What to Bring to a Sauna

Bring two towels (one to sit on, one to dry with), plenty of water to sip, and — if you like real heat — a wool sauna hat. For a public sauna add flip-flops and a robe; for a home sauna bring your bucket, ladle and a sauna scent. Leave phones, glass bottles and metal jewelry outside. Packing for a sauna is simple once you know the short list, and getting it right is the difference between a comfortable, hygienic session and a fumbling one. Here is exactly what to take, split into the essentials, the home-sauna extras, the public-sauna extras, and the handful of things that should never come through the door.

The essentials for any sauna

Whether you are heating up your own cabin at home or visiting a public sauna or spa, a few items earn their place every single time:

• A towel to sit on. This is the non-negotiable one. In traditional sauna culture you always sit on a towel so your sweat does not soak into the wooden bench — it keeps the wood clean and dry and is basic hygiene and courtesy. Even at home, sit on a towel.
• A second towel to dry off with. Keep it outside the hot room or on a lower, cooler bench so it stays dry until you finish. One towel to sit on, one to dry with — that is the classic two-towel rule.
• Water to drink. You sweat a lot in a sauna, so bring water and sip it before, between and after rounds. A refillable bottle is ideal — but see the note below about glass.
• A wool sauna hat, if you run hot. A felted wool hat insulates your head and keeps it cooler than the rest of the room, which lets many people stay comfortable longer at high heat. Wool is used because it insulates and resists heat well; you can read about the fiber from The Woolmark Company. Whether you actually need one is covered in do you need a sauna hat.

That is genuinely the core kit. Everything else below depends on whether you are at home or out in public. If you want the full ritual, the two-towel question gets its own page — do you need a sauna towel.

Extras for a public sauna or spa

A shared sauna calls for a couple of extra items, mostly for hygiene and for the walk to and from the hot room:

• Flip-flops or sandals. Shared changing rooms, showers and pool decks are exactly where you do not want bare feet. Slip-on sandals keep your feet off wet communal floors; leave them at the sauna door and enter barefoot if the facility asks.
• A robe or a large wrap towel. For moving between the sauna, shower and relaxation area with a bit of modesty and warmth. Many spas expect one.
• A swimsuit, if required.Rules vary enormously by country and venue — some are textile-free, many require swimwear. Check the venue's policy in advance so you are not caught out; our what to wear in a sauna guide walks through the etiquette.
• Shower basics and a hair tie. You should rinse off before entering, so soap, and a way to tie back long hair, are worth having.

The overarching rule in a shared sauna is consideration — arrive clean, sit on your towel, keep quiet and tidy, and follow the house rules. That is the heart of sauna etiquette, and it matters far more than any gadget you bring.

Extras for a home sauna

At home you control the room, so the extras are about the ritual itself rather than sharing space with strangers. If yours is a traditional rock-stove sauna, bring or keep on hand:

• A bucket and ladle, and clean water for loyly. On a real rock stove you ladle water over the hot stones to make loyly — the burst of steam that turns a hot box into a proper sauna. The kit worth buying is in best sauna buckets and ladles, and the technique is in how to make loyly. Loyly is central to the tradition described by the Finnish Sauna Society.
• A sauna scent or essential oil made for saunas. Added to the bucket water — never poured neat on the stones — a little eucalyptus or birch makes the room more inviting. The safe method is in the sauna aromatherapy guide.
• A thermometer and hygrometer. Handy for dialing in the heat and humidity you like; picks are in best sauna thermometers.
• Your two towels and water, same as always. The essentials do not change just because you are at home — you still sit on a towel to protect your own bench.

None of this applies to an infrared cabin, which has no stones and makes no steam, so there is no bucket, ladle or scented loyly — just your towels and water. Match the extras to your sauna type. Once you have the full kit sorted, the sauna accessories checklist is the single page that pulls it all together.

What NOT to bring into the sauna

Just as important as the packing list is the short list of things to leave outside the hot room:

• Phones and electronics. High heat and humidity can damage a phone, smartwatch or earbuds, and screens are poor sauna company anyway. Leave them in the changing room — this is also expected etiquette in most public saunas.
• Glass bottles. A dropped glass bottle on a hard bench or floor is a real hazard; bring water in a metal or plastic bottle instead, and many saunas ban glass outright.
• Metal jewelry and watches. Metal heats up fast in a sauna and can burn skin, so take off rings, chains, watches and piercings where you can. Metal-framed glasses can get uncomfortably warm too.
• Heavy makeup, lotions and strong perfume. These sweat off, can irritate, and in a shared sauna strong scents are inconsiderate. Come clean and bare-faced.
• Outdoor shoes. Street shoes belong in the changing area, not on the benches or sauna floor.

After the sauna — what you will want on hand

A good sauna session ends with a cool-down, so it helps to have a few post-sauna things ready: your dry towel, plenty of water to rehydrate, comfortable loose clothing or your robe to change into, and — if you cooled off with a cold shower or plunge — a way to warm back up gently. Give yourself time to cool down and rest between and after rounds rather than rushing straight out. A small snack and a spot to sit are nice to have if you are settling in for several rounds, and a hairbrush or comb, clean underlayers and your regular skincare are the usual things people are glad they set out ready before they started. How long to spend in the heat in the first place is covered in how long to stay in a sauna, and the wider routine in how to use a sauna.

The honest bottom line

You do not need much for a great sauna. The true essentials are two towels — one to sit on for hygiene, one to dry with — and water to drink, with a wool hat as the single upgrade that helps most people tolerate real heat. Add sandals and a robe for a public sauna, and your bucket, ladle and scent for a traditional home one. Then leave the phone, glass and metal outside, sit on your towel, and enjoy it. Everything else is optional. When you want the complete kit in one list, the sauna accessories checklist is the place to go.