Saunas are all the rage for supporting detoxification, joint and muscle health, healthy skin, circulation, and much more.

However, not everyone has regular access to a sauna, and buying one is an investment.

Enter the hot towel body rub: an affordable and accessible sauna alternative with many comparable benefits.

I’ve recommended this to clients for years in my using food as medicine practice, and I use it myself, with excellent results. It’s also ideal for creating deep warmth and supporting immunity on chilly fall or winter nights.

Here’s how to make your own hot towel rub (with or without warming ginger), how it works, and its benefits.

Organs Of Detoxification 101: And Why The Skin Is So Important

One of the primary reasons saunas are so effective is that they help the body detoxify through sweat, supporting lymphatic flow, and increasing circulation.

Here’s a quick recap on the organs of detoxification, which help clear stagnation and eliminate inhaled or ingested toxins.

• Kidneys: Filter waste from the blood and excrete it through urine.
• Liver: Processes toxins and waste, converting them into substances that can be eliminated.
• Lungs: Expel carbon dioxide and other gases through respiration.
  Intestines: Remove undigested food and waste through bowel movements.
• Skin: Eliminates toxins through sweat.

Although the kidneys, liver, and intestines (gut) get a lot of promotion in the cleansing and detoxification space, the skin is often overlooked.

The skin is the body’s largest organ of elimination.. It is sometimes referred to as the third kidney.[1] 

If the kidneys and other organs of elimination are backed up, contracted, and having trouble clearing the toxic load, the skin may reflect this backup with rashes, breakouts, and other issues. 

Practices that utilize the skin to alleviate the toxic burden on other elimination organs, such as sweating in a sauna, support the healing process. This is also why people often experience a dramatic improvement in their skin after tossing the toxins and/or doing a detox cleanse.

The skin also influences thermoregulation, immune function, and body water balance.[2]

The bottom line: Optimizing the skin as an organ of elimination is a cost-free way to support health, restore vitality, and well-being. 

About The Hot Towel Body Rub: How It Works, Uses, & Benefits

The hot towel body rub acts as a no- or low-cost sauna, encouraging circulation and detoxification.

Potential benefits include:

• It activates circulation
• Draws toxins out of the body
• Promotes clear skin
• Helps discharge fat accumulated under the skin
• Removes dry skin, which helps to open the skin pores to facilitate smooth and regular elimination of excess fat and toxins
• Helps relieve stress and tightness deep inside the body  

In short, the hot towel body rub facilitates the flow out and reduction of your toxic load.

Ideally, the body rub is performed in the morning upon waking and in the evening before bedtime. 

You can do the hot body rub before, after, or on its own, either before or after your shower or bath. If you do the body rub after a shower, end with a warm (not cold) rinse to open the skin's pores. Regardless, perform it separately, not during the shower or bath. 

Opening the skin to discharge in the morning helps energize you for the day.  

At night, before bed, the body rub enables you to relax and settle into a deep sleep.
The hot towel body rub is also helpful when traveling to reduce symptoms of jet lag.  

How It Works

The hot towel body rub works a lot like a sauna, opening up the pores and encouraging circulation to facilitate the drawing out and release of toxins.

When you wring out the towel, the toxins picked up on the wash towel are deposited into the warm water.  

As the water becomes increasingly contaminated by dipping the used cloth into it, there is a greater attraction and interaction between the toxins on the rag and the toxins within 
the body. 

The drawing of toxins out of the body increases as you do the body rub. 

Naturopaths and traditional healers from around the world have recommended saunas and other forms of heat therapy for centuries to combat nearly anything that ails you, from poor immune function to skin conditions.

Various studies support the tradition of saunas, showing they may help promote:[3][4]

• Brain health
• Circulation
• Detoxification
• Joint pain
• Muscular pain
• Longevity
• Pain in general
• Athletic performance, including helping ease post-workout soreness
• Calorie burning and fat loss
• Immunity
• Skin health
• Metabolic function
• Better sleep
• Deep relaxation
• And more

The optional addition of ginger to the hot water enhances the overall effect, adding another layer of benefits. 

Grate a handful of ginger into a cheesecloth or cotton tea bag. Squeeze the ginger juice out into the hot water and place the cheesecloth or cotton bag containing the ginger pulp/fiber into the pot.

Simmer for 15 minutes, and let the cloth with ginger remain in the water while you perform the hot towel body rub.* 

Alternatively, you can grate the ginger directly into the water and then strain it after simmering for 15 minutes.

Ginger has been used extensively in traditional herbalism practices, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, for centuries to support immunity, clear dampness and heat, promote digestion, support respiratory health, and increase heat in the body.

Several studies have also demonstrated the health benefits of ginger, including for:[5][6][7]

• Circulation
• Heart health
• Digestion
• Nausea
• Metabolic function
• Immune function
• Inflammation
• Pain
• Menstrual cramps
• Neuro-protection
• Headaches
• PMS
• Painful and/or heavy periods
• Colon and gut health
• Muscle pain

Put these two healing powerhouses together, and you create a powerful body treatment with multifaceted benefits.

How To Do The Hot Towel Rub (With Or Without Ginger)

Now that you understand what the hot towel rub is, how it works, and its benefits, let’s get started.

The objective is to make your skin red. If your skin does not initially get red, it will, over time, as your condition improves. 

The skin scrub deeply cleans your skin, activating circulation and energy. 

Note: While performing the body rub, it is important not to change the water; instead, ensure it remains hot.

The Hot Towel Body Rub is a routine for the entire body.

What You’ll Need

• A large bowl or a clean sink in which to fill with hot water or hot ginger water
• A small cotton towel or cloth
• Time: About 10-15 minutes
• Note: We’ve included tips on how to do this in a shorter time frame at the end
• Privacy! You’ll want to do this in a space where you can undress and cover your entire body in the hot water or hot ginger water without being interrupted
  

How To Do It Step-By-Step:

Do not be deterred by the number of steps, as the process is quite simple and enjoyable!

1. Fill your sink or a big bowl with hot water or hot ginger water*.
2. Dip a small cotton towel or cloth in the hot water.
3. Wring out excess water back into the container.
4. Start with the left hand. Rub the warm cloth between your fingers, palm, and the top of your hand, and up your arm to your wrist and shoulder. Dip the cloth back in the hot water when needed.
5. Repeat on the other arm.
6. Then place the warm cloth over each eyelid with the eyes closed (take care not to get ginger water in your eyes, as this could burn). This brings circulation to the eyes and helps them hydrate. 
7. Next, rub your face, your forehead, cheeks, chin, nose, around the mouth, around your ears, and down the front and back of your neck.
8. Then, rub vertically from your chin, around your thyroid area (base of the throat), and straight down to your pubic bone.
9. Next, rub each armpit (lymph node area) and around your breasts or chest area.
    Rub your large intestinal area following the line of digestive motion up the right side, across, and down the left side of your belly.
   
10. Continue to dip the cloth into the hot water and wring it out as the cloth cools.
11. Rub the stomach in a circular motion to stimulate the small intestine and circulation in the pelvic area.
12. Rub the right side of your lower back over your right kidney and hip, and then down your upper and lower legs.
13. Rub your right foot around the bottom of your foot, between your toes, and both sides of your ankles.
14. Repeat the same process on the left side.
15. The skin should become pink or slightly red. If the skin is clogged, achieving this result may take a few days.
16. If you don’t have time, consider just doing your fingers and toes (the beginning and ending of each of the principal meridians in the body) to stimulate energy flow.

Repeat once or twice daily, or as often as desired, to help reduce body burden, support circulation, invigorate, relax, warm up, support digestion, and promote overall health.

Looking For More At-Home Detox Tips?

Getting healthy and detoxifying your body doesn’t have to be expensive. Some of the best methods are free!

Here are some other ways to detox at home using simple techniques and no-cost or low-cost products and tools.

• A Radiation Detox Bath: Salt & Soda Soak
• 7 Free Practices That Enhance Your Heart Health
• 6 Health Benefits Of Grounding
• 5 Powerful Ways to Toss Toxic Thoughts with a Mind Detox
• How to Reduce Electromagnetic Field Exposure
  

References:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30785673/
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7167948/
3. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/action/showCitFormatsdoi=10.1016%2Fj.mayocp.2018.04.008&pii=S0025-6196%2818%2930275-1
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5941775/#sec5
5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7019938/
6. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1400956/full
7. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667142524002033