Sauna bathing and rituals — SAUNADO guide

Sauna bathing is more than just sitting in a hot room. It's a sauna ritual with hundreds of years of history – a sequence of heat, cold, and rest that Finns have perfected, and saunamasters have turned into an art called aufguss. If you're wondering how to use a sauna to truly feel regenerated – and not just sweaty – this guide is for you. We've gathered everything that makes for a good sauna session: from löyly and temperature, through step-by-step sauna rules, to the aufguss ceremony and cold plunges. Just as it's practiced in a Finnish sauna – and just as we teach it at SAUNADO.

What is Finnish sauna bathing – löyly, temperature, humidity

In Finland, a sauna is an almost domestic place: there are over three million saunas for five and a half million inhabitants. A classic Finnish sauna operates at a temperature of 80–100°C with low humidity – usually 10–20%. It's a dry, penetrating wave of heat that you can feel in your back after the first minute.

At the heart of this experience is löyly – a word that doesn't have a good English equivalent. It's the steam rising from the hot sauna stones after they've been doused with water: a sudden, soft blast of moist heat that flows from the ceiling onto your shoulders. Finns say that every sauna has its own löyly – different in a small barrel, different in a spacious garden sauna. You'll know good löyly when the heat envelops you, rather than scalds you.

Three things determine the quality of a session: a stove with an adequate supply of stones (only Finnish Harvia stoves – electric or wood-fired – work in our saunas), wood that breathes and smells good when heated (Scandinavian spruce, thermowood), and ventilation that circulates the air instead of letting it stagnate. That's why garden saunas designed in the Finnish style differ so much from random "hot sheds."

Sauna ritual step-by-step – how to use a sauna

The rules of sauna bathing are simple, but the order matters. Here's the classic ritual version:

1. Preparation

• Take a warm shower and dry yourself thoroughly – dry skin heats up faster.
• Do not enter the sauna hungry or immediately after a heavy meal. The last meal should be 1–2 hours earlier.
• Remove jewelry, watches, and glasses – metal on heated skin can burn unpleasantly.
• Bring a towel inside to sit on with your entire body (including your feet) – this is a basic hygiene rule.

2. Heating rounds – 2–3 entries of 8–15 minutes each

Plan the first entry for 8–10 minutes; subsequent ones can last up to 15. The higher you sit, the hotter it is – beginners feel comfortable on the middle bench. Listen to your body: a sauna session ends when you feel you've had enough, not when you "should" leave. There are no prizes for records.

3. Cooling down

After each round, first take a few deep breaths in the fresh air, then a cool shower – always from the feet towards the heart. The braver ones enter a cold plunge tub. It is this contrast in temperatures, not the heating itself, that gives a feeling of lightness after the sauna.

4. Rest and hydration

Between rounds, rest for 10–15 minutes in a semi-reclined position, wrapped in a towel or bathrobe. Drink water or light herbal tea – during a full ritual, you can lose up to a liter of fluids. Save alcohol for another evening: it does not mix with sauna, period.

Studies on regular sauna bathing – conducted, among others, in Finland on large groups of users – link it to improved well-being, deeper sleep, and a feeling of muscle relaxation after exertion. Treat this as an encouragement to rhythm and regularity, not as a prescription: sauna is a wellness practice, not therapy.

Aufguss – what the sauna ceremony is all about

Aufguss (from German: "infusion") is sauna bathing in a concert version. The saunamaster pours water with natural essential oils onto the hot sauna stones, and then, with precise, almost dance-like movements of a towel, spreads waves of heat throughout the sauna. A good ceremony has a dramatic structure: a gentle beginning, a climax, a calming finish. Added to this are music, aromas arranged in a sequence (e.g., citrus for stimulation, conifers for depth, lavender for the finale) and working with the emotions of the entire group.

One ceremony usually lasts 10–15 minutes and can be more intense than a regular round – the heat comes in waves that you can't simply wait out. It is this transience that has made aufguss a discipline with world championships, judged on towel technique, rhythm, music selection, and the ability to guide people through emotions.

Radosław Sieraj – saunamaster and SAUNADO ambassador

What differentiates a correct session from a memorable one is best known by Radosław "Radek" Sieraj – SAUNADO brand ambassador. Radek is the Polish Sauna Bathing Champion (The Battle of Gladiators, Aufguss-WCF 2026) with advancement to the World Championships and Vice World Champion of Saunamasters (freestyle, The Battle of Gladiators 2023). He is a graduate of AWF and the founder of Akademia Bułgara – a school where successive generations of saunamasters learn towel technique, working with aromas, and leading ceremonies.

As he himself says, a good session is recognized not by the temperature, but by the silence that falls after the last wave of heat – when no one wants to leave yet. His three rules for home sauna users: don't rush, take care of the löyly (a small ladle of water more often instead of a large one once in a while), and treat each round as a separate story with a beginning and an end. This perspective – athletic precision combined with sensitivity to ritual – is particularly close to us at SAUNADO.

The contrast of cold – cold plunges and ice baths after the sauna

The sauna ritual is completed by cold. Scandinavians enter a lake or an ice hole after a sauna; in a Polish garden, a cold plunge tub or a short, cold shower serves the same purpose. The rule is one: enter cold water heated, calmly and for a short time – from a dozen seconds to 2–3 minutes, with controlled breathing. The body responds with a burst of energy, the skin contracts, and after returning to warmth, a characteristic tingling and deep calm occur.

Regularly combining heat with cold is training for blood vessels and the simplest way to accustom the body to low temperatures. If you are planning a sauna zone in your garden, think of it as a whole: a barrel sauna plus a cold plunge next to it is a complete Nordic ritual within a few square meters.

Safety rules and sauna etiquette

• Listen to your body. Dizziness, heart palpitations, nausea – immediately exit, sit down, drink water.
• Consult chronic illnesses with a doctor. Hypertension, heart disease, pregnancy – sauna bathing may be possible, but make the decision with a specialist.
• Never after alcohol. This is the most common cause of accidents in saunas.
• Towel under the entire body – in a private and public sauna alike.
• Silence is part of the ritual. Conversations hushed, phone left at home.
• During an aufguss, do not enter or exit in the middle of the ceremony – open doors at the climax spoil the löyly for everyone.
• Pour pure water or water with sauna-specific oil onto the stones – never undiluted oil directly onto the stones.

It's also worth taking care of accessories that organize the ritual: a bucket with a ladle, an hourglass, a thermo-hygrometer, and essential oils – you'll find everything among sauna accessories.

FAQ – sauna bathing in practice

How often can you use the sauna?

A healthy adult can use the sauna daily, although most will find 2–3 sessions per week, with 2–3 rounds each, sufficient. Regularity is more important than frequency – a ritual repeated every few days yields more than a marathon once a month. Beginners should start with one or two shorter rounds and gradually extend the session.

How long does a full sauna session last?

A complete ritual – 2–3 rounds of 8–15 minutes each, with cooling and rest in between – takes one to two hours. To this, you must add the sauna heating time: an electric heater usually needs 40–60 minutes, a wood-fired heater similarly, depending on the season and volume.

How to start sauna bathing if I've never been to a sauna before?

Start on a lower bench and with a short round (5–8 minutes) at a temperature of about 70–80°C. Don't compare yourself to anyone, don't add löyly on the first entry, and finish the session with a cool – not necessarily icy – shower. After two or three visits, your body will naturally begin to ask for longer rounds and a stronger contrast. A sauna in your own garden makes starting easier: you learn at your own pace, without an audience.

What should I bring to the sauna?

The essentials are few: two towels (one for sitting, one for drying), flip-flops left outside the door, a bottle of water, and possibly a sauna hat to protect your head during longer sessions. In a private sauna, you'll also find an essential oil for pouring on the stones and an hourglass useful – small details that transform ordinary heating into a full-fledged sauna ritual.