Sauna etiquette for public saunas and bathhouses

The 12 basic rules

1. Shower before you go in. Rinse off soap and lotion. It is the most common house rule in bathhouses, and Korean spas and banyas expect a full wash.
2. Sit or lie on a towel. Every bit of skin that touches the bench should be on your towel. It keeps the wood clean.
3. Come and go quietly. Open and close the door quickly so the heat stays in.
4. Keep your voice low. Quiet conversation is fine in most social saunas. Some rooms or whole bathhouses are silent, and the sign at the door will say so.
5. Leave your phone outside. Heat damages phones, and nobody wants a camera in a room where people are half dressed. Most bathhouses ban them in the wet areas.
6. Ask before you pour water on the stones. In a Finnish sauna, throwing water on the stones (löyly) raises the heat for everyone. Ask the room first, and use the ladle and bucket, never your water bottle.
7. Do not stretch out when it is busy. Lying down is fine in an empty room. When it fills up, sit.
8. No shaving, scrubbing or grooming on the benches. Use the showers or the scrub area.
9. Rinse before the cold plunge and the pools. Sweat should go down the drain, not into shared water.
10. Keep to the dress code. Some places require swimsuits, some are nude, some mix both. Each listing on this site shows the rule, and our guide to what to wear in a public sauna explains the differences.
11. Do not bring alcohol. It is unsafe in the heat, and almost every bathhouse bans it in the wet areas.
12. Look after yourself and others. If someone seems unwell, tell the staff.

During an aufguss session

Aufguss is a guided sauna ritual. A sauna master pours scented water on the stones and waves a towel to push the heat around the room, often with music. Arrive before it starts, because the door usually stays closed until the end. Leaving early is fine if you need to, but go quietly. Clapping at the end is common in many bathhouses. Read more in what is aufguss, or see where to find aufguss in the US.

At the cold plunge

• Rinse off sweat first.
• Get in slowly. Let others finish before you climb in if the tub is small.
• Do not dunk your head unless the house rules allow it.
• Do not stay longer than the posted time when others are waiting.

Korean spas (jjimjilbang)

• The bathing floors are separated by gender, and you bathe nude there. Swimsuits are usually not allowed in the pools.
• Wash thoroughly at the seated showers before you enter any pool.
• In the shared heat rooms and lounges, everyone wears the cotton clothes the spa gives you.
• Tie up long hair so it stays out of the water.

Find them on our list of Korean spas in the US.

Russian banyas

• The heat is wet and very hot. Many people wear a felt hat to protect their head.
• Platza, a massage with bundles of oak or birch leaves (venik), is part of the tradition. Ask before you start one in a shared room.
• Banyas often have a restaurant or tea area, and a long, slow visit is the norm.
• Rules on swimsuits and men's and women's days vary a lot, so check the listing first.

Read more in what is a banya, or find them on our list of Russian banyas in the US.

Social bathhouses and contrast studios

The newer co-ed bathhouses in cities like New York, Chicago and Boston are closer to a night out than a spa. Swimsuits are required, talking is normal and sessions are timed. A few rooms may still be marked quiet, so follow the signs.

How Nordic saunas do it

In Finland and Sweden, the sauna is calm and unhurried. People talk quietly or not at all, nobody times their rounds, and going outside to cool off, whatever the weather, is part of the visit. If you are unsure what to do, copy the regulars. Read more in how Swedes and Finns use the sauna.