A Deep Dive on Sauna Etiquette
Sauna etiquette can seem mysterious from the outside.
These are the house rules at Glasgow Community Sauna, with the reasoning attached. None of them are about being fussy. Every piece of guidance exists for the wood, the water, or most importantly, the person sitting next to you.
When you arrive at Glasgow Community Sauna, you’ll be greeted by the host, who’ll ask you if it’s your first time and hgive you a run down of the house rules.
1 » Sit on a towel
A sauna bench has a hard life. Spare a thought for all those bums! Wood is porous, so whatever lands on it soaks in, and your towel is the barrier that keeps the benches sweet: the wood stays clean and fresh for years rather than months, and the seat is as pleasant for you as it will be for the next person.
Bring one towel for sitting on and a second for drying off, and you're sorted.
2 » Take your towel with you when you plunge
Two reasons, and the second one matters more than you think.
First: seats aren't assigned. If your towel stays behind, it holds a seat you're not in, and part of the joy of the sauna is moving about, trying the hotter spots and the gentler ones.
Second: a soaking wet towel draped over a bench for an hour is the one thing worse for the wood than no towel at all. Sessions run 60 to 70 minutes, and taking your towel with you gives the bench a chance to breathe and dry between sitters. Small habit, big difference to how the sauna ages.
3 » Shower before you plunge
CLEAN WATER. We have three plunges, shared by everyone in the session. They're filtered and chilled, and while the filtration does a lot of work, it works far better when there's less going into the water to begin with. A quick rinse takes the sweat off, and anything you arrived wearing — moisturiser, sun cream, hair product. It's the single biggest thing any of us can do to keep the plunges good for the person after us.
YOUR SAFETY. Going straight from full heat into cold water is the sharpest version of the contrast, and it's the bit that catches people out — an involuntary gasp, a jump in heart rate. A few seconds under the shower takes the edge off before the plunge does, and it makes for a better plunge anyway.
4 » Speak up if you're not feeling great
This is the rule we care about most, because it's the one people least naturally follow.
Most folk won't say anything when they start to feel unwell. They sit it out, not wanting to make a fuss, and that's exactly the wrong instinct in a hot room. So: if you start to feel faint, dizzy or just off, sit down low immediately, and tell someone. The lower benches are the coolest spot in the room. The higher benches run hotter, and the seats beside the stove are hotter still, so there's always somewhere gentler to move to, and there's no shame in moving. Opening the vent or stepping outside for a breather are always fine too.
Our hosts are trained to watch for this, as far as they can without you noticing. They’ll keep an eye on those around the plunges, and check-in now and again during the session, hopefully before anything becomes a problem. But they'd always rather you told them than toughed it out. That's what they're there for.
5 » Hydrate throughout
You sweat far more in a session than you think. A typical sit in the heat costs you somewhere around half a litre of fluid. Over a full hour it can climb towards one litre or more, depending on how hot it's running, how long you stay in and how used to it your body is. If you weighed yourself before and after, essentially all of the difference would be water, and it's water your body wants back.
So, drink water before, during and after.
A good rule of thumb is at least 500ml for every 20-25 mins you spend in the sauna your session. Electrolytes are worth having if you're in for the long haul, since you lose salts along with the sweat. Bring your water bottle, or if you forget, we have cups on site. There's no prize for going without.
6 » Toplessness is optional, for all genders
Everyone needs to be covered from the waist down, and from there it's entirely up to you. Anyone, of any gender, is welcome to be topless. Wear whatever you're comfortable in.
7 » Be mindful of the room
This is a shared space, so keep an ear on your volume, especially with our neighbours over the wall. And please don't comment on or stare at people's bodies or tattoos, even kindly meant. Compliments about someone's body can land very differently than intended when they're sitting next to you in swimwear. Talk about anything else; the sauna's full of better conversation.
8 » No alcohol, no exceptions
Heat and alcohol don't mix AT ALL.
Being intoxicated in a sauna raises the risk of dehydration and overheating, and dulls exactly the signals that tell you it's time to get out. So we're an alcohol and drug-free space, no smoking or vaping either.
A sauna is much better the day after drinking, not during one.
9 » Phones stay outside
Inside the sauna is a phone-free zone. Partly it's privacy, since nobody should wonder whether they're in the background of a photo in their swimwear. Mostly it's the point of the place: an hour where nothing pings. You're welcome to take pictures outside, just ask for consent from anyone else who might end up in shot.
10 » Look after yourself
Heat and cold both put a load on the body. If you're pregnant, have a heart condition or blood pressure issues, or take medication that affects circulation or temperature regulation, check with your GP before booking. And please don't sauna after alcohol; the two genuinely don't mix.
That's the lot. Every rule comes down to the same idea: this place is shared, from the water to the wood to the air in the room, and small habits are what keep it good. Follow them and you're not just having a session, you're quietly looking after everyone else's too.
Bonus » The host is on your side
Every session at GCS is hosted. The host gives first-timers a tour and a wee briefing, manages the stove, keeps an eye on the heat and checks in with people through the session. If you're unsure about anything, from where to sit to how long to stay in, just ask. Nobody has ever asked our hosts a daft question.
