Helsinki sauna etiquette: 7 simple tips

Sauna. Oh yes. Sitting naked with a bunch of strangers, hot and sweaty? “Not for me”, you think? Well, after these simple tips you can rest assured that Helsinki’s public saunas are for everyone – including you. Whether in a public swimming pool, design sauna complex or a community-hosted sauna by the sea, all Helsinki saunas are about respectful communities following the age-old Finnish tradition. They are safe spaces where everyone belongs in their very own way. You don’t have to be naked. And you will even learn to love the heat!

Helsinki sauna experience
Uusi Sauna / Sanna Kaesmae
Running to sauna in Helsinki
Julius Konttinen
Man throwing water on himself after Finnish sauna
Svante Gullichsen

1. Relax. Come as you are.

At the majority of mixed public saunas in Helsinki, you can wear your swimsuit or wrap yourself in a towel in the sauna. In public swimming pools’ same-sex saunas people don’t wear a swimsuit (it’s forbidden due to fumes they may cause in the heat!), but no one will look at you weirdly if you have an extra towel with you. Helsinki saunas are all about relaxing and taking it easy. 

2. Rinse.

Shower before going into the sauna! Every Helsinkian knows this rule – it helps keep saunas clean and fresh. Helsinki tap water quality is among the world’s cleanest – it tastes wonderful! – and the showers are always, always warm. After your shower, 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 (try one from Lapuan Kankurit, a beloved and ethical Finnish brand!). 

3. Respect.

The old Finnish adage of everyone being equal in the sauna holds true to this day: It doesn’t matter whether you arrived by bicycle or BMW. Presidents sit next to regular folk, which is not a myth, but a reality. Former Finnish President Tarja Halonen is an avid sauna goer, and a regular at some of the city’s public swimming pools. The main goal is to spend time in a respectful, friendly community while relaxing mind, body and soul in the – sometimes gentle, sometimes intense – heat.  

Photo Maija Astikainen
Group of people in the mixed sauna

Hot and cool

Helsinki Sauna

Photo Aleksi Poutanen
New Sompasauna in Verkkosaari

4. Retreat.

Nothing belongs in the sauna except you. You, and perhaps your swimming suit, and your pefletti (you remember that, right?). Food, mobile phones (!), or anything else for that matter, don’t belong in the sauna. Sauna is thus one the few places in the world where you can find offline calm. 

5. Throw some löyly.

Löyly is the steam that rises when water is ladled onto the hot rocks of the sauna stove. Also known as the steam of life. Remember, it is courteous to ask other sauna-goers before you create more löyly! Some places even have two saunas: one for milder löyly and one for the hardcore sauna-goers. Try and see which one you belong to! 

6. Heat & hydrate.

There are no rules about how hot the sauna is or how long you should spend in it. On average the Finnish sauna is between 70 to 90 degrees Celsius. A session is for as long or little as feels good for you. Taking breaks with a cold shower or, better yet, a dip in the sea (many public saunas are located by the water) is part of the wellbeing practice. Remember to drink a lot of water: a few glasses for each sauna session of 30 minutes or so, to replenish what you’ve sweated out. 

7. Connect.

You may sit in peaceful silence or enjoy the social connection of the sauna with friends or other sauna-goers. Though the old adage that one should not speak ill, yell, or behave in a disruptive or disrespective way in the sauna still holds true, many nurturing conversations take place in the sauna, where people feel they can open up.

Girls cooling off outside Kotiharjun sauna in Helsinki