Sauna attire guide
What to wear in a sauna depends on whose sauna it is. At home, wear whatever is comfortable, from nothing at all to a swimsuit, and sit on a towel, as sauna and heater manufacturers recommend. In a public sauna, follow the posted rules. Between rounds, put on a robe. On your head, a wool felt hat is optional. And nothing you wear or sit on belongs on or over the heater.
Below, we cover home saunas first, then public saunas and the time between rounds, noting which advice is custom, which is a manufacturer's instruction and which is our recommendation.
The short answer by setting
Clothing is mostly a matter of comfort and house rules. Towels and the heater are where manufacturers give firm instructions.
A traditional sauna at home
At home, sauna attire is your choice: nothing, a cotton towel wrapped around you or a swimsuit. What you sit on matters more. Harvia's heater manual recommends seat towels, and we suggest one per bather. Dry a swimsuit outside the hot room, not over the heater; the same manual lists bathing suits and towels among the combustible items never to place over the heater.
An infrared sauna at home
What to wear in an infrared sauna is the same choice. The towel guidance is more specific: Clearlight's Sanctuary and Premier owner's manuals say to place a towel on the bench and the floor, and its Sanctuary 5 manual repeats it: "Place towels on the bench and floor to absorb perspiration." Our guide to using an infrared sauna covers temperature and session length.
A steam room
What to wear in a steam room follows the same logic, but the air is wet as well as hot, so anything you wear or sit on will come out damp. Choose a swimsuit or a cotton towel you do not mind soaking, and leave a dry towel and a light robe outside. Our infrared sauna vs steam room comparison explains how the two differ.
A public sauna
Rules differ by facility, so follow the posted rules on clothing, towels and seat covers, and ask staff where nothing is posted. Even one city can have several customs, as Helsinki's guidance below shows. To carry a towel, robe and hat to a gym or public sauna, Embrace The Heat's Signature Tote has extra-long handles and an interior zip pocket.
What Finnish saunas expect: Helsinki's guidance
MyHelsinki, the City of Helsinki's official visitor site, is direct in its sauna etiquette tips: "You don't have to be naked." It also says: "At the majority of mixed public saunas in Helsinki, you can wear your swimsuit or wrap yourself in a towel in the sauna." One exception is the same-sex sauna at a public swimming pool, where, MyHelsinki says, swimsuits are not worn and are forbidden.
Seat covers are part of the custom. MyHelsinki suggests a pefletti, "the disposable seat covers on offer for sitting on the sauna benches," or, better still, "your own reusable linen seat cover."
Two more habits frame each visit. MyHelsinki tells visitors to shower before going into the sauna: "Every Helsinkian knows this rule – it helps keep saunas clean and fresh." It also describes breaks with a cold shower or a dip in the sea as part of the sauna practice.
These are Helsinki's customs, not universal rules. Two of them carry over well to a home sauna: a towel or linen cover under you and a shower first. For the breaks, we add a robe.
Sit on a towel
Unlike clothing, the seat towel is a manufacturer instruction. Harvia's heater manual recommends sauna seat towels so that sweat does not flow onto the platforms, the benches you sit on. Clearlight's Sanctuary owner's manual says: "To absorb perspiration and keep the sauna tidy during the session, place a towel on the bench and floor of the sauna." Its Premier manual adds: "Keep one towel handy to wipe excessive perspiration."
A Clearlight cleaning guide gives the practical reason: a towel on the bench and under your feet stops sweat, body oil, dirt and dead skin cells from staining the wood.
A good bench towel is long enough to cover where you sit and easy to wash after every use. We suggest one of two Kassatex towels.
Our sauna towel guide compares bench and drying towels by weave, weight, size and care.
Planning a home sauna?
Tell us about your space and the traditional or infrared sauna you have in mind, and a specialist will reply with current pricing.
Get PricingBetween rounds: robes
A sauna robe belongs outside the hot room. That is our recommendation: hang it by the door and put it on when you step out to cool down. Do not leave it inside to dry, either. Harvia's manual for its Spirit heater says: "Do not hang clothes to dry in the sauna, as this may cause a risk of fire."
Which robe to choose depends on how you cool down.
For drying off after a plunge, we suggest the Atelier 800-Gram Towels: 100% combed Aegean Turkish cotton at 800 GSM, which Kassatex calls "dense and heavy weight," including a 34 x 66 in bath sheet. Our Atelier listing notes that heavier towels take longer to dry, so hang yours fully open where air can move. Our contrast therapy guide covers routines that alternate heat and cold, and the bathrobe collection has more styles.
Sauna hats
A sauna hat covers the part of you that sits in the hottest air. Heater maker Saunum explains: "Sauna temperature varies dramatically from floor to ceiling because hot air is lighter than cool air and rises naturally." It says the air near the ceiling of a conventional sauna can be 36 to 54°F (20 to 30°C) hotter than the air near the floor. On an upper bench, your head is the part of you closest to that ceiling air.
A hat is optional, a personal preference rather than a rule or a manufacturer instruction. If you want one, we suggest wool felt. The Embrace The Heat Sauna Hat is "100% Australian wool felt," with an oversized fit and a removable elastic band, and Embrace The Heat advises avoiding wringing or twisting it. We list it for dry and infrared saunas. For more, see our explainer on what a sauna hat is and our Embrace The Heat page.
The hat is also sold in Embrace The Heat's Essentials Set, paired with The Wrap, a neoprene sleeve for a water bottle of 18 to 34 oz. Embrace The Heat describes The Wrap as a barrier between a hot metal bottle and your hand, so your water stays easy to hold between rounds.
Feet and hygiene
Start clean. MyHelsinki's shower-first rule, quoted above, is a good habit at home too.
Keep towels clean and personal. Harvia's heater manual says: "The towels should be washed after each use. Separate towels should be provided for guests."
Between the house, the sauna and a plunge, a pair of sandals keeps grit from the path off your feet and out of the sauna. Slip them off at the door and leave them beside your robe and drying towel, so everything you need for the cool-down is in one place. For an outdoor sauna, our backyard sauna setup guide covers the path and changing space, and our outdoor shower guide covers adding a rinse shower.
For the rest of your kit, see our guide to what to bring to the sauna and our hydration and electrolytes guide.
What to leave outside the heat
Harvia's warnings set two firm limits; the rest of this section is our recommendation.
What belongs in the hot room: a towel or linen cover under you, a towel wrap or swimsuit if you want one, and a wool felt hat if you like.
Frequently asked questions
Do you wear clothes in a sauna?
In your own sauna, that is up to you: nothing, a towel wrap or a swimsuit. Helsinki's official visitor site tells visitors, "You don't have to be naked." In a public sauna, follow the posted rules, and wherever you are, sit on a towel.
Can you wear a swimsuit in a sauna?
At home, yes. Dry it outside the sauna: Harvia's heater manual lists bathing suits among the items never to place over the heater, and its Spirit heater manual warns against hanging clothes to dry in the sauna. In public, it depends on the facility. MyHelsinki says you can wear one at most mixed public saunas in Helsinki, but not in the same-sex saunas at public pools.
What should I wear in an infrared sauna?
Whatever is comfortable; the clothing choice is yours. The towels are Clearlight's instruction: its owner's manuals call for a towel on the bench and one on the floor to absorb perspiration.
Should I wear a robe inside the sauna?
We recommend against it. Hang the robe outside the hot room and wear it between rounds. Do not leave it inside to dry: Harvia's Spirit heater manual warns that hanging clothes to dry in the sauna may cause a risk of fire.
Do I need a sauna hat?
No, it is optional. Hot air rises, so on an upper bench your head sits in the hottest air, and a hat covers it. If you want one, we suggest wool felt, such as the Embrace The Heat Sauna Hat.
Should I sit on a towel in a sauna?
Yes. Harvia's heater manual recommends seat towels so that sweat does not flow onto the benches, washed after each use, with separate towels for guests. Clearlight's manuals call for a towel on the bench and the floor of its infrared saunas.
What should I wear in a steam room?
A swimsuit or a cotton towel you do not mind getting wet, since everything in a steam room comes out damp. Leave a dry towel and a light robe, such as a waffle kimono or peshtemal robe, outside. In a public steam room, follow the posted rules.
Get pricing on a home sauna
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Clearlight, Sanctuary and Premier are trademarks of Sauna Works, Inc., dba Clearlight Infrared. Sauna Republic is an authorized Clearlight dealer. Harvia, Saunum, Kassatex and Embrace The Heat are trademarks of their respective owners. This article is for educational purposes and is not medical advice.
