Aurora Spa, SPA ritual products - Camp Ripan

Spa

AURORA

�Our most memorable experiences emanate from our most tranquil moments�

The History of Our Aurora Spa The polar night was crisp and clear. We relaxed in the little room outside the sauna, enjoying the serenity that fills you after a really hot sauna bath. Suddenly someone shouted “The aurora is here!”

Everyone rushed to the little window to get a glimpse of this mesmerizing heavenly phenomenon.

Then and there a vision was born. Wouldn’t it be wonderful with a perfect combination of sauna, bathing and relaxation wrapped up in beautiful natural surroundings?

In the initial phase of planning the spa our focus was already clear – we envisioned a spa with a heart reflecting the environment around us, materials that symbolize our lives, from the everyday to relaxing recreation.

Wood, stone and water were natural choices. Materials representing warmth, coolness and the essential, as well as elements so prominent in our Lapland nature, our community and our three intertwined cultures – the Swedish, Sami and Torne Valley Finnish.

And we did not want to stop there. We longed for a spa that really symbolized Kiruna. And one aspect that sticks out about Sweden’s northernmost city is its richness in contrasts. We wanted to give our guests those contrasts that enrich our own lives.

At Aurora Spa you wander between inside and out, soothing heat and tantalizing cold, between darkness and light. Relax indoors and rest your gaze on the landscape through the panorama windows, or feel the cool caress of the polar wind across your cheek while enveloped by the warming comfort of our outdoor pool.

Depending on the season and whether the weather conditions are right, wintertime offers the colourful dance of the northern lights across star-studded velvet skies and summertime the invigorating shining power of the midnight sun.

Our Aurora Spa offers you some of the most contrast-rich experiences Kiruna has to offer.

Welcome!

Monica Lind CEO, Camp Ripan

Coffee Mask Ever since coffee was introduced to Swedish Lapland it has been lovingly boiled in a coffeepot, preferably outdoors. It is hard to find a better coffee experience than sitting aside an open fire as the warm aroma of fresh coffee spreads out around you.

Still today there are plenty of people who would never consider exchanging their dear coffee pot for a modern machine.

Our coffee mask is based on ground organic dark roast coffee beans that have a tightening effect on the skin. This mask also contains cocoa whose antioxidants are believed to rejuvenate tired cells.

Apply the mask to your hands and face, avoiding eyes and mouth.

Massage carefully and let the mask sit for about 10 minutes so the skin has time to absorb. Wipe off the mask using your washcloth, shower without using soap for the best effect. The oil in the mask has a moisturizing effect.

Ingredients: ground organic Arabica coffee beans, organic Fairtrade cocoa, oat flakes and canola oil.

Juniper berry salt Juniper berries have a long tradition of being used to alleviate swollen and tired feet and legs. The berries are also believed to keep kidneys healthy, be anti-bacterial and act as a diuretic.

Pour the juniper salt (saving a little) and pellets into the hot water of the footbath bucket. Massage your soles on the pellets, close your eyes and imagine walking barefoot along a summer warm gravel path. Use the saved portion of the salt as a foot scrub, working away on any hard patches.

Wintertime you can switch a few times between the bucket’s hot water and a high-knee walk outside in the snow. This is believed to balance blood pressure, is very refreshing and a great way to boost energy levels. This is like a simpler version of a sauna bath where after a steaming hot sitting you run out and roll around in the snow before rushing back into the heat. A footbath also provides the perfect opportunity for a pleasant conversation, with yourself or a friend, while you massage your feet on the pellets.

Ingredients: juniper berries, lemon and sea salt.

Pellets A little more than 120 years ago, the mining company LKAB was founded and has since been one of Sweden’s industrial flagships.

The iron ore deposits in the Kiruna area are even so large that the city must move to give room to the expanding underground mining operations.

Internationally, LKAB is a rather small player on the market of tonnes of iron ore, but is considered to be one of the foremost actors as far as research and development of pellets production as well as the world’s next largest producer of iron ore pellets.

Pour the pellets into the footbath bucket and give your soles a well-deserved massage, which can be considered as a form of zone therapy. The source of aches is said to be an imbalance in the body. Find the aching area that troubles you on the zone therapy poster on the wall. Zone therapy is an ancient form of treatment and these therapeutic methods have roots in many cultures, including the Sami, believed to strengthen the body and cure diseases.

Ingredients: lodestone, olivine, calcite, dolomite, quartz and bentonite.

Birch Leaf Scrub The birch is one of Scandinavia’s treasured medicinal trees and used to be vital for those living in the polar regions. Crackling fires for fending off winter’s chill and preparing meals was fed by birch, and household necessities were crafted from its beautiful bark and burls.

Still today the birch has a special status as a utility plant. The sap is considered to hold health benefits, vitamin C-rich tea is brewed from early spring leaf shoots and both bark and leaves are used for dying yarn. The Sami still use birch to smoke meat and fish, produce that must hold well for the nomadic lifestyle where cold storage is not always available during the summer.

The leaves for the birch leaf scrub are picked when they have just opened and provide the skin with vitamin C, minerals and chlorophyll. Scrub with circular motions towards your heart. Avoid the face since this scrub may be too course for the delicate skin.

Ingredients: birch leaves, salt, organic canola oil and lemon.

Body oil Up until a few years ago, the canola plant was a rarity in the rich soils of Norrbotten County. Today you can find lush yellow fields along the Swedish coast as far north as just below the Arctic Circle.

The long and bright summer nights mean the canola seeds ripen quickly, providing a tasty and colourful cooking oil.

The cold pressed oil is rich in vitamin E and nutritious unsaturated fats such as omega 3 and omega 6.

We pride ourselves in using the best our region has to offer, and Aurora Spa’s canola-based body oil is from Kukkola in the Torne Valley. Your body will be enveloped by the energy of the bright summer nights of Norrbotten.

After showering, gently rub the body oil onto moist skin, you can also alleviate dry hair by applying a little oil to dry ends.

Ingredients: cold-pressed canola oil and essential oils from pine, lavender and lemongrass.

Camp Ripan +46(0)980-630 00 info@ripan.se www.ripan.se