What is a sauna and how do you use it? Temperature, time and the right order

The thermometer is read at a point near the bench and close to the ceiling; inside the room the temperature rises clearly from floor to ceiling, so sitting on the upper bench and sitting on the lower bench are very different experiences.

For a first-timer, 70 to 80 degrees and the lower bench are a sensible start. Experienced users prefer the 90 to 100 degree range. Going above 110 degrees brings no extra benefit; it only shortens how long you can stay.

An infrared sauna sits outside this picture. Because it heats the surface of the body directly rather than the air, the room temperature stays in the 45 to 60 degree range. It is a different system that produces a similar effect at a lower temperature; it is placed alongside a classic sauna, not instead of one.

Measure the time with your body, not the clock: get out when breathing starts to feel harder, when you feel dizzy or when your heart rate speeds up clearly. If it is your first time, start with 5 minutes.

A sauna is used in rounds, not in one long session. The classic cycle is: 8 to 12 minutes in the sauna, then a cold shower or cold plunge pool, then a rest lasting at least as long as the sauna. Repeat this round two or three times. Skipping the cool-down and rest means skipping half of the sauna round.

Do not neglect drinking water; a sauna makes you lose a significant amount of fluid through sweating. Alcohol and sauna do not go together. People with heart, blood pressure or circulation problems, pregnant women and anyone on regular medication should not use a sauna without consulting their doctor.

Entering with wet skin delays sweating; dry skin responds more quickly. Take off jewellery, watches and glasses: metal heats up and burns.

Inside, sit on a towel, not directly on the wood. This is both for hygiene and for the life of the timber; once sweat soaks into the wood it is hard to clean. If you can lie down on the bench, do so, so that heat is spread more evenly along your body.

Pouring water on the stove stones (löyly) raises the humidity of the room for a short time and makes the heat feel more intense. Pour small amounts at intervals. Stones that get water on them can crack, which is why volcanic stones sold as sauna stones are used; stones picked up from the garden are not.

The drop you see on the scales after a sauna is water lost through sweat, and it comes back when you drink. It does not burn fat.

This question deserves an honest answer, because a sauna purchase is sometimes made with this expectation and ends in disappointment. The real return of a sauna is relaxation and rest; people choose it to loosen their muscles after exercise.

Take fluid loss seriously. Carrying on after long sessions without drinking water leads to dizziness and fatigue. Drink water or a mineral drink after the sauna.

First the sauna (dry, 80-100 degrees), then a cool-down, then the steam room or hammam (humid, 40-50 degrees). Put a cold shower and a rest between each change.

Some facilities do the opposite, and that is not wrong. Moving from a humid room to a dry one dries the skin faster; some users prefer that. The rule is this: do not go straight from one heat room to another; always cool down in between.

When designing a wellness area, this order shapes the architecture. The sauna, relaxation area, cold shower and steam room should be close to each other and in the right sequence; users should not have to walk down a long corridor on wet feet. In villa projects, the mistake we correct most often is a sauna and shower placed far apart.

Clear internal height is kept between 2.00 and 2.10 metres; a higher ceiling increases the volume to be heated and pushes the stove up to the next power rating.

Stove power is chosen according to volume. For electric sauna stoves, about 1 kW per cubic metre is a practical starting assumption; if there are glass surfaces, uninsulated walls or stone walls, this figure is raised. Stoves of 6 kW and above need a separate three-phase line from the distribution board, so plan for it when the electrical installation is being designed.

Ventilation is skipped in most home installations and is the source of the most common problem. You need a fresh air inlet near the bottom of the stove and an exhaust outlet near the top of the opposite wall. A sauna without ventilation struggles to heat up, smells, and its wood wears out early.

For benches and backrests, species that do not bleed resin and do not burn to the touch are used; alder and poplar are preferred for this. Spruce is common for wall cladding. Resinous species such as pine are not used on bench surfaces, as they bleed resin when heated.

The wall build-up, from inside to outside, is: interior timber cladding, air gap, foil-faced vapour barrier, stone wool insulation, load-bearing frame. The foil side of the vapour barrier faces inwards. If this order is broken, moisture condenses inside the structure and mould starts within a few seasons.

Screws and metal fittings should be stainless and hidden wherever possible; a bare screw head burns at 90 degrees. The door opens outwards and does not lock; it must open when pushed from inside. These look like small details, but they decide whether a sauna is usable or not.

It is the easiest of the three to install; a wooden room and a stove are enough, with no wet-room detailing required.

People who prefer humid heat, or who are bothered by a dry throat and nose, find a steam room more comfortable. A steam room needs full waterproofing, a sloped ceiling (so condensed water does not drip on your head) and a steam generator; that makes the construction side more demanding than a sauna.

A Turkish hammam is a separate structure again, needing a heated göbek taşı (the raised central marble platform), marble or natural stone cladding and underfloor heating. It is the most extensive of the three to install. If you plan to build all three, work out the floor plan together from the start; a steam room added later is almost always badly placed.

A damp sauna left closed starts to smell. Wipe the benches regularly with a damp cloth and do not use detergent; the wood absorbs it and gives off a smell when heated.

Once a year, lightly sand the benches with fine sandpaper. Varnish or lacquer is never applied to sauna timber; it gives off fumes when heated and makes the surface scorching. If needed, a dedicated sauna oil is used.

Take the stove stones out once a year and check them. Cracked and crumbling stones block the air flow, the stove's heating elements overheat and their life is shortened. Replacing the stones is a low-cost job; if it is neglected, it turns into replacing the stove.