14 Tips to Boost Your Sauna Session (For Beginners)

Written By Kelly Samantha

Traditional sauna at sunrise in Bancroft, Ontario

Peek around in any online health-oriented community with interesting ideas worth its salt, and you’ll quickly understand on a deep visceral level that natural living is a balm in today’s world. There’s just something about regularly immersing in deep ecology that really changes the brain and facilitates neuroplasticity at any age.

Enjoying the sauna is one powerful way to experience the elements and has become quite popular in my neck of the woods these days, for good reason. Whether it’s a traditional Finnish wood burning sauna alongside cold plunging, a Japanese onsen, an Indigenous Canadian sweat lodge with ritual drumming, unchlorinated hot spring or an infrared sauna: heat exposure (like cold exposure) revitalizes you on a mitochondrial level while helping restore redox status and connecting with the infinite power of nature.

Saunas and sweat therapies have been enjoyed in cultures around the globe for thousands of years with an extensive myriad of health benefits to boot, and they play an important role in stiff and sterile, insulated modern life for those of us who want to get back into our bodies and back into aliveness. There is no physical sensation quite like emerging from a steamy sauna (or even a session of exercise/hot yoga), feeling a deep level of having been cleansed and detoxified through the sweat, and it’s such a positive antithesis to sitting around in the artificial lighting in drywall boxes we’re so often subjected to.

Today’s modern monoculture and programming of fear, boredom, consumerism and separation discourages sustainable, spontaneous carefree enjoyment, endless possibilities for how we can live our lives embodied with maximum abundance, fulfillment, and cleansing and purification in nature. The simple act of enjoying the sauna is such a breath of fresh air today, and also doesn’t break the bank while being more of a sustainable, zero-waste, exceptionally healthy activity.

Here in Canada, you can rent a place in cottage country with a solitary private outdoor sauna while reaping the benefits of sunlight exposure, fresh air and natural scenery (aka heaven on earth), or visit a sauna in a commercial building (though it isn’t as special, and these are usually lit with artificial lighting). My mom and grandparents used to live around a big Finnish-Canadian community and would often enjoy the sauna as a kid right before getting into the snow to do snow angels. You could even build and install one in your backyard/property if you have the funds and space for it (shou sugi ban is such an incredible and attractive low-tox finish for wood panelling). Let’s revitalize the ancient science of sauna life!

Types of saunas

Electric saunas—rocks heated up electrically

Wood burning saunas—the more common wood burning saunas with a chimney that require regular reloading of wood, or traditional smoke saunas (like the uber-traditional Finnish saunas) that take a while to heat up but don’t need new wood

Benefits of saunas

  • through a sauna session, you can remove, flush, and release many toxins through sweat, including heavy metals, phthalates, cobalt, cadmium, aluminum, lead, flame retardants, Bisphenol A (plastic poison), pesticides and PCBs. The skin is the biggest detox organ. While our bodies are built to detox on their own, we are exposed to toxins more than ever in human history so it is necessary to practice simple detox measures regularly. A relaxing sauna can help you remove more toxins than most other modes of detoxification!

  • the body’s response to gentle, persistent heat has so many positive benefits which are proven every single day by people all over the world, so more and more doctors are recommending the purifying benefits of saunas

  • boosts metabolism

  • decreases risk of cancer, and can be used to support various cancer treatments

  • boosts energy levels

  • boosts blood flow, lymphatic drainage, circulation and oxygenation

  • boosts immune system

  • reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s, protecting your brain, improving mental health

  • can help alleviate depression and anxiety, helping you adapt to life’s stressors

  • tension fades, reducing stress

  • muscles relax and unwind

  • improves sleep quality (and cellular healing)

  • significantly help prevent and reduce colds and flu via white blood cell production

  • releases toxins through sweat (one of the biggest detox pathways)

  • enjoying the natural scenery whilst relaxing

  • recreational and social benefits

  • a moment for zen and unwinding

  • expands consciousness

  • creates health

  • reduces suffering

  • improves performance in endurance sports

  • promotes faster, effective recovery from workouts

  • promotes healthy, vibrant skin

  • boosts longevity

  • improves joint mobility

  • strengthens the heart

  • helps you feel reborn, breaking old habits

  • feels good

  • it’s FUN

14 tips to boost your sauna experience

1. Hydrate.

Needless to say, you’ll be sweating a lot in the sauna! Drink a glass of spring water, distilled water, or reverse osmosis filtered water before each sauna session. You could add a pinch of sea salt to replenish the minerals that you’ll be sweating out, remineralizing the water and improving hydration. Consider a bit of freshly squeezed organic lemon for flavour and nutrients, or an electrolyte mix without added fillers, colours or flavours. Use a glass or 100% stainless steel water bottle rather than plastic if possible. Miron glass (that only lets full spectrum sunlight in) or Flaska (which structures the water via vortexing) is a great option, and I also like Yeti mugs. Additional detoxification support can include activated charcoal or MSM powder that you can add to your water. OR: drink a cup of herbal tea/infusion to get a hefty dose of plant minerals in ya. Avoid caffeine though, since it also boosts heart rate and when combined with sauna, can promote cardiovascular overload. The many naturally energizing benefits of sauna are enough as it is.

2. Work out before, not after the sauna.

Heat shock proteins provide a multitude of benefits any time the body heats up, whether it be from saunas, sunbathing, hot baths, hot yoga, or exercise. Working out and moving a lot before a sauna will pre-heat your body so that you will sweat better, and the sauna also increases the benefits of the workout and improves recovery. If you’re into the benefits of hypertrophy and heat shock proteins from heat stress, look no further!

3. Shower right before and after your sauna session.

Any generic shower filter will do the job: protecting you from chlorine and other toxins that bypass the otherwise pretty effective municipal water plants.

Taking a quick, post-workout shower before the sauna is especially courteous to those you may be sharing the sauna with, giving them freedom from any lingering scents you may have on you prior to entering the sauna.

Showering right before the sauna also strengthens the benefits you will reap from the sauna. Warm water opens the pores and relaxes your muscles beforehand, helping you sweat and detox more deeply.

Whenever you can, filter your shower water by using a filter attachment. Any garments you’re wearing, if you are not nude, should be washed with 100% non-toxic, unscented, biodegradable laundry solution. My favourite is unscented Eco-Max in Canada.

To get the most out of your sauna session, dry off thoroughly after your first shower and before you get into the sauna, since it’s harder to sweat effectively if your skin is already wet.

4. Soap rinse after your sauna session.

The sauna is a serious detox session, and you won’t want your skin to reabsorb whatever was sweated out. Right after your sauna session, rinse off in the filtered shower with a non-emollient, non-toxic soap, such as Dr. Bronner’s castile soap (I like unscented) in order to prevent toxin repenetration.

5. Magnesium supplement last.

Magnesium is the default tissue salt of the body, and most people today are deficient. Topical magnesium homemade spray or gel can be applied directly to the skin post-sauna, if suitable for you. Being in the sauna opens up the pores, enabling more effective absorption of transdermal magnesium afterwards. Spray front and back of neck, armpits, chest and/or upper back 5-8 times, let it absorb, and let yourself dry off. Relax and feel the relief.

6. Get naked (depending on the sauna).

Non-sexualized full nudity enables your body to sweat and move freely, and safely relaxing naked is one of the best ways to tangibly promote self-love, non-judgement, and empowerment. Whether or not you can get nude depends on the etiquette, vibe and rules of the individual sauna facility, of course. If you’re going to be clothed or towelled, it’s best to go with something breathable like 100% organic cotton or natural linen. And if you’re nude—use a towel to sit on to help keep the benches clean! A private sauna or something like Helsinki’s Sompasauna is probably your best bet when it comes to free nudity.

7. Relax in parasympathetic state. But, really.

If you’ve spent years feeling anxious, tense and hurried (which is all too common), feeling relaxed and slowing down can often feel unsafe. Refined sugar, coffee, stressed adrenals, and toxin exposure in modern life can really take its toll. Try to let yourself experience and remember ease, peace and joy, being unconditionally kind to yourself—all of which can be made easier via a good sauna session! Nothing is more powerful than our relationships with ourselves and how we speak to ourselves and our bodies.

dry brushes

Dry brushing is LIFE. There are inexpensive, plain bristle brushes which work fine, but I recently invested in a copper/horsehair ionic brush and I’m never turning back. Plastic-free and biodegradable.

8. Dry brush.

Dry brushing promotes and facilitates lymphatic circulation, drainage and energetic renewal, and has become a non-negotiable for me before sauna sessions and even before regular (filtered water) showers. Taking 5-10 minutes to dry brush your skin can vastly improve the amount you sweat/detox in the sauna, encourages cell renewal, exfoliates the skin to reveal its innate glow and smoothness, improves digestion, boosts kidney function, cleans your pores, feels great, and boosts and renews energy. It’s best to dry brush towards the heart, starting from your extremities.

Using birch twigs to pat yourself down is an ancient Nordic sauna practice which stimulates the lymphatic system and circulation so you can get the most out of your sweat. Dry brushing plays quite a similar role.

9. Gua sha.

This ancient Chinese practice is like dry brushing for the face, but with a gentle scraping tool called a gua sha, often made of quartz, jade or other type of stone/crystal. Gua sha is also known as the “Eastern facelift”, an ancient art, and it’s an effective way to give yourself a nice natural facelift by draining excess lymph fluid and restoring your face’s innate suppleness and glow. I think my grandma used to practice something like this, and I’m happy that modern wellness communities have recently embraced it.

10. Stretch and breathe.

Gentle, casual breathing and stretching can boost detoxification and improve flexibility. The sauna brings a lot of good stress on the body, so some light exercises can help you prepare prior to getting in. Digestion-boosting yogic moves like cat-cow and knees to chest can get the blood flowing and boost detoxification, and gentle pranayama (nostril breathing) and surya-namaskar (sun salutation) can also be rad.

11. Essential oils.

Personally not a fan here, but if the scent of the pines already surrounding the sauna isn’t enough, you could incorporate the mindful usage of diluted essential oils into your sauna session as aromatherapy with abhyanga self-massage before the sauna. Keep in mind that essential oils should always be diluted, as they are unnaturally highly potent, powerfully concentrated, and can be toxic and photoreactive in the sunlight. I’d prefer to just use a 100% organic/wildcrafted light body oil like Best Skin Ever by Living Libations—if at all.

12. Chanting (or listening to chanting).

Sound healing and the release of energy is real, and definitely always an option to be explored. Whether it’s kirtan chanting or simply “aum”, any chanting is best for alone time in the sauna to avoid disturbing others. Avoid meditating too deeply in the sauna as there is a danger of overheating while losing track of time.

13. Music/podcasts/audiobooks.

When in the sauna, I generally prefer silence and the sound of nature, and too much stimulation can really take away from my precious sauna experience. If you’re going to listen to a device, best to do it when solo and avoid disturbing your sauna neighbours. Honestly, the conditions in a sauna might be too hot for electronics.

14. Cold plunge or cold shower after sauna.

The Finnish knew what they were doing when they invented post-sauna cold plunges in the ice waters of the Baltic Sea, or snow angels post-sauna. Hot and cold therapy has many benefits for your mitochondria, helping you feel absolutely energized, refreshed, and alive. Ensure your diet is clean in the first place and you won’t have to worry about catching a cold. Getting cold improves circulation, reduces depression, strengthens the immune system, boosts testosterone, burns fat, boosts exercise recovery, and can even promote improved mental concentration and overall longevity. It’s a great balm for this often insulated, stagnant, overdeveloped world.

Getting right into a cold shower from a hot sauna can be a bit much for some people, though. You know if it works for you or not. I like to soap off the sweat with a non-emollient soap (I like Dr. Bronner’s unscented all-purpose castile soap) in a lukewarm shower first, then try to blast with the coldest temp for 5+ minutes. If that is too much, start off slow: 30 seconds, 1 minute, etc. Wait a few minutes after turning the tap off and before towelling. Shivering is a great sign you’re activating all those beneficial pathways from cold therapy.

Sauna safety tips

  • Limit your session to a maximum of 15 minutes, and if you’re a beginner or have certain health conditions, start slowly with just 2-5 minutes, and make sure to cool down slowly after you exit. You can build up your heat tolerance over multiple visits.

  • If you have certain health conditions, or are taking any medications that interfere with the body’s temperature regulation, or if you’re pregnant/planning to become pregnant, you know to consult your trusted practitioner before deciding if the sauna is right for you.

  • If you are swimming in a chlorinated man-made pool between sauna rounds, shower before re-entering the sauna and preferably remove swimwear completely for when you’re in the sauna, as any pool chemicals like chlorine will vaporize and are incredibly toxic (I generally avoid man-made pools completely).

  • Drink a glass of water before and after the sauna to avoid dehydration.

  • No drugs, no alcohol.

  • Traditional wood burning saunas are beneficial in that they do not emit nnEMFs, and there are specific sauna models out there that offer the same benefits. Traditional saunas are also cozier and more rustic, IMO.

  • Don’t use the sauna if you are ill.

  • It is generally wise to cycle your use of stimulants such as sauna usage. Too much chronic anything is no good. 2-4 times a week is the general recommendation.

  • Don’t eat a large meal before the sauna.

  • According to the American Journal of Public Health, it’s recommended that healthy people do not sit in the sauna for more than 10-15 minutes at a time.

  • Stop if you don’t feel well. Listen to your body and leave the sauna if you feel discomfort, ill, overheated or dizzy.

  • Never fall asleep in a sauna.

  • No meditation, either. Sauna time should be relatively quick business.

  • Cold plunging right after the sauna is well known in the Finnish tradition, but may not be suitable for those who are pregnant or with heart/health conditions. It may be better to gradually bring your body temp back to normal after sauna use to avoid dizziness.

  • Regular sauna use can temporarily reduce sperm count in males, but this doesn’t mean it is an effective birth control method.

Resources

Kelly Samantha https://roottoskykitchen.com
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