a beginner's guide to sauna: your first session

If you've never been in a sauna before, it's natural to have questions. How hot will it be? How long should you stay? What should you bring?

Sauna has been practised for thousands of years across cultures. In Finland alone, almost 90% of people sauna at least once a week, and there are roughly three million saunas for a population of 5.5 million (National Geographic, 2024, retrieved June 2026).

The experience can feel intense at first, but it's also deeply rewarding. With a little preparation and some basic knowledge, your first session can be comfortable, safe, and genuinely enjoyable. This guide walks you through everything you need to know, from what to pack to what happens once the door closes.

Key Takeaways

• Traditional Finnish saunas run at 80-100°C with 10-20% humidity (Hussain & Cohen, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2018, retrieved June 2026).
• Research on dry sauna bathing supports session lengths of 5-20 minutes (Hussain & Cohen, 2018, retrieved June 2026); beginners should start at the lower end, around 5-10 minutes per round.
• A single session can cost your body 0.23-2.3 litres of fluid through sweat (Podstawski et al., International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021, retrieved June 2026).
• Alternating heat and cool-down rounds is central to traditional practice, and it's where most of the physiological benefits come from.

how should you prepare for your first sauna session?

Good preparation starts before you open the door. If you're building a routine at home, our complete guide to setting up a home sauna routine covers the whole setup, from temperature to timing. Traditional Finnish saunas run hot: 80-100°C with just 10-20% humidity (Hussain & Cohen, 2018, retrieved June 2026), so your body needs a head start on hydration, timing, and what you bring with you. A few simple steps beforehand make a big difference to how the heat feels. If you're still deciding on a unit, our comparison of infrared vs traditional saunas breaks down how the two differ on heat, cost and feel.

how much water should you drink before a sauna?

You're going to sweat, quite a bit. A single session can cost your body 0.23-2.3 litres of fluid (Podstawski et al., 2021, retrieved June 2026), depending on the heat and how long you stay. To prepare, drink two to three glasses of water in the hour before your session, and bring a water bottle to sip on between rounds. Avoid coffee or alcohol beforehand: both dehydrate you and make the heat harder to handle.

should you eat before a sauna session?

Entering a sauna on a full stomach can be uncomfortable. Your body is busy digesting food while also managing heat stress, and that combination isn't ideal. Try to avoid heavy meals for two to three hours before your session. If you're hungry, a light snack like fruit or nuts about an hour beforehand works well.

what to bring to your first sauna session

Keep it simple. Here's what you'll need:

Two towels. One to sit on in the sauna (this is essential etiquette) and one to dry off with afterward.

Appropriate clothing. Most Australian saunas require swimwear. In some countries, particularly Scandinavia, saunas are traditionally enjoyed nude. Check the venue's guidelines, or simply wear what makes you comfortable.

A water bottle. You'll want water on hand during your cool-down periods.

A sauna hat (optional but helpful). The air near the ceiling runs noticeably hotter than at bench level, so a sauna hat helps protect your head and hair from that heat and regulates your body temperature so you can stay in longer without discomfort. Quality sauna hats use natural materials like Merino wool, which insulates without trapping excess heat against your scalp.

Before entering, take a quick shower to rinse off lotions, sunscreen, or sweat. This is both hygienic and helps open your pores.

what happens during your first sauna session?

The traditional sauna experience alternates between heat and cold, and that contrast is where many of the physiological benefits come from (Hussain & Cohen, 2018, retrieved June 2026). For your first time, two heating rounds is plenty. Here's how the typical structure breaks down.

Round 1: Acclimatising

• Bench position: lower bench (milder heat)
• Target duration: 5-10 minutes
• Goal: light sweat, steady breathing
• What to expect: heat building gradually

Round 2: Building Tolerance

• Bench position: lower bench, or higher if comfortable
• Target duration: ~10 minutes
• Goal: comfort with more intense heat
• What to expect: possible löyly (steam burst)

Duration ranges sit within the 5-20 minute exposure window supported by research on dry sauna bathing (Hussain & Cohen, 2018, retrieved June 2026).

round 1: acclimatising to the heat

Find a spot on the lower bench, where the air is milder, sit on your towel, and focus on breathing steadily. The heat will feel gentle at first, then gradually more intense. Aim for 5 to 10 minutes: plenty for a first round. You're not trying to endure the heat, you're learning how your body responds to it. A light sweat by the end is a good sign. If you feel uncomfortable before that, it's perfectly fine to exit.

why does the cool-down between rounds matter?

The cool-down phase is just as important as the heating phase. After your first round, exit the sauna and let your body recover. You can take a cool or lukewarm shower, sit in fresh air for 5 to 10 minutes, or use a cold plunge pool if available, though a cool shower is ideal for beginners. Drink water during this time. Your heart rate will gradually slow, and you'll start to feel refreshed and calm.

round 2: building heat tolerance

Once you feel rested, return to the sauna. Stay on the lower bench, or if you're feeling confident, move to a higher bench where the heat is more intense. Aim for another 10 minutes, but listen to your body: if that feels too long, leave earlier. It's not a competition.

You might see someone pour water over the hot stones, creating a burst of steam called löyly in Finnish. It intensifies the heat and humidity briefly but powerfully. In public saunas, check whether pouring is allowed before you try it yourself.

the sauna glow: what to expect afterward

After your second round, take another cool shower and wash off thoroughly. Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down, relax, and let your body temperature return to normal naturally. Keep drinking water. This is when many people experience the “sauna glow”: a feeling of deep relaxation, mental clarity, and physical lightness. It's one of the reasons people return to the sauna again and again.

Worth noting: the two-round structure above mirrors the heat gradient inside the sauna itself, where the air at head height runs noticeably hotter than at bench level. That's part of why round 1 on the lower bench feels manageable, and why a sauna hat becomes more useful as your sessions get longer or hotter.

sauna safety basics for beginners

Most healthy adults can sauna safely, but a few groups should sit this one out. Skip your session if you're feeling unwell or have a fever, and check with a doctor first if you're pregnant or have a medical condition like low blood pressure (Medical News Today, 2023, retrieved June 2026). Alcohol beforehand also raises the risk of dehydration and low blood pressure, so save it for after.

how do you know when to leave the sauna?

If at any point you feel unwell (dizzy, nauseous, or just uncomfortable), exit the sauna and cool down. There's no prize for staying in, and pushing through discomfort isn't the point of the practice. If you have a cardiovascular condition, sauna bathing is generally considered safe for stable heart disease (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Laukkanen et al., 2018, retrieved June 2026), but check with your doctor first.

what is basic sauna etiquette?

Respecting the space and other users is straightforward.

Do:

• Shower before entering
• Always sit on a towel
• Enter and exit calmly
• Respect the quiet atmosphere

Don't:

• Wear shoes inside the sauna
• Have loud conversations
• Pour water on the stones without checking with others first
• Bring your phone into the sauna

Our full sauna etiquette guide covers the unwritten rules for public sauna spaces in more depth, especially if you're heading somewhere busier than a home setup.

what should you do after your first sauna session?

You've completed your first sauna session, and the hard part is over. Now comes the easy part: going back. Most people find the heat becomes less intimidating and more inviting after the first time.

Give it a few more visits before deciding if sauna is for you. The benefits tend to build with consistency rather than show up after one session (Hussain & Cohen, 2018, retrieved June 2026). If you're curious why people keep coming back, our guide to the science-backed health benefits of sauna covers what the research says about cardiovascular health, sleep, and stress.

frequently asked questions

How hot is a sauna, and is that safe for a first-timer?

Traditional Finnish saunas run at 80-100°C with 10-20% humidity (Hussain & Cohen, 2018). That's hot, but short exposures within this range are well-tolerated by healthy adults. For your first visit, sit on the lower bench where it's milder and exit if you feel uncomfortable at any point.

How long should my first sauna session be?

Aim for 5 to 10 minutes for your first round. Research on dry sauna bathing supports exposures of 5-20 minutes per session (Hussain & Cohen, 2018), so starting at the lower end gives your body time to adjust before you build up to longer sessions.

How much water should I drink before and after a sauna?

Drink two to three glasses of water in the hour before your session. A single session can cost your body 0.23-2.3 litres of fluid through sweat (Podstawski et al., 2021), so keep sipping during cool-down periods and rehydrate fully afterward.

Do I need to wear anything specific in an Australian sauna?

Most Australian saunas require swimwear, unlike the nude tradition common in Scandinavian saunas. Bring two towels: one to sit on (essential etiquette) and one to dry off with.

Who should avoid sauna sessions?

Skip sauna if you're feeling unwell or have a fever, and check with a doctor first if you're pregnant or have a condition like low blood pressure (Medical News Today, 2023). If you have a cardiovascular condition, sauna bathing is generally considered safe for stable heart disease (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Laukkanen et al., 2018), but check with your doctor first.