Home › Blog › Spa guide

How to Use a Sauna: Steps, What to Wear and How Long to Stay

By The 205 Spa team · October 28, 2026 · 1,142 words

If you have never used a sauna, the first visit can feel like a small puzzle. Where do you sit, how long do you stay, and what do you put on? Most of it is simple once someone walks you through it, so here is how to use a sauna without overthinking it.

The short answer: rinse off, sit or lie down, stay for 10 to 15 minutes while you breathe slowly, step out to cool down and drink water, then go back in once or twice if you feel good. At 205 Spa in Saddle Brook the sauna is a steam sauna, and the same basics apply.

How do you use a sauna, step by step?

Think of a sauna visit as a few short rounds with rest in between, not one long bake. Here is a simple order that works for first timers.

1. Drink a glass of water before you go in, and skip a heavy meal for an hour or so beforehand.
2. Rinse off with a quick shower so you start clean and a little damp.
3. Take off jewelry and glasses if they get hot against your skin.
4. Sit on the lower bench first, where it is gentler, and move up only if you want more heat.
5. Breathe slowly through your nose and let your shoulders drop. Talking and scrolling a phone can wait.
6. Leave after 10 to 15 minutes, or sooner the moment you feel dizzy, queasy or just done.
7. Cool down for five to ten minutes with fresh air or a lukewarm rinse, and sip water.

Repeat the round once or twice if you like. Two rounds is plenty for most people on a first visit, and nobody is keeping score.

What should you wear in a sauna?

Wear as little as you are comfortable with, and keep a towel between you and the bench. A swimsuit, or a towel wrapped around you, is the common choice at a spa. Cotton is better than synthetic fabric, which can hold heat and feel clammy.

Skip these

• Metal jewelry, watches and hair clips, which can get uncomfortably hot.
• Contact lenses if your eyes dry out easily in heat.
• Heavy makeup, lotion or oils, which can sting and clog when you sweat.

Bring these

A towel to sit on, a second towel for after, flip flops for wet floors, and a water bottle. Tie long hair up so it stays off your neck. If you are booking a massage as well, you will be draped for that part, so the sauna is the only time you need to decide on a swimsuit or a towel.

How long should you stay in the sauna?

For most healthy adults, 10 to 15 minutes per round is a comfortable range, and first timers can start closer to five to eight. Heat tolerance varies a lot from person to person, so use how you feel as the guide, not the clock.

Leave right away if you feel lightheaded, nauseous, or your heart is pounding in a way that worries you. Total time across rounds matters less than staying comfortable and hydrated. Some people hope a long session will melt away weight, but what you lose is mostly water, which comes back when you drink. Our honest breakdown in does a sauna burn calories explains what the heat can and cannot do.

What should you do before and after?

Hydrate before, cool down after, and give yourself a few quiet minutes before you drive. Heat opens blood vessels and makes you sweat, so you lose fluid even if you do not feel soaked.

Before

Drink water, eat lightly, and avoid alcohol. Mixing alcohol and heat is a bad plan for almost everyone.

After

Sit down somewhere cool, sip water, and let your heart rate settle before you stand up fast. Your feet often feel warm and a little puffy afterward, and a short rub helps. If you want a routine, see how to massage feet at home. Skin feels soft after steam, which is also a good moment to read about exfoliation, since a Korean style scrub is a popular follow up. Our overview of Korean body scrub covers what to expect from one.

Steam sauna or dry heat: what changes?

The basics stay the same, but steam feels heavier and a bit gentler on the air you breathe. A steam sauna runs at a lower temperature than a dry one, with very humid air, so the heat seems to wrap around you and your skin stays damp.

Dry rooms such as a Finnish sauna run hotter with low humidity, and people often pour water on stones to add a burst of steam. Our guide to a Finnish sauna covers the dry style, and the comparison in steam sauna vs dry sauna helps you decide which one suits you before a massage. 205 Spa offers a steam sauna, not a dry one, so we explain steam here and leave the Finnish style to those guides.

Who should check with a doctor first?

Ask your doctor first if you have heart or blood pressure issues, are pregnant, take medication that affects sweating or blood pressure, or feel unwell. Heat puts extra work on your circulation, and what is fine for one person is not for another.

Skip the sauna if you have a fever, an infection, or have been drinking. Anyone with a medical condition should get personal advice rather than rely on a general article like this one. If you are unsure, start with a short round, stay near the door, and stop at the first sign of trouble.

How does a sauna fit with a massage?

Many people use the heat first, so muscles feel looser by the time the massage starts, but it works either direction. A short steam round, a cool rest, then bodywork is an easy order. Some prefer the quiet of a massage first and the sauna to wind down.

The house signature at 205 Spa is the table shower, where warm water falls over you in a private tiled room, and it pairs well with steam. You can add it before or after any massage. Browse everything we offer on the steam sauna service listing, and plan a rest afterward so the benefits settle in rather than rushing back to traffic on Route 17.

Plan your sauna visit at 205 Spa in Saddle Brook

205 Spa is at 205 N 6th St, Saddle Brook, NJ 07663, between Midland Avenue and Market Street, where Route 80, Route 17 and Route 46 meet. We are open every day from 9 AM to 11 PM, walk ins are welcome, and parking on site is free. Call 201-368-5244 to hold a room, or book an appointment online. See the full steam sauna details at the steam sauna hub before you come in.

Questions readers ask