Even if not every sauna has a sign, you should always bring a towel large enough to sit on with your whole body, so that neither your skin nor wet swimwear touches the wood. 

It’s best to start drinking a bit more already in the morning on the day you plan to go to the sauna. The body needs some time to store the extra fluids. Drinking about 1–1.5 litres more throughout the day makes good sense. That way you won’t feel as thirsty in the sauna. Be sure to bring enough drinks with you (tea or water) which you can enjoy during the evening between sauna sessions. 

The hottest place in the sauna is on the top bench, right next to the oven. The further away you are from the oven, the cooler it gets. Each bench lower down is about 10 degrees cooler. So, if you’re not sure whether it might get too hot, you can start on the bottom bench and sit closer to the door. 

It’s absolutely no problem to leave the sauna during an infusion. Sometimes you’re just not feeling fit enough that day, or it may simply be too hot for you. The only important thing is not to return while the infusion is still going on, as the cold air coming in when the door opens disturbs the session a second time. The best approach is: if it gets too hot, step outside and relax for a while until you feel better again.

When you go into the water, enter very slowly. Once you’re in, you shouldn’t move around too much, because a thin insulating layer forms on your skin that protects you a little, even in very cold water. This way you can stay in longer and cool down more gradually. You can also wear a woolly hat, as it helps to insulate you in the cold and makes it easier to handle the shifts between heat and cold.

If you start feeling cold in the water quickly, a good tip is to keep your hands out of the water. There are many nerve endings in your hands, which makes you feel the cold much more strongly there. Just lift your hands up, and you’ll be able to stay in longer and cool down more effectively.