How to Prepare for Your First Sauna Visit
Your first sauna visit sets the tone for your entire relationship with heat bathing. A little preparation makes the difference between a confusing, uncomfortable hour and an experience you will want to repeat.
The first sauna visit is almost universally remembered. Whether it was a cramped hotel sauna at 50°C that left you unimpressed, or a proper Finnish lakeside session that changed your perspective on what relaxation can feel like — the first experience sets a template.
With a little preparation, there is no reason the first visit cannot be genuinely excellent. Here is how to make sure it is.
A Week Before: Choose the Right Venue
Your first sauna experience will be shaped significantly by where you go. A token hotel sauna or an underheated gym cabin will not give you an accurate impression of what sauna can be.
Look for:
- A dedicated sauna venue (not a sauna as an add-on to another facility)
- A traditional Finnish sauna (wood-fired kiuas preferred, or at minimum a well-maintained electric one)
- Access to a cold plunge or at least a cold shower
- A relaxation space between rounds
Read reviews specifically for mentions of temperature, steam quality, and atmosphere. Use GoToSauna to find verified venues in your area.
The Day Before: Prepare Your Body
Sleep well. Sauna is a mild physical stress on the body — going in already sleep-deprived makes the heat harder to tolerate and reduces the quality of the recovery response.
Avoid intense exercise. Light activity is fine. An intense workout the day before means arriving with already-stressed muscles and a cardiovascular system that needs rest, not thermal challenge.
The Day of Your Visit
Eat lightly 2–3 hours before. A light meal — not a full dinner — ensures you are not digesting heavily in the heat. Conversely, do not arrive having fasted all day; low blood sugar in a sauna is unpleasant.
Hydrate actively. Drink 500ml–1,000ml of water in the two hours before your visit. You will sweat significantly — starting well-hydrated makes the entire experience more comfortable.
Do not drink alcohol. Not even "just one." The cardiovascular risk of combining alcohol and sauna heat is real and the effect on your experience is negative. Save the post-sauna beer for after.
What to Pack
The essentials:
- Two towels — one for sitting on, one for drying
- Swimwear (check the venue's dress code — some require it, some prefer nudity, some offer both)
