If you’ve never used a public sauna before and are planning to use one soon, then it might be a good idea to learn proper sauna etiquette. Saunas bathing is a very important ritual of some people’s daily lives, so knowing how to use a public sauna respectfully is a must.
With that being said you shouldn’t get nervous when using a sauna for the first time. Just remember that it’s a place to relax and unwind. So just enjoy the experience and respect the other people in the sauna like you would want them to respect you.
To expand on this further we have placed a complete guide to public sauna etiquette. Fallow each guideline and you’ll be sure to have a respectable and enjoyable sauna experience.
Public Sauna Etiquette
As we mentioned above the general guideline when dealing with saunas is to treat other people like you would like them to treat you or respect others like you would like for them to respect you. For your convenience, we have placed the top tips to follow when sauna bathing.
Shower Before You Enter
One of the first rules to sauna bathing is showering before entering the sauna. To be honest the majority of people don’t follow this rule. If you’ve ever used a sauna while at the gym then you know what I’m talking about. Many people will end their workout and go directly into the sauna. They wear their sweaty gym clothes/shoes and never rinse off once.
You also see this with people who use the pool. They take a dip and then go directly into the sauna. The problem with this is that the chlorine and sweat on your body can irritate other people (specifically their eyes and lungs). Sometimes people are allergic to the chlorine or you simply just smell bad from natural body odor that you acquired while working out. When stepping into the sauna these smells amplify and become stronger than before you entered.
So you want to be considerate with others and take a shower before entering the sauna. If you have sweaty clothes then try taking the unnecessary article of clothing off. This makes it so you smell less. You also want to make sure you rinse off while exiting the sauna if you plan on going in the pool or hot tub.
Close The Door (Quickly)
The whole purpose of using a sauna is to sit in a hot environment and sweat profusely. Since this is so it’s important to close the door quickly when entering and leaving the sauna. I can’t count how many times I have been in the sauna and someone forgot to do this. The sauna room immediately got cold and I had to get up to close the door.
Another situation that often happens is someone will be leaving and start talking to another person while holding open the door. You then have to awkwardly tell the person to close the door or just sit and wait as all the heat leaves the room. After this, it takes a while for the sauna to heat up to its original temperature and for you to start sweating again.
To avoid this you must ensure you always close the door completely while entering and leaving the sauna. You also want to close the door as quickly as possible so that less heat escapes.
Sit On A Towel
Another issue that you’ll encounter while using a public sauna is finding a place to sit where there are no sweat body prints. While saunas are hot, they aren’t hot enough to kill all germs and bacteria. So the sweat that you leave behind also leaves behind harmful germs. To make this even worse a large number of people who use the sauna cause it to become a breeding ground for bacteria.
To make the sauna a more sanitary place, you want to bring in a towel to sit on. If you’re going to be sitting upright then a hand towel should be big enough. If you’re going to be laying down then you need to bring in a beach towel. By doing this you ensure you don’t leave harmful germs and bacteria in the sauna while also ensuring you don’t get in contact with germs from other people.
Silence Is Key
Sauna bathing is supposed to be a relaxing and comfortable experience. You do it to ease your soreness within your muscles and to give yourself a few minutes in the day where all you have to do is sit and think. With that being said there’s nothing worse than when some meatheads walk in and start talking as loud as possible. You want to make sure you’re not this meathead and instead keep the peace.
You can of course talk while in the sauna, but you want to make sure you’re quite. So if you meet someone in the sauna and strike a conversation then try to talk quietly. If not then you’ll probably just ruin other people’s time as they don’t want to hear about what you have to say. So talk quietly and keep an environment of peace.
Be Courteous Of Your Electronics
While listening to your favorite music in the sauna can be enjoyable, it can also be very distracting to other people. Yes, you’re playing your music through earbuds and not a speaker, but saunas are naturally quite so it’s easy to hear other people’s music. Another issue with electronics is that most phones/iPods have a camera. So how am I suppose to know that you’re browsing the internet when it looks like your taking pictures of me?
One last issue that you face with electronics is people answering their phone. If you’re in the sauna I don’t want to hear your phone call. So exit the room and take it somewhere else. Overall electronics can cause a lot of problems. If you do bring them in the sauna make sure your music isn’t too loud, don’t point your camera at people, and never answer a phone call while in the sauna.
Nudity Might Occur
Depending on where you use your sauna you might witness nudity. Since most of our readers are from the U.S. this might sound appalling. But, the truth is sauna nudity is very popular around the world. So if you visit a public sauna in a different country then don’t be surprised if some people are nude in there.
On the other hand, you don’t want to go nude in a sauna where this isn’t okay. So if you’re simply using a sauna at the gym then I wouldn’t wear my birthday suit. I would instead simply just wait to go nude it in my home sauna or wait till I go to a sauna where nudity is allowed.
Eyes Low And Hands To Yourself
Since most people sauna bath with little clothing or while completely nude, then you must make sure you keep your eyes low and hands to yourself. Just because people are dressed that way doesn’t mean they are showing off. They are simply just using fewer clothes so that they don’t sweat on unnecessary articles of clothing.
So if you see someone who is wearing a bathing suit then don’t stare. Simply just keep to yourself and stay within your own bubble.
Ask Before You Do Things
Since you’re in a small public room while sauna bathing, you should always ask before you do something that affects someone else. This can include many different things such as:
– If you plan on pouring water on the sauna stones then you should ask the other people in the sauna. Some people might be seeking a dry sauna experience and don’t want the steam. Some people simply can’t handle humidity so they use a traditional dry sauna. If you’re by yourself then feel free to do so, but otherwise, be respectful and ask.
– Some people like to use sauna essential oils because of their disinfecting and mood-altering abilities. They’re a natural way to disinfect the sauna and can create a very relaxing environment. With that being said you should always ask other people before using them. Like the humidity, some people might not enjoy the aromas or they don’t react to them well. So if you’re in the sauna with someone then ask if you can use them. If you’re by yourself then feel free to use them.
– If you know some trick to make the sauna or steam room abnormally hot then ask before you do it. I can’t count how many times people have placed a towel over the thermostat in the steam room. When they do this the steam room produces steam and most people don’t uncover it until its unbearably hot. So ask before you do this as it makes the experience negative.
Other Public Sauna Tips:
* If you have wet clothes then don’t dry them on the sauna heater. This can give the sauna a bad smell and is just unsanitary. So be respectful and never dry your clothes in the sauna.
* It might be a good idea to use sandals when sauna bathing. You don’t want your bare feet to touch the floor of the sauna. This is where other people’s feet, sweat, and spit end up. So wear flip-flops or sandals.
* Along with your towel to sit on it also might be a good idea to bring in a sweat towel. You can pour water on this towel to cool you down and absorb your sweat. The act of doing this also feels really good.
* Always be safe when using a sauna. Things means bringing water in the sauna to rehydrated and not pushing beyond your limits. The reason we use a sauna in the first place is because of their health benefits. So don’t push beyond your limits and stay safe.
* The last tip is to just have fun and enjoy yourself. Remember that sauna bathing is supposed to be relaxing. So don’t overthink public sauna bathing and just have fun.
Home Saunas
If you don’t like public saunas and are looking into purchasing your own home sauna, then we recommend looking into infrared saunas or portable infrared saunas. These saunas kits come with everything you need to start sauna bathing at home.
Some of these home saunas also come with extra features like an AUX port, speakers, LED lights, and aromatherapy. In addition, they aren’t very expensive with the lowest option costing under $200. So check out these saunas as they can benefit you greatly.
Other Resources:
This website isn’t the only resource on saunas. There are many 3rd party resources that can benefit you. The best resources related to this topic are:
* The Holistic Handbook of Sauna Therapy
* Sauna Therapy for Detoxification and Healing
* The Sauna: A Complete Guide to the Construction, Use, and Benefits of the Finnish Bath
