Naked, a towel or swimwear? Questions about German and Finnish sauna culture you may hesitate to ask on your first visit.
When visiting a public sauna in Germany for the first time, the heater may not be the first thing on your mind.
You might have very different questions:
Wait a moment…
Is everyone really naked here?
Do I have to undress too?
Can I not just leave my swimwear on?
What do I do with my towel?
And what do I wear afterwards?
Do people even go to the restaurant naked?
Are men and women really in the sauna together?
And what if I do not feel comfortable with that?
Finland brings more questions:
Do Finns sauna naked too?
Do men and women go together?
Do you wear swimwear in a public sauna?
And what happens in a private sauna?
Do not worry.
These questions are completely normal.
Anyone visiting a sauna in Germany or Finland for the first time should know these things beforehand.
Are people really naked in German saunas?
In many cases, yes.
Many traditional public sauna complexes in Germany are textile-free.
Nudity is therefore entirely normal inside the sauna room.
You sit down, enjoy an Aufguss, sweat and relax.
In this setting, nudity is mainly a matter of sauna culture and the venue’s rules.
It is nothing remarkable.
Why can you not wear swimwear?
Many first-time visitors wonder:
“Would it not be more polite simply to keep my swimwear on?”
In many traditional German saunas, it is the other way round.
The sauna area is textile-free, and swimwear does not normally belong inside the sauna room.
You sometimes hear claims that swimwear interferes with sweating or circulation.
Such claims should not simply be accepted as medical fact.
Something else matters much more:
following the hygiene requirements and house rules of the venue.
Do you sit naked directly on the wooden bench?
No.
One of the most important rules of German sauna culture is:
no sweat on the wood.
Your own sauna towel always goes between your body and the bench.
That is why it needs to be large enough.
How do you use a sauna towel?
When sitting, both your bottom and your feet should rest on the towel.
When lying down, every part of your body that would otherwise touch the wood should be on your towel.
Put simply:
the towel separates your body from the wood.
A genuinely large sauna towel is often much more practical than a small bath towel in a public sauna.
Does everyone stay naked afterwards?
Of course not.
After leaving the sauna room, many people wrap themselves in a large towel or put on a bathrobe.
Going to the relaxation area?
A bathrobe.
Onto a lounger?
A bathrobe or towel.
To the restaurant for food or a drink?
Your body is normally covered appropriately there too.
German sauna is not a matter of everyone walking around naked from entrance to exit.
It is more often:
naked inside the sauna room, then a towel or bathrobe afterwards.
Do men and women really sauna together?
In many German public sauna complexes, yes.
Mixed saunas are very common in Germany.
For people from other cultural backgrounds, this can feel unfamiliar at first.
For regular sauna visitors, it may be entirely ordinary.
They come for sauna, relaxation, an Aufguss and cooling down.
And perhaps to do it all again.
What if I am uncomfortable with mixed nudity?
You do not have to force yourself.
Many thermal spas and sauna facilities offer special women-only sessions:
Damensauna.
Damentag.
Frauensauna.
Is there really a women-only sauna day?
Yes.
But the day varies from one venue to another.
In some places it is Tuesday, in others Wednesday, and elsewhere another day altogether.
If you would like to try a German public sauna but feel uncomfortable in a mixed textile-free setting, check the website beforehand.
Look for “Damensauna” or “Damentag”.
What about Finland? Do Finns sauna naked too?
Of course.
Naked sauna bathing is a natural part of Finnish sauna culture.
It is particularly common in traditional, private and family saunas, and in some public saunas with separate men’s and women’s facilities.
The Finnish Sauna Society also has facilities where swimwear is not worn inside the sauna.
So the simple equation “Finland = sauna in swimwear” is wrong.
Are public saunas in Finland separated by gender?
Very often, but not always.
Traditional public saunas, swimming-pool saunas and other facilities may have separate changing rooms, showers and saunas for women and men.
Among friends, it is also quite normal for men to sauna with men and women with women.
Sauna can be an ordinary social meeting place in Finland.
Friends, colleagues or families sit together in the warmth and talk about work, everyday life and life in general.
Or they say nothing at all.
Sauna is more than a hot room.
It can be a social space too.
Are there no mixed saunas in Finland?
There certainly are.
Mixed saunas are found in Finland too, especially in hotels, modern public saunas, sauna complexes and lakeside facilities welcoming visitors.
What do you wear in a mixed sauna?
It depends on the venue.
Some mixed public saunas require swimwear.
Others have different rules, such as using a towel.
Some facilities offer separate women’s, men’s and mixed sessions.
The rules may vary between those sessions.
There is a simple solution:
do not stand at the sauna door wondering whether to undress.
Read the signs at the entrance and the sauna rules.
What happens in a private Finnish sauna?
That is another world again.
Family members sharing a sauna can be completely natural in Finland.
Ultimately, the people using a private sauna decide what feels right for them.
The whole family together?
Of course.
Separate turns?
That is possible too.
As a couple?
Why not?
With friends?
Certainly.
Alone, in complete peace?
Perhaps that is exactly right today.
The lovely thing about a private sauna is that your way of enjoying it need not follow the habits of strangers.
Wait: does a sauna hat count as clothing?
Not in the same sense.
It can create one of the sauna world’s most endearing sights:
nothing on the body, but a wool-felt sauna hat worn quite naturally on the head.
It may look a little unusual at first.
Yet a sauna hat is more than decoration.
Wool felt insulates and can help shield the head, hair, scalp and ears from intense heat.
Naked, with a sauna hat?
There is no contradiction in the sauna world.
What should I remember for my first visit?
You do not really need a long list of rules.
For a traditional public sauna in Germany:
bring a sufficiently large sauna towel and a bathrobe.
Check whether the sauna area is textile-free.
And remember: no sweat on the wood.
For a public sauna in Finland:
first check what kind of sauna it is.
Separate men’s and women’s sessions?
Mixed?
Naked?
Swimwear?
Or a towel?
Do not guess.
A look at the rules usually answers the question.
So what do you wear in a sauna?
Perhaps the most important question is not:
“What is everyone else wearing?”
But:
“What are the rules here?”
And:
“What feels comfortable for everyone involved?”
Visiting an unfamiliar sauna for the first time?
Check the rules.
Bring a large enough towel.
And relax.
You will soon learn the rest.
Sources
Deutscher Sauna-Bund — information and recommendations on textile-free sauna, hygiene and etiquette in German sauna facilities.
Finnish Sauna Society / Suomen Saunaseura — information on Finnish sauna culture, etiquette, public and private saunas and traditional customs.
Visit Finland — information on Finnish sauna culture, family saunas, separate and mixed saunas and the different rules in public facilities.
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