Most saunas in Ireland are not the hotel-spa kind. They're timber boxes on a pier, a beach or a riverbank, heated by a wood stove or an electric heater, and you book a session, usually 50 to 90 minutes, that you share with a handful of other people. You go in, you get hot, you get out and cool down in the sea, a river or a cold plunge tub, and you repeat.
If you've never done it, it can feel like everyone else knows the rules. There aren't many, and they're easy.
What to wear
A swimsuit. Nearly every shared sauna in Ireland is swimwear-on, mixed, and that's what you should assume unless the venue says otherwise. Bring a second dry one if you can: sitting in a cold wet swimsuit between rounds is the least pleasant part of the afternoon.
On your feet, sliders or old runners for the walk between sauna and sea. Shingle, pier steps and frozen sand are all harder on bare feet than you'd think.
What to bring
- Two towels: one to sit on in the sauna (it's a hygiene thing, and expected) and one to dry off with.
- A changing robe or a big hoodie. Many outdoor saunas have little or no changing space.
- A bottle of water. You'll lose more fluid than you notice.
- A warm hat for between rounds in winter. Your head loses heat fast once you're out of the water.
- A bag for wet things.
How a session works
Most people do three or four rounds. A typical one: 8 to 15 minutes in the heat, a cool-down of anywhere from a quick dunk to a few minutes in the water, then a few minutes sitting outside before going back in. There is no target to hit. Leave the sauna when you've had enough, not when the clock says so.
Sit on the lower bench for your first round. Heat rises, and the top bench can be 15 to 20 degrees hotter than the bottom.
Sauna etiquette
- Sit on your towel.
- Ask before adding water to the stones. That burst of steam (löyly, in Finnish) heats up the whole room, not just you.
- Keep your voice down. Plenty of people use a sauna to switch off.
- Close the door quickly. Every second it's open lets the heat out for everyone.
- Shower or rinse before you go in if the venue has a shower.
When not to go
Skip it if you've been drinking, if you feel unwell, or if you have a heart condition, low or uncontrolled blood pressure, or you're pregnant, unless you've checked with your GP first. That isn't box-ticking: heat and cold both put real load on your heart and blood pressure.