"Sauna" covers a lot of very different rooms. A wood-fired Finnish sauna, an infrared cabin at the gym and a eucalyptus steam room can differ by 50°C or more. Here's what to expect from each, and why it matters for how you use them.
Traditional Finnish sauna: hot and dry (until the steam)
Typical temperature: roughly 70–100°C at head height.
Humidity: low, until you throw water on the stones.
This is the sauna most people picture: a wooden room heated by a wood stove or electric heater with a pile of hot stones. The air is very hot but dry, which is why the temperature is bearable. When you ladle water onto the stones, a wave of steam (the Finns call it löyly) rolls through the room. The thermometer doesn't move much, but it suddenly feels much hotter, because humid air transfers heat to your skin far more efficiently.
Hat? This is where a sauna hat earns its keep. The hottest air in the room collects at the ceiling, right where your head is, and the steam hits your head and ears first.
Wood-fired barrel and mobile saunas
Typical temperature: similar to a Finnish sauna, often up to around 90°C, but it varies with the fire.
Outdoor barrel saunas, the kind you see by lakes and rivers and in backyards across Canada, are Finnish saunas in a round shape. Because they're heated by a fire you tend yourself, the temperature rises and falls as the wood burns, and the top of the barrel can get very hot. A felt hat is standard kit for regulars.
Russian banya
Typical temperature: often in the same range as a Finnish sauna, but usually run more humid.
A banya puts more emphasis on steam, and often on the venik, a bundle of birch or oak branches used to gently whisk the body. The felt sauna hat (in Russian, a bannaya shapka) is a traditional part of the banya, and you'll see them in Russian and Eastern European bathhouses everywhere.
Hat? Yes. With humid heat and whisking, your head takes a lot of heat.
Infrared sauna
Typical temperature: often around 45–65°C.
Humidity: low.
Infrared saunas use panels that warm your body directly, more like sitting in the sun than in a hot room. The air stays much cooler, so you sweat more slowly and sessions are often longer. They're common in gyms, spas and condo buildings.
Hat? Usually not needed, though some people like one to keep their hair dry or the panels' heat off their head.
Steam room
Typical temperature: around 40–50°C.
Humidity: close to 100%.
A steam room is the coolest of the bunch by the thermometer, but with saturated air your sweat can't evaporate, so it feels heavy and intense. Tiled walls, fog, and often a eucalyptus scent.
Hat? Not really. A wool hat would simply get soaked.
Why the top bench is so much hotter
Hot air rises, so in a traditional sauna the air near the ceiling can be dramatically hotter than the air at floor level. Moving up one bench can feel like turning the heater up. If you're new, start on a lower bench. If you like it hot, take the top bench and wear a hat, so your head isn't the thing that forces you out first.
How long to stay in
There's no fixed rule. Many people do rounds of somewhere around 8–15 minutes in a hot sauna, followed by a cool-down and rest, then repeat two or three times. Shorter is fine. Leave if you feel dizzy, nauseous or unwell, drink plenty of water, and talk to your doctor before using a sauna if you're pregnant or have a heart or blood pressure condition.
The short version
- Finnish, barrel, wood-fired: hottest air; a wool hat helps the most.
- Banya: hot and steamy; a felt hat is traditional.
- Infrared: cooler air; a hat is optional.
- Steam room: coolest but wettest; skip the wool hat.
Not sure which hat style suits you? See bucket, bell or merino in our main guide.
Questions
How hot is a traditional Finnish sauna?
Most traditional Finnish-style saunas run somewhere around 70–100°C at head height, with low humidity until water is thrown on the stones.
How hot is an infrared sauna?
Infrared saunas usually run much cooler, often around 45–65°C, because they warm your body directly with infrared panels rather than heating the air as much.
Is a steam room hotter than a sauna?
No. A steam room is usually around 40–50°C, much cooler than a sauna, but the humidity is close to 100%, so it can feel very intense.
Do you need a sauna hat in an infrared sauna?
Usually not. Sauna hats make the biggest difference in hot, traditional saunas where the air near the ceiling is very hot. In an infrared sauna or steam room, most people don't need one.
Ready to try a sauna hat?
Sauna Hats Canada ships wool and merino sauna hats Canada-wide from Squamish, BC.
More reading: A Short History of the Sauna Hat · How to Protect Your Hair in the Sauna · All articles