There is nothing more frustrating than someone ruining your sauna bathing experience because they don’t know the proper sauna etiquette. These people come in playing their music on a speaker, leave a door open when they exit, and smell of B.O. because they didn’t wash before entering.

We believe it’s essential to learn proper sauna etiquette before entering a sauna in the first place. Since this is a very common issue we thought it would be a great idea to list some tips and tricks when sauna bathing. We recommend reading all of the below information as you might be surprised as you might do some negative things in the sauna.

Sauna Etiquette

If we had to simply give one sauna etiquette tip it would be to ask others before doing anything inside the sauna. Most saunas are used in gyms/spas and thus have a lot of people using them at the same time. It’s essential to always ask before doing stuff that can affect other people. You want to ensure you treat people the way you want them to treat you. To elaborate more on this we will discuss some top saunas dos and sauna don’ts below.

Shower Before Entering

Possibly one of the most important sauna etiquette tips is to shower before you enter the sauna. Most people who use saunas do so after an intense workout to enhance their health efforts. While this is a great idea and has been proven to enhance your health, it’s important to shower after your workout and before you enter the sauna.

Why would one shower before if they are simply going to get sweaty again? Well, the simple answer to this is that we all create body odor while working out. This B.O. is enhanced in the extreme heat of the sauna and makes the whole sauna smell bad. This goes the same for chlorine smells from people who don’t rise off after coming from the pool.

To conclude this point you should always shower before entering the sauna no matter what. This will eliminate any body odors you may have and keep the sauna smelling good. It’s also a great idea to take off your gym clothes and sauna bath in a towel as well.

Close Door Quickly

The whole purpose of using the sauna is to get your body extremely hot and make you sweat. This essential process has many benefits and can truly enhance your sauna bathing experience. With that being said in order to do this you must have a strong sauna heater and keep the sauna as insulated as possible.

One common issue that often happens is that someone will enter the sauna and leave the door open for a long period of time. Some people do this on accident and others want to “cool” the sauna down before entering. This of course is a huge nono and should not be done.

When entering/exiting a sauna you should open the door for as little time possible. Don’t let the heat escape out because you forgot to close the door, are talking to someone, or simply want to cool the sauna. To expand more on the last point, if you’re too hot simply exit the sauna and don’t leave the door open and affect others. If you can’t handle the heat then please get out of the kitchen (sauna).

Bring Multiple Towels

When using a public sauna its essential to bring multiple towels to use during your session. You should bring a towel to cover yourself since you won’t be using your sweaty gym clothes. You should have another towel underneath you to absorb all the sweat you release in the sauna. The last towel you should have is to wipe the sweat off your face/body.

It’s very common to see people skip this step and leave a huge puddle of sweat when they leave the sauna. This is very gross, takes a while to dry, and is simply unsightly. No one wants to sit next to or on this puddle of sweat and it makes it so that new users can’t enter that spot until its dry. So do everyone a favor and bring multiple towels in the sauna. At the very least wipe off your sweat when you exit the sauna.

Watch Your Volume

Sauna bathing is supposed to be a relaxing and therapeutic experience. Most people use to ease their soreness within their muscles and give them a faster recovery time. It also simply gives you a time to just sit down and do nothing but think. With that being said many people in public saunas can be loud and distracting.

If you enter the sauna you don’t want to be speaking loud on the phone, speaking loud to another person in the sauna, or playing music really loud. Yes, it’s fine to have conversations while in the sauna, but try to limit your volume and never get too loud to the point you are bothering your co-sauna users.

Be Mindful of Your Electronics

While listening to your favorite music while in the sauna can be very enjoyable, it can also be distracting to others. If you do plan to play music be sure to do so with headphones at a moderate level. Even headphones can be very loud in a sauna since it doesn’t create noise like the steam room and most people are quite.

In addition to music, you should never answer the phone in the sauna or record a video in the sauna. Some people like to post small videos of themselves in the sauna for social media. This can be very distracting and make others feel uncomfortable if you film them while in the sauna without their permission.

Eyes Down and Hands to Yourself

As you probably know by now some people who use the sauna like to do so nude or with minimal clothing on. There are many benefits to this (some of which we discussed above) and for this reason its common in same-sex saunas. Since this is so, it’s essential to keep your eyes down and hands to yourself while in the sauna.

Just because a person has very minimal or no clothing on, doesn’t mean they are trying to show off for your own personal enjoyment. They simply want less clothing so they don’t stink up the sauna and sweat all over their clothes. So be sure to be respectful and don’t stare or try to touch someone in the sauna. Simply keep to yourself and try to make everyone feel comfortable.

Ask Before Doing Things

One of the best tips we can give you is to simply ask people before doing certain things in the sauna. A good rule of thumb is that if you’re going to do something that affects other people in the sauna, then you should ask them. Some if these things include:

• If you plan on spraying the sauna stones then you should ask other people in the sauna. Humidity in the sauna makes it feel much hotter then it really is. Some people might not like this humidity or simply can’t handle it. So if there are other people in the sauna be sure to ask them. If you’re the only one in the sauna then feel free to do it.
• While essential oils are very popular in saunas, they are another thing you should ask before using. Yes, essential oils smell great, help clean the sauna, and simply make a more relaxed environment. The problem is people can be allergic to these oils and might have a reaction. So if someone is in the sauna with you be sure to ask before spraying them everywhere.
• Most saunas in the U.S. can only reach a maximum temperature of 194. If you have found some hack at your local sauna to make it hotter then please let other people know. It’s not okay to place the sauna at a much higher temperature then most people are used it. So please ask others before switching the thermostat.

Spit in the Sauna

A common complaint in public gym saunas is people spitting on the ground while in the sauna. Why are people doing this? We have no clue, but its a gross and disrespectful habit that some people need to get rid of. It’s never okay to spit in the sauna even if it’s on the ground and not the seats.

A lot of people walk in the sauna barefoot and they don’t want to step in a puddle of your spit because you can’t control yourself. So stay hydrated and if you feel the need to split then please exit the sauna and do it elsewhere.

Overwater the Rocks

As we mentioned above its okay to spray water on the rocks if you get permission or if you’re the only one inside the sauna. One thing to keep in mind is that you should be spraying these rocks and not pouring large amounts of water on them. While this won’t always cause an issue, this water can pool up and can damage to the heater.

In some cases, this fully kills the heater and puts a large cloud of smoke into the sauna room. So be careful when spraying water in the sauna and don’t use large amounts of liquid.

Groom Yourself

It is never okay to groom yourself while in the sauna. While this is a very uncommon occurrence, it still does happen. We have heard stories of people shaving while in the sauna and simply cleaning their body as a whole. The sauna is not a bathroom and isn’t meant for grooming!

Work out

Unless you’re enrolled in a specific program that’s meant for exercise, you shouldn’t be working out while in the sauna. The sauna is meant to be a relaxing and therapeutic experience. If someone is working out while in the sauna this can be extremely distracting and ruin your experience. So try to limit yourself to only stretching a small amount while in the sauna and never fully exercise while in there.

Dry Your Clothes

A very common practice you see people do while in the sauna is dry their clothes. They will hang their sweaty/wet clothes on the wood surrounding the sauna in order to dry their clothing. This is very unsightly, can make the sauna smell, and can be dangerous depending on the type of clothing being used. So simply don’t do this and wait to dry your clothes outside of the sauna.

Use a Speaker

We hit on this point a little above, but we want to discuss it a little more. It is never okay to use your speaker while in the sauna with other people. This is one of the most disrespectful things you can do. Not everyone wants noise in the sauna, likes your music and wants to hear your podcast. So use headphones if you need to listen to something and never be loud while sauna bathing.

Conclusion

In the end, we hope this post was helpful and exposed you to some things you shouldn’t be doing while in the sauna. Just remember a public sauna is not only yours and that you must think of others. So treat others how you want to be treated. If you want to learn more about saunas then feel free to check out our Sauna 101 article.