Our Story

It began with a van called Aurelius, hand-built by and home to Johannes, during a year travelling in Australia. In the final months of that journey, he worked as a sauna master in the Blue Mountains Sauna, introducing the German Aufguss ritual to the Southern Hemisphere. But the visa clock was ticking, and the van had to be sold. 

When it came time to leave, he listed Aurelius for sale. Out of the hundreds of messages he received, one stood out. Sophie.

That first phone call turned into a second. On it, he admitted he had a “massive crush.” She felt the same. She bought the van. Their first date was his last night in it. The next morning, she drove him to the airport, he left Australia for what he thought might be forever. 

Months later, Sophie was in the Netherlands, Johannes had just returned to Germany. For our second date, we spent four days at his mother’s house. By the end of it, we weren’t ready to say goodbye. So we flew to India and then Nepal. That third date lasted four months.

After those winding roads and a few visa miracles, we found ourselves back in the Blue Mountains - this time together. Living in Aurelius, now technically Sophie’s, but always shared.

As Johannes returned to sauna work, a shared vision began to emerge. We both loved essential oils, not just as scent, but for how they can shift your state and carry the therapeutic properties of the plant. But something was missing for us. We started Aufguss Rituals because we couldn’t find a range of essential oils that felt consistently exceptional. Some smelled great, some were organic, but we were always picking and choosing from different places. We wanted something where every single oil felt exceptional. Johannes was working in sauna at the time and started questioning the sourcing and purity of the oils being used. We knew we wanted to offer something better: organic, vibrant, and thoughtfully chosen from the ground up.

So we did.

Aufguss Rituals was never about building a brand, it was about deepening a path we were already on. Rooted in ritual, in quality that can be felt, our oils are chosen with care, from plants grown slowly and sustainably, harvested with integrity, and distilled to retain the soul of the land they come from.

This is our offering, to bring you the best essential oils, that respect the plants, the land, the people that harvested them. To bring you oils that not only smell beautiful, but feel alive.