How to use a sauna.
How to use a sauna: a first-timer’s guide to rounds, etiquette and staying safe.
Shower, sit on your towel in the heat for 5–10 minutes, cool off, rest, and repeat once or twice. That’s a sauna. This guide covers the rest: what to bring and wear in Ireland and the UK, which bench to choose, how to throw water on the stones without upsetting anyone, and how to stay safe.
Updated · 5 min read
Your first sauna in five steps
- ShowerRinse off before you go in, and drink some water.
- HeatSit on your towel for 5–10 minutes. Start on a lower bench, where it’s cooler.
- CoolStep out for a cool shower, a dip in the sea or fresh air.
- RestSit down for 10 minutes and drink water.
- RepeatOne to three rounds is plenty. Stop whenever you’ve had enough.
That’s it. Visit Finland says you can stay in “for 5–10 minutes, or for hours with cooling dips” in between.1 In research, sessions of 5–20 minutes were usually repeated one to three times.2 Sauna is meant to feel good. If it doesn’t, get out.
What to bring
- Two towels: one to sit on, one to dry off. Most saunas ask you to sit or lie on a towel, for hygiene and to protect the wood.3,4
- Swimwear, at most saunas in Ireland and the UK.
- A water bottle. You’ll sweat a lot.1
- Flip-flops for wet floors and the walk to the sea.
- Warm layers and a hat for afterwards at a seaside sauna, plus a bag for wet things.
- Soap and shampoo if there are showers.5
Leave jewellery, glasses and your phone outside. Metal gets hot, lenses fog, and nobody wants a camera in a sauna.
What to wear in a sauna
It depends where you are. At public saunas, hotel spas and gyms in the UK, the norm is a swimsuit or a towel, and many venues’ rules forbid nudity.4 Expect the same at Irish public saunas, but check the venue’s rules when you book. No street clothes or trainers inside.4
In Finland, many people bathe naked, but it’s “perfectly ok” to wear a swimsuit or towel, and in mixed public saunas most people do.1 In Germany, the opposite: saunas are often textile-free, and wearing swimwear can be against the rules.6 When in doubt, ask.
How long to stay in a sauna the first time
Start with 5–10 minutes. You’ll feel warm at once, start sweating within a few minutes and notice your heart beating faster. That’s normal: a hot sauna works your heart much like light exercise. Leave sooner if you feel dizzy, sick or uncomfortable, and stand up slowly. Blood pressure falls after a session, and dizziness when standing is common, especially if you take blood pressure medicine.2
Over a few visits you can build up to 15–20 minutes a round. There’s no prize for staying longest.
Where to sit: top bench or bottom?
Heat rises, so the higher you sit, the hotter it is.7 In one measured barrel sauna, the air near the ceiling was about 75°C and the air at bench level 48°C.8 First-timers should start low and move up if they want more. Sauna designers aim for your feet to be above the top of the stones, so the heat reaches all of you, not just your head.9
Throwing water on the stones (löyly)
Pouring water on the hot stones makes a burst of steam the Finns call löyly. It feels much hotter for a few seconds, even though the thermometer barely moves.1 In a shared sauna, ask before you pour, wait a little after someone new comes in, and add a ladle or about a cup at a time, with a few minutes between pours.3,5 Only use the water provided, and never pour anything onto an electric heater that isn’t designed for it, or onto infrared panels.
Cooling off between rounds
Cooling off is half the ritual. Take a cool shower, walk into the sea or a lake, or just sit outside. At seaside saunas in Ireland and the UK, a dip in the sea between rounds is the whole point. Get in slowly, never swim alone, and keep it short at first. Our guide to sauna and cold plunge covers cold water safely.
Sauna etiquette
- Shower first. It’s the basic courtesy of every sauna.3,5
- Always sit on your towel. Every part of you that touches the wood should be on it.
- Ask before adding water to the stones.3,5
- Keep your voice down. Some people come for quiet.3 Seaside saunas are often chattier; follow the room.
- Close the door quickly to keep the heat in.
- No phones or cameras.
- Make room when someone comes in, and don’t lie down when it’s busy.
- Leave the sauna as you found it. Take your towel and bottle with you.
Aufguss: a sauna show
Some spas run Aufguss sessions, a German tradition where a sauna master pours scented water on the stones and wafts the heat around the room with a towel, often to music. It’s hot, theatrical and fun. The British Sauna Society ran the 2026 UK Aufguss Championships at Galgorm in Co. Antrim.10 Sit low for your first one, and you can leave whenever you want, though it’s polite to wait for a pause.
Staying safe
- Drink water before and after.1
- No alcohol before or during. In a study of sauna deaths in Finland, half of the people who died had been drinking.11 The Finnish Sauna Society warns that someone drunk may fall asleep in the heat.12
- Don’t go straight after a big meal, and don’t go hungry either.
- Leave if you feel unwell: dizzy, sick, a headache or a racing heart.
- Stand up slowly at the end.2
Deaths in saunas are rare, even in Finland, where almost everyone uses one: fewer than 2 per 100,000 people a year.11 A review found sauna is not particularly risky for people with well-controlled high blood pressure or stable heart disease.2 If you have a heart condition, are pregnant or take regular medicine, check with your doctor first. Our guide to sauna health benefits covers who should be careful.
How we wrote this page
We read the studies, reviews and official guidance linked below and checked every number on this page against its source. Where a figure we found only appeared in news coverage or on a seller’s site, we left it out or said so. Etiquette varies from sauna to sauna; we used guidance from Finnish tourism bodies, the Finnish Sauna Society and UK sauna writers, and say where a venue’s own rules come first. We last checked the sources on 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email us.
Olladay makes booking software for saunas, so we’d like more people to use them. That’s a reason to be careful with claims, not to oversell them.
References
- Visit Finland. 10 sauna tips for beginners. www.visitfinland.com/en/articles/10-sauna-tips-for-beginners/
- Kukkonen-Harjula K, Kauppinen K. Health effects and risks of sauna bathing. International Journal of Circumpolar Health. 2006;65(3):195–205. 10.3402/ijch.v65i3.18102
- Parr F. Sweat the small stuff: these are the unspoken rules of sauna politics. Countryfile. 25 April 2026. www.countryfile.com/health/sauna-rules-etiquette
- Finnmark Sauna. What to wear in a sauna: a UK guide (retailer). finnmarksauna.com/blogs/finnmark-blog/what-to-wear-in-a-sauna-a-uk-guide
- Levi. Sauna etiquette: a guide to Finnish sauna culture. levi.fi/en/news-and-stories/sauna-etiquette-a-guide-to-finnish-sauna-culture
- Logan O. Everything you need to know before visiting a German sauna. IamExpat. 19 January 2025. www.iamexpat.de/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/everything-you-need-know-visiting-german-sauna
- Tylö. Sauna room ventilation (manufacturer). hs-origin.tylo.com/sauna-room-ventilation
- Saunologia. Improving a barrel sauna: a case study. saunologia.fi/improving-a-barrel-sauna-a-case-study/
- Saunologia. Critical sauna bench dimensions for comfort and better löyly. saunologia.fi/critical-sauna-bench-dimensions-for-comfort-and-better-loyly/
- British Sauna Society. Competition entry for 2026 UK Aufguss Championships now open. www.britishsaunasociety.org.uk/news/competition-entry-for-2026-uk-aufguss-championships-now-open
- Kenttämies A, Karkola K. Death in sauna. Journal of Forensic Sciences. 2008;53(3):724–729. 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2008.00703.x
- Finnish Sauna Society. Sauna and health effects. sauna.fi/en/sauna-knowledge/sauna-and-health-effects/
Questions
How long should you stay in a sauna the first time?
Start with 5–10 minutes, then cool off and rest before another round. Most people build up to 15–20 minutes a round over a few visits. Leave sooner if you feel dizzy or unwell.
What do you wear in a sauna?
At most public saunas in Ireland and the UK, a swimsuit, and you sit on a towel. In Finland nudity is common but swimwear is fine; in Germany many saunas are textile-free. Follow the venue’s rules.
What should I bring to a sauna?
Two towels (one to sit on), swimwear, a water bottle and flip-flops. At a seaside sauna, bring warm layers and a hat for afterwards.
Should you shower before a sauna?
Yes. Rinsing off before you go in is the basic courtesy of every sauna, and helps keep the benches clean.
How many rounds should you do in a sauna?
One to three rounds of heat, each followed by cooling off and a rest. In research, sessions of 5–20 minutes were usually repeated one to three times.
Is it OK to throw water on the sauna stones?
In a traditional sauna, yes: that is löyly, and it is part of the experience. Ask others first, use the ladle and water provided, and add a little at a time.
Which bench is hottest in a sauna?
The top bench. Heat rises, so the air near the ceiling can be 20°C or more hotter than lower down. Start low on your first visit.
Can you drink alcohol in a sauna?
No. Alcohol was involved in about half of sauna deaths in a Finnish study. Drink water instead.