field that had a tall geodesic dome (apparently a woman breeds butterflies in it 😍), a row of large planter boxes, and a large building with lots of glass windows and doors with a rooftop seating area. Our guide pointed toward the dark end of the grounds—that’s where the temazcal was.

Temazcales come in different shapes & sizes and can be made of different types of natural materials (stone, volcanic rock, cement, earth, textiles, etc.), so I wasn’t sure what to expect. When I first saw the temazcal I thought, “How am I supposed to sit in that?!” It looked way too low, but I soon discovered it was partially built into the ground. This all made sense when our guide told us that the temezcal represents the womb of Mother Earth. A place where we could be nourished, protected, and cleansed of what no longer serves us and the burdens we no longer wish to carry.

As we prepared to enter the enter the temazcal, the volcanic rocks (traditionally used to heat a temazcal as they can hold heat without bursting open) were being heated in a fire pit in the form of a jaguar’s jaw. Just a few feet away from the temazcal, there was a large patch of herbs and medicinal plants. We were given a few minutes to gather whichever plants called to us, to bring with us into the temazcal.

We were given a hot cacao drink, which was fairly mild compared to what I have been given in cacao ceremonies. My body can be pretty sensitive to pure cacao, so I only drank about half of my share. I needed to pace myself in this new experience to keep myself calm. I was starting to get worried I wouldn’t be able to take the heat (literally!) and not having a familiar face with me made me extra cautious.

Before entering the temazcal, our guide cleansed us with copal incense and said a short chant/prayer.

Once inside the temazcal, our guide started bringing in the volcanic stones, slowly heating up the space. Once all the stones were in, he sealed the small entryway and it became pitch black. I swear I could see more if I closed my eyes! I’m not used to being in pure darkness and, honestly, it freaks me out a little. So I kept my eyes closed and I focused on taking slow and deep breaths.

Our guide created the steam by throwing herbal water onto the volcanic rocks.

He also started referring to us as warriors, which felt a little silly at first, but quickly felt very appropriate as we were challenged to face our deepest fears and traumas in order to shed what was holding us back and keeping us from living the lives we truly wanted. We then spent the rest of the temazcal ceremony honoring the 4 doors, which also represented the 4 directions and the 4 elements; fire, air, water, and earth. 🔥🌬💦🌱

For each direction and element, there was a slightly different prompt for us to reflect on and share with the group, if we felt called to. We shared what thoughts, beliefs, personal limitations, and traumas we wanted to throw into the fire and free ourselves from. We shared the gifts that we were grateful for and our deepest desires and dreams we held for our present and future. We sealed the intention behind each share with the word “ometeotl” (click here if you’re curious about its meaning).

As we honored each element, we were given freshly sliced aloe leaves, wild honey, and orange slices to rub all over our bodies (as well as the herbs we had gathered). We were also free to eat some of these goodies, which pretty much felt like a necessity once the heat started to build up.

I thought the heat might become unbearable, but I took the guide’s advice of laying down so that the coolness of the earth could absorb some of my heat. Laying on bare ground never felt so comforting. We only had to sit up for certain parts of the ceremony and for at least 2 of the doors, our guide opened the door momentarily to allow for airflow to move the energy and space within the temazcal.

Once the ceremony was done, I took an extra cold rinse in their outdoor shower, surrounded by tree branches and leaves…and the milky glow of the moonlight. 🌝✨

We drank herbal tea (a blend of dill and mint) to help hydrate afterwards. Now that the traffic had died down, it took no more than 15 minutes to get back to our meeting point.

I was starving by then, so my new temazcal friend and I went to a popular taquería chain, El Califa, that was just around the corner from us. As it wasn’t my first time, I went for a simple chicken soup and nopal🌵salad, but multiple locals mentioned this place as having some of the best al pastor tacos, despite it being a relatively pricey (for local standards) place.

Within an hour I was back at my cozy airbnb and jumped straight into bed. I slept like a baby and woke up feeling calm, clear, and ready to take on the day.