A lot of people in sports and weightlifting use saunas to relax their body and help it recover. If you've been in sports for a while you might've already known all the benefits of the sauna. What you may not know, is what to wear in the sauna if you want to use it. Let's not waste any time and get right into it.
Before you even think about what to wear
Your first step before entering the sauna is to undress completely and take a shower. It is necessary to take off the dusty and dirty clothes and shoes you have worn throughout the working day.
If you enter the sauna dressed in everyday clothes, the heat will release dirt and dust into the air. This will clog up your pores and the benefits you would've had if you had showered are smaller and less prominent. By taking a shower, you make sure your pores can breathe.
After that, you can finally decide what to wear or avoid having on during these 10 to 45 minutes. Basically, it will depend on your attitude towards social norms and personal comfort.
What clothes to AVOID
1. Synthetic material
Cotton is great because it's breathable and won't stop the benefits from knocking down the door to your body. Synthetic fabrics are bad for the same reason: they're not breathable, especially tight synthetic clothes. Most synthetic fabrics also don't absorb sweat that great. They're not as lightweight as cotton, it's even worse when they're soaked with sweat. It won't let your pores breath that well if at all.
2. Melt-y material
The sauna is hot, we've established that. Wearing materials that are prone to melting probably will melt, and aside from the possibility of it sticking to your skin and burning you, it's likely to start giving off toxic chemicals and fumes on the high temperatures.
An example of melt-y clothes are workout clothes and stretchy leggings.
3. Metal
You might raise your eyebrows at this one, but metal is sneakily hidden in a lot of clothing items and bathing suits. The reason this is one the list is because metal gets very hot very quick, as does it with cold. You don't want to be branding yourself with your edgy cross-necklace when you're inside the sauna (almost all saunas don't allow jewellery because of that).
Don't wear bathing suits with any metal in them, including the metal inside the underside of the cup. Though, that particular one does get less hot on your skin because of the fabric around it, so decide to wear or not based on the thickness of the fabric if you do want to wear one.
Some shirts have metal bits in it, like buttons or small tags. Dont wear 'em.
Zippers. No more needs to be said.
4. Shoes
Never wear shoes while using the sauna, especially shoes you use outdoors. You can wear shower sandals to avoid walking barefoot on slippery tiles, but you need to take them off once you get inside.
Wearing footwear while you sit on the bench is disrespectful towards the other people in the same room. It is exceptionally rude to put the shower sandals on the lower sit while lying on the upper one.
5. Lotions and creams
Don't wear lotions or creams or any other thing you put on your skin to the sauna. They will clog up your pores and prevent your skin from breathing freely.
What you CAN and SHOULD wear
1. Butt ass-naked
If you're going to the sauna, you're bound to see naked people. If you generally don't give a fuck, take your clothes off and let every part of your body out to have the benefits of the high temperatures and the sweating. If you have your own home sauna, there obviously wasn't a need for clothes in the first place. In that case, feel the benefits of using the sauna while naked.
But, for the lot of us that don't have a home sauna and don't want to walk around with everything hanging out, we'll tell you some options to wear while sitting inside the public sauna. Whatever your choice is, keep in mind to wear as little clothes as possible and to avoid wearing the wrong stuff. Less really is more in the sauna.
2. Towel
Towels are the way to go, especially if it's a cotton towel. Absorbs sweat and water like crazy, is easily taken off and put on and fit the sauna vibe. You can cover up as much or as little as you want, and an additional pro is that you can lay it anywhere and have a clean (or at least only your own sweat) place to sit or lay down. It will be enough to protect both your privacy and the bench from your sweat and spreading bacteria.
3. Cotton
One of the greatest things to wear in the sauna is cotton, because it's very breathable and absorbs sweat pretty well as an added pro. It's very lightweight so it won't weigh you down while you're trying to survive the heat of the sauna. Because it's as breathable as it is, it won't stop the heat from doing it's work, while still keeping your private parts private. Do keep in mind to keep it loose-fitting.
It just so happens our store is pretty stocked with cotton products (won't be the cause of death of our planet either because it's eco-friendly) so it'll help you out to take a look here.
4. Swimming clothes
More is less, so swimming clothes like trunks or a bikini work very well in the sauna. It's probably one of the most popular clothing options in the sauna besides being naked.
Because some swimming clothes are made out of pvc or other materials prone to melting, be sure to pick ones made from natural fibres.
There's people that go over the top adding bathrobes or see through scarfs around waists when wearing bikinis. Sometimes it's just the bare necessities and sometimes less Women might feel alright with no bikini top but still want to wear bikini shorts or maybe the other way around.
Conclusion
Going nude to the sauna is the most hygienic and probably the best choice of all. There is no other way to get the most out of your sauna visit and feel all the benefits of sweating. The best of all, if you enter the sauna naked, you don’t need to worry about what to wear to begin with. The answer is simple – nothing!
But, it's perfectly understandable if you're not comfortable with that. Luckily there's a few options available for you to keep your business just your business. All in all, the only thing that matters is to enjoy the ride and take in all the good things saunas have to offer.
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