Cooling down after a sauna session: fresh air, shower, plunge pool

Cooling down after a sauna session is just as much a part of it as the heat in the cabin. For most sauna-goers, it is the alternation of heat, cold and rest that makes it appealing. Many saunas offer several options for this: fresh air, a cold shower, a Kneipp hose, a plunge pool or even a lake. Here you will find out the order many people follow, which rules are customary, which mistakes to avoid and what to wear in each phase.

Contents10

1. The options at a glance
2. Cooling down after a sauna session: a common order
3. The individual stations in detail
4. Common mistakes when cooling down
5. Cooling down after the sauna in summer and winter
6. Cooling down after a sauna session in a home sauna
7. What you need for the cool-down phase
8. Why a second towel for cooling down makes sense
9. Conclusion
10. Frequently asked questions

The options at a glance

Not every sauna offers everything. The table shows the common options and which textile suits each one:

Option	How	Textile
Fresh air	A few minutes outside or in the fresh-air area, breathing calmly, walking slowly	Bathrobe or poncho
Cold shower / bucket shower	Slowly from the feet towards the upper body	None
Kneipp hose	Guide the stream of water from the legs over the arms to the torso	None
Plunge pool / lake	Shower first, dip in briefly, only if it feels good	Hammam towel afterwards
Warm foot bath	After the cold water, where available	Bathrobe
Resting	Lie down and let it sink in	Towel on the lounger

Cooling down after a sauna session: a common order

There is no compulsory order, but one routine has become established in many saunas:

1. Out into the air: Many people first spend a few minutes in the fresh air and breathe calmly. Walking slowly is more pleasant than standing still.
2. Cold water: Then a cold shower or the Kneipp hose. It is customary to start at the feet, work slowly over the legs and arms towards the upper body and cool the head last.
3. Optionally into the plunge pool: If you like, dip in briefly. Showering off the sweat beforehand is customary and usually required.
4. Dry off: Dry yourself with a hammam towel so that you do not get cold during the rest phase.
5. Rest: Slip into your bathrobe and rest on a lounger before the next round.

As a rough guide: cooling down with air and water takes about as long as the time spent in the cabin. The rest phase comes on top of that.

Listen to your body. If you have health questions or are unsure whether cold water is suitable for you, ask your doctor first. And follow the rules of your sauna.

The individual stations in detail

Fresh air

For many people, fresh air is the first step in cooling down after the sauna. Outside you can take a deep breath before the cold water. Walking slowly around the grounds is more pleasant than standing. In the fresh-air area it is customary to be quiet, as other guests want to relax too. How long you stay outside depends on the weather: in summer often longer, in winter often only a few minutes.

Cold shower and Kneipp hose

The cold shower is the simplest option and is available in almost every sauna. A bucket shower delivers a lot of water at once, while with a Kneipp hose you guide the stream precisely. It is customary to start at the right foot, guide the stream up the outside of the leg and back down the inside, then the left leg, then the arms and finally chest and back. Your face is best cooled with your hands.

Plunge pool and lake

The plunge pool is the most intense way of cooling down after a sauna session. Showering beforehand is customary and usually required so that no sweat gets into the pool. Many people walk slowly down the steps, dip in briefly up to the neck and climb back out. Putting your head under is not allowed everywhere – follow the sauna's instructions. At a lake, the additional rule is: only at approved spots and never alone.

Common mistakes when cooling down

• Jumping straight into the plunge pool: Shower first – for hygiene and because the transition is gentler.
• Head first: Better to guide the cold water from the bottom up.
• Too long in cold water: Briefly is enough. It is not about endurance.
• Forgetting to dry off: If you lie down on the lounger wet, you cool down quickly in the relaxation room.
• Skipping the rest phase: Going straight back into the cabin takes away the rhythm of the sauna session.
• Not drinking enough: Water or tea belongs in the breaks.

Cooling down after the sauna in summer and winter

In summer, the fresh-air area is pleasantly warm and many people stay there longer. The cold water then feels particularly refreshing. In winter, by contrast, the air outside cools you down very quickly. A few minutes are often enough, and a hooded bathrobe or a poncho on the way outside is pleasant. In snow and ice, bathing shoes with non-slip soles make sense. If you take a sauna by a lake, you will often find the coldest conditions in winter – here in particular: keep it short and never go alone.

Cooling down after a sauna session in a home sauna

If you have a sauna at home, you often have to improvise. A cold shower in the bathroom, a few minutes on the balcony or in the garden and a lounger or armchair to rest on are enough for the classic routine. Put your bathrobe and towel out before the first round so that you do not have to walk through the house wet after the shower.

What you need for the cool-down phase

There is a suitable textile for each phase. So you do not have to improvise:

• For outside: A light bathrobe with a hood or a changing poncho. The Trimita hooded bathrobe Zebra made of three-layer muslin (100 % Turkish cotton) is light and has a hood.
• For drying off: An Ocean hammam towel, 180 × 100 cm, approx. 400 g, flat-woven and quick to dry again.
• For the lounger: An Ocean StayOn hammam towel (200 × 70 cm), whose sewn-in pocket is pulled over the backrest so that it does not slip.
• Everything together: The hammam towel set Single contains 2 × Ocean and 1 × StayOn – enough for the bench, drying off and the lounger.

Why a second towel for cooling down makes sense

Many people bring only one towel and use it for everything: sitting in the cabin, drying off and on the lounger. By the second round at the latest, this towel is soaked with sweat and wet. For cooling down after a sauna session, a separate, dry towel is much more pleasant. A hammam towel takes up hardly any space in your bag and dries a good deal between two rounds – in our experience at the Meri Sauna in about 30 minutes in the sun and about 60 minutes indoors. We have explained in detail how many towels you need overall in our article how many sauna towels.

Related reading: How long should you stay in the sauna? Rounds, breaks and the whole visit · Relaxation room etiquette: the unwritten rules of the sauna break · Drinking in the sauna: before, during the breaks and afterwards

Conclusion

Cooling down is an integral part of every sauna session. Fresh air, cold water from the bottom up, drying off, resting – that is the order many people follow. If you avoid the common mistakes, follow the sauna's rules and listen to your body, you will not go far wrong. With a bathrobe, hammam towel and lounger towel you are equipped for every phase.

Frequently asked questions

How long should cooling down after a sauna session take?

As a rough guide, about as long as the time spent in the cabin. The rest phase follows.

Can I wear my bathrobe in the fresh-air area?

In most saunas, yes. But the bathrobe always stays outside the sauna cabin.

Do I have to use the plunge pool?

No, it is not a must. A cold shower or fresh air are just as common.

Why do you cool down from the feet upwards?

That is customary in saunas because the transition to the cold water is gentler. Follow the instructions on site.

What if cold water is too much for me?

Then fresh air or lukewarm water is enough. If you have health questions, check with a doctor beforehand what is right for you.

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Personally written by Martin – founder of BeachAndSteam and sauna operator at Lake Kulkwitz for more than 18 years.