Sauna accessories guide
A sauna towel has two jobs: covering the bench while you sit or lie on it, and drying you off afterward. Heater and sauna makers recommend the first: Harvia's heater manual recommends seat towels, and Clearlight's owner's manuals say to place a towel on the bench and floor. The towel that suits the bench is seldom the one you want after a cold plunge, so this guide covers both jobs, then weave, weight, fiber, size and care.
The examples throughout are Kassatex towels that Sauna Republic carries.
Why you sit on a sauna towel
The equipment makers themselves recommend a bench towel. Harvia's heater manual says "the use of sauna seat towels is recommended" so that sweat does not flow onto the platforms (the benches), and that the towels "should be washed after each use," with separate towels for guests.
Clearlight says the same for its infrared saunas. Its Sanctuary owner's manual reads: "To absorb perspiration and keep the sauna tidy during the session, place a towel on the bench and floor of the sauna." The Premier and Sanctuary 5 manuals repeat the instruction, and Clearlight's cleaning guide gives the reason: a towel on the bench and under your feet stops sweat, body oil, dirt and dead skin cells from staining the wood.
Helsinki's sauna etiquette includes a seat cover. The City of Helsinki's official visitor site advises: "Grab a pefletti, the disposable seat covers on offer for sitting on the sauna benches, or better yet, bring your own reusable linen seat cover." At home, a bath towel does that job.
The Finnish Sauna Society's hygiene recommendations set the goal for the bench itself: benches "should not absorb water or impurities" and "should dry quickly on both sides." A towel takes the sweat, then leaves the room with you. Our sauna wood guide covers bench timber.
Four towels, four jobs
We suggest two towels per person for every session, one for the bench and one for drying off, plus a face cloth and a hair wrap if you want them. For robes and hats, see our guide to what to wear in a sauna; for the rest of your kit, see what to bring to the sauna.
The bench towel
A sauna bench towel stays under you for the whole session and goes in the wash afterward, so length matters more than heft. We recommend the Kassatex Canal Waffle, 100% cotton at 600 GSM. Its 30 x 60 in bath size is longer than the Hammam and Pergamon bath towels, which suits a bench. The Kassatex Hammam bath towel works on the bench too, or for drying off.
The drying towel
Keep the drying towel outside the hot room, ready for the shower or plunge; this is the job for a heavier towel. After a cold plunge, we suggest the Kassatex Atelier 800-Gram, which Kassatex calls "dense and heavy weight." The Kassatex Pergamon, at 650 GSM, is a lighter drying towel for after a shower or plunge. If you alternate heat and cold, our contrast therapy guide covers the routine. Outdoors, our backyard sauna setup guide covers where to keep towels and robes dry between rounds.
The face and neck cloth
Clearlight's Premier manual also says: "Keep one towel handy to wipe excessive perspiration." We suggest the Kassatex Peshtemal hand towel, which our listing describes as a flat-woven cotton hand towel with a hand-knotted fringe, for the face and neck rather than the bench.
The hair wrap (cool-down only)
The Kassatex Spa Hair Towel Wrap is a microfiber wrap with an elastic strap and button loop. We suggest it for the cool-down only, kept out of the hot room and away from the heater.
Carrying towels to a gym or shared sauna
A bench towel, a drying towel and a hand towel make a full set to carry. Embrace The Heat's Signature Tote has extra-long handles and an interior zip pocket, and its Signature Set pairs the tote with a wool felt Sauna Hat, The Wrap bottle sleeve and the Sauna Bag, which comes with a reusable ice pack.
Weave: waffle, waffle-terry, terry and flat-woven
The waffle vs terry towel question comes down to how the cotton is woven. Where Kassatex names a construction, we use its wording.
No weave suits every job. We suggest a lighter waffle weave such as the Canal for the bench and the heavier Atelier for drying off after a cold plunge. Our Atelier listing names the trade-off: heavier towels take longer to dry, so hang them fully open with airflow.
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Get PricingWeight: what GSM tells you
Towel GSM means grams per square meter, the weight of one square meter of fabric, and Kassatex lists it for each bath towel in this guide. A higher figure means more cotton in the same area; it says nothing about weave, fiber or size.
| Towel | GSM | Kassatex's description | Fiber | Job we suggest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canal Waffle | 600 | Piece-dyed waffle front with a "zero twist rib back" | 100% cotton | Bench towel |
| Hammam | 650 | "medium weight"; "allover waffle-terry weave" | 100% combed Aegean Turkish cotton | Bench or drying towel |
| Pergamon | 650 | "airy and medium weight" | 90% combed Aegean Turkish cotton, 10% Pima cotton | Lighter drying towel |
| Atelier 800-Gram | 800 | "dense and heavy weight" | 100% combed Aegean Turkish cotton | Drying towel after a cold plunge |
For the bench, a lighter towel keeps the wash-after-every-use routine manageable; a drying towel can carry more weight if it has room and airflow to dry.
Fiber: Aegean Turkish cotton, Pima and microfiber
Per Kassatex, the Hammam and Atelier are 100% combed Aegean Turkish cotton, and the Pergamon is 90% combed Aegean Turkish cotton with 10% Pima; all three are made in Turkey. The Canal is 100% cotton, and Kassatex lists it as imported. Kassatex's Towels 101 guide explains that Pima "is made from a longer fiber than regular cotton."
A Turkish towel for the sauna can mean two things in our catalog: the Hammam and Pergamon bath towels, made in Turkey, or the flat-woven Peshtemal Turkish hand towel. Compare weave and GSM rather than the name.
Microfiber belongs in the cool-down, not the hot room. That is Sauna Republic's guidance, drawn from the Harvia warnings in the heater section below, and it covers robes too: wear one between rounds, not inside the hot room, and keep synthetic robes and wraps away from the heater. Browse our bathrobe collection for between-round robes.
Size: matching the towel to the bench
HUUM's bench-planning guidance says a bench "should be at least 60 cm deep" (about 24 inches) and that each person usually needs "about 60 cm of sitting space." These are planning figures, not a code. Kassatex's Towels 101 guide says a bath towel typically measures 30 x 56 in and a bath sheet usually 35 x 70 in. Our towels compare as follows.
Laid along the bench, a 30-inch-wide towel spans HUUM's minimum depth of about 24 inches with about 6 inches to spare, so length is what varies. For comfortable lying down, HUUM says a bench should be at least as long as the user's body, so a longer towel or a bath sheet suits lying down. The Canal's 60 inches is one reason we suggest it for the bench; the Atelier bath sheet is longer still, though at 800 GSM it is heavy to wash after every session. Our sauna size guide covers sauna dimensions by capacity.
Care: washing and drying
How to wash sauna towels starts with frequency: Harvia's manual says seat towels should be washed after each use. For the method, Kassatex's instructions for the Hammam and Pergamon are "Machine wash cold," "Dry on low-medium heat" and "Do not bleach," and both warn: "Avoid cleansers that contain harsh chemicals including Benzoyl Peroxide and Hydrogen Peroxide." For the Canal, Atelier and Peshtemal, follow the care instructions supplied with each towel.
Dry every towel fully before folding it away, hung fully open with airflow, as our Atelier listing advises for heavier towels. Do not leave towels damp in the sauna room. The Finnish Sauna Society notes that the amount of fungi and mold in a sauna "depends on the humidity," and Clearlight's cleaning guide suggests airing the cabin out after a session, with the door or roof vent cracked and the sauna left running for a few minutes so it dries out.
Never dry towels on the heater
Harvia's heater manual says not to place "any combustible material over the sauna heater (towels, bathing suits, wooden bucket or ladle)." A second Harvia heater manual adds: "Do not hang clothes to dry in the sauna, as this may cause a risk of fire."
Our rule of thumb. Bench towel under you, drying towel outside the hot room, nothing on or over the heater.
In an infrared cabin, we suggest the same habit. Clearlight's Sanctuary manual warns that its infrared heaters are a potential burn hazard and should not be touched while operating; keep towels on the bench and floor, where Clearlight's manuals place them, and off the heaters. Our guide to using an infrared sauna covers the rest of the session.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a towel in a sauna?
Yes, at least for the bench. Harvia's heater manual recommends seat towels, and Clearlight's owner's manuals say to place a towel on the bench and floor. Bring a second towel for drying off, and give each guest their own.
What is the best sauna towel for the bench?
Look for a long towel in a lighter fabric that you can wash after every session. We recommend the Kassatex Canal Waffle: at 30 x 60 in it is longer than the Hammam and Pergamon bath towels, and its 600 GSM is below the 650 to 800 GSM of the other bath towels in this guide.
Is a waffle or terry towel better for a sauna?
Neither suits every job. We suggest a lighter waffle weave on the bench and a heavier towel for drying off. The trade-off is drying: our Atelier listing notes that heavier towels take longer to dry.
What GSM is best for a sauna towel?
There is no single figure. Kassatex labels its 650 GSM towels "medium weight" and its 800 GSM Atelier "dense and heavy weight." We suggest a lighter towel, such as the 600 GSM Canal, for the bench and a heavier one, such as the 800 GSM Atelier, for drying off.
How often should you wash sauna towels?
Harvia's heater manual says seat towels should be washed after each use and that guests should have separate towels. Dry every towel fully before folding it away.
Can you dry towels on a sauna heater?
No. Harvia's heater manual says not to place towels or other combustible material over the heater, and a second Harvia manual warns that hanging clothes to dry in the sauna may cause a risk of fire. Hang towels to dry outside the sauna room.
Can you use a microfiber towel in a sauna?
Our guidance is to keep microfiber for the cool-down, outside the hot room, and to keep synthetic robes and wraps away from the heater. Use a cotton towel on the bench.
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Clearlight, Sanctuary and Premier are trademarks of Sauna Works, Inc., dba Clearlight Infrared. Sauna Republic is an authorized Clearlight dealer. Kassatex, Embrace The Heat, Harvia and HUUM are trademarks of their respective owners.
