Wat Sok Pa Luang

Wat Sok Pa Luang is a mystical temple in southern Vientiane. Known for its practice of vipassana (or insight meditation) by the kind resident nuns and monks, it also harbours one of Asia's best saunas in which to detoxify and rejuvenate.

Tucked amongst the temple complex is a stilted wooden house. Inside, a fire burns under a huge blackened steel cauldron full of water. Into this a huge variety of herbs, leaves, bark and roots from the nearby forest are added: kaffir lim, basil, lemongrass, lemon and camphor bark, to name but a few. Once boiling, the sweet-smelling steam rises into the small wooden planked sauna cabin directly above.

The nuns look after this sauna - cultivating and collecting the herbs. They also give you a sarong-like loin cloth to wear and prepare refreshing herbal tea to flush out nasty toxins, as well as deal with other aches and pains.