How to use a sauna properly: routine, infusions, etiquette and the shower afterwards

Your first sauna is a bit like your first day in a new job: everyone else seems to know the rules, and you do not want to be the one sitting on the top bench in swimming shorts. Do not worry, knowing how to use a sauna properly is not secret knowledge. Here you will find out how a session works, what happens during a sauna infusion, which sauna scents are popular, which unwritten rules apply and how best to shower afterwards.

How to use a sauna properly: step by step

Every sauna has its own house rules, and they always come first. A typical routine looks like this:

1. Shower and dry off. Before the first round, shower thoroughly with soap and dry yourself well.
2. The session. 8 to 15 minutes is usual. More important than the clock: listen to your body and leave when it gets too much. The lower benches are less hot, which is where many beginners start.
3. Cool down. First some fresh air, then a cold shower. If you like, follow it with the plunge pool.
4. Rest. Lie down wrapped in a blanket with water or tea.
5. Repeat. 2 to 3 rounds are usual. There is no need for more.

If you are unsure whether the sauna is right for you, check with a doctor first.

Sauna infusion: what actually happens?

During an infusion, water, usually with a scent, is poured onto the hot stones of the stove. It evaporates instantly, the air becomes more humid and feels noticeably hotter for a moment. The sauna master then waves a towel to push the warm air around the cabin.

• In public saunas, the sauna master does the infusion. The times are usually on a board at the entrance. Arrive a few minutes early, as the door stays closed during the infusion.
• You can leave at any time. If it gets too hot, just slip out quietly, ideally between two rounds of towel waving.
• In your own sauna, use infusion concentrates only diluted and only in the way the maker of your sauna and stove allows. Not every sauna is made for infusions, and undiluted concentrate does not belong on the stones.

Sauna scents: popular infusion aromas

Which sauna scent is right is purely a matter of taste. The classics are:

• Birch, the Finnish classic, green and slightly woody
• Eucalyptus and mint, fresh and cool on the nose
• Citrus such as orange or lemon, bright and cheerful
• Spruce, pine or Swiss stone pine, which smell like a forest
• Lavender, soft and floral

If you want to take the scent home, carry it on in the shower. The Skargard birch shampoo bar is made for hair and body, weighs 60 g and will not leak in your sauna bag.

Sauna etiquette: the unwritten rules

• A towel under your whole body. No sweat on the wood, not even from your feet.
• No swimwear is usual in German saunas, and swimwear is often not welcome. If in doubt, ask at reception.
• Keep it quiet. A brief whisper is fine, long conversations less so.
• Your phone stays in the locker. Many saunas do not allow them anyway.
• Shower before the plunge pool. Climbing in sweaty will not make you friends.

Showering after the sauna

Between rounds, cold water to cool down is enough. The proper wash comes at the end, after the last round and your rest, with warm water, soap and shampoo. For the sauna bag, solid soap and shampoo bars are handy: nothing leaks and nothing weighs much.

A sauna at home: a quick word for fans

If you go often, sooner or later you will think about a sauna at home. The common options:

• A modular indoor sauna for a basement or large bathroom with an electric stove.
• An infrared cabin, smaller and quicker to heat, but it feels different from a Finnish sauna. Infusions are not intended in it.
• A barrel or garden sauna, often with a wood-burning stove, for anyone with a garden.

Get advice before you buy, especially on power, ventilation and where to put it. And plan the shower area at the same time, because that is where the soap belongs on the wall. Soapi is a magnetic soap holder: a bottle cap is pressed halfway into the bar, the soap hangs from the magnet and dries all round instead of sitting in a puddle on the shower floor. It sticks to smooth tiles or glass with a waterproof adhesive pad, no drilling, costs €12.95 and comes in 10 colours. Important: do not stick it inside the sauna cabin, but in the shower area in front of it.

A shower set for sauna lovers with Mix & Match

With Mix & Match you pick 5 products, pay €50 and shipping within Germany is free. For sauna fans, for example: 1 Soapi for the shower at home, 2 Skargard shampoo bars, a KLAR shower bar and a soap from Marseille. If you are looking for a present for a sauna lover, there are more ideas in Sauna gifts. And for evenings without a sauna, see our guide to a home spa.

Frequently asked questions

How long should you stay in a sauna?

8 to 15 minutes per round and 2 to 3 rounds are usual. These are guidelines, not rules. Listen to your body and leave when it gets too much.

Can I do my own infusion at home?

Only if your sauna and stove are made for it, and only with diluted infusion concentrate as the maker recommends. If in doubt, check the manual.

In short

Using a sauna properly mostly means: go in clean and dry, listen to your body, cool down, rest and respect the sauna's rules. At the end comes the warm shower, with a soap that then hangs dry on the wall. Put together your sauna shower set with Mix & Match.