Sauna Etiquette

Going for a Shvitz

After a week of hitting the sauna at my local YMCA I'm a little disappointed. Not in the sauna experience! It's pretty wonderful and I suggest everyone try it, health permitting. I'm disappointed that so many women don't get that there are rules. I'm not talking about "soft rules" like not listening to music or talking (although I'll touch on a couple of these) but the hard rules about hygiene.

Before I went to the sauna I did a little reading.  My favorite was this how to, which I highly recommend but seemed a little male oriented. I thought we needed some more feminine guidelines. I'll not bore you with the basics like don't drink and sauna or sauna when pregnant, as that's printed on the doors of most public saunas.

When I go for a shvitz (it's Yiddish for "sweat") I like to look a little glamorous. I wrap myself in a towel and put my hair up in a terry cloth headband like I'm at a fancy spa. (Remember to take all your jewelry off.) No underpants, but I never take the towel off. I'm shy like that, but also, my gym has a rule. Always wearing a pair of shower shoes or flip-flops. (Saunas are the perfect temperature for foot funk, so you don't want to turn your sneaker into an incubator or catch it from someone else.)

Maybe you're a little more casual than I and wear old biking shorts and a tee with your hair up in a ponytail (no metal clips or such). That's fine, just make sure they're clean and not the ones you just worked out in.  The same is true with a swimsuit. This is where a hard rule comes in. You must be clean when you go in the sauna! Take a quick rinse off in the shower if you've just been in the pool, working out or even are just wearing a lot of lotion or perfumes. Try to keep outside smells and toxins out for the long term health of the sauna.

You're gonna need towels! Towels to wrap around you, towels to sit on and towels to dry off with. (Again, clean and not full of chlorine from the pool.) Goodness knows what a pain this can be if your gym doesn't provide towels. You can choose to sauna in something other than a towel but you must sit on one. Don't leave behind a sweaty butt print. On the bright side, it doesn't have to be a full sized towel. You can sit on a nice hand towel to lighten your laundry load.

You really should bring a clean towel for showering off after, though. One of the many reasons to sauna is to help your body get rid of toxins through sweat. You don't want to get them out just to rub them back all over your skin. (I even use a mild soap during my after-shower.)

Are you lucky enough that you find yourself frequently in the sauna by yourself? I'll admit, I am.
Because I am alone I feel free to bring a little bad new-age music with nature sounds. It is my secret shame. (Generally, I like heavy metal.) I'd never do this if people were there. Even with headphones it can disturb someone else. 

If you have the opportunity to do this always be respectful of others. While I doubt anyone is going to go into an Enya induced rage, you should still turn it off the moment someone else enters. Use an old iPod or even a discman. Something that you won't be overly upset if it doesn't survive the heat. Really, other than this specific circumstance, there is no reason to bring any electronics into a sauna.

Do you find yourself often in company? Generally saunas are thought to be a "quiet place". Somewhere to turn off the chatter and be a little introspective.  Don't feel the need to fill the air or look at others with a critical eye. You should be too hot for any of that anyway.

Conversely, you may find that your sauna is the chatty type. If you find yourself walking in to find conversations, just make the best of it. Giving side-eye and clucking at strangers is not conducive to a good experience for anyone. 

Saunas, strangely, seem out of fashion now. Fewer gyms have them and those that still do find them empty a good portion on the day. Once you go, it'll be hard to understand why anyone ever stopped. Twenty minutes in a sauna is life changing. I never come home from one and don't daydream about building one in my backyard.