Eating before the sauna: how long beforehand and what suits?
Eating before the sauna is a question of the right amount: with a full stomach the sauna session feels heavy, on an empty stomach you may feel queasy. In between lies a comfortable zone in which you can sweat in a relaxed way. In this guide you will learn how much time between meal and sauna makes sense, what suits before, between sessions and afterwards, and which snacks belong in your sauna bag. What you should drink we have described in a separate article – here it is about food.
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Neither full nor hungry: why timing matters
In the sauna your body has a lot to do: the skin receives more blood so that it can release heat, and the circulation works correspondingly harder. After a large meal, however, digestion also needs a lot of blood. Both at the same time feel unpleasant to many people – sluggish, heavy, sometimes with slight nausea. A physician put it drastically in the Apotheken Umschau: a full stomach in the sauna is "a catastrophe".
The opposite is not ideal either. If you go into the sauna hungry, you risk feeling dizzy or queasy in the heat. Several guides therefore agree on recommending a light meal when eating before the sauna – and not nothing at all.
Eating before the sauna: how long beforehand?
There is no fixed rule, but there are common rules of thumb. They depend on how heavy the meal was. When eating before the sauna, you can use this overview as a guide:
| What you ate | Usual gap before the first sauna session | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| large, fatty or very rich meal | rather two hours or more | schnitzel with chips, pizza, cream sauce |
| normal main meal | about one to two hours | pasta with vegetables, rice dish |
| light meal | about one hour | salad, soup, bread with topping |
| small snack | usually fine until shortly before | banana, a few nuts, yoghurt |
Listen to how you feel. If you feel heavy after eating, wait longer. If you go straight to the sauna after work, it is best to eat something small in the afternoon rather than a big dinner shortly before you set off.
Eating before the sauna: what suits and what does not
Well suited
- Fruit such as banana, apple or berries
- Natural yoghurt or quark with some fruit
- Wholegrain bread or crispbread with a light topping
- a vegetable soup or a salad
- a small portion of nuts
Better to avoid
- Heavy, fatty dishes: They sit in the stomach for a long time.
- Very spicy food: Many people find it an additional burden in the heat.
- Flatulent foods such as large portions of pulses or cabbage: in the quiet of the sauna this quickly becomes unpleasant, for others too.
- Strong-smelling foods: When sweating in a small space, odours can bother other people.
- Alcohol: It belongs neither before nor between sauna sessions.
Typical mistakes when eating before the sauna
- Straight from the restaurant into the cabin: The big lunch and the first session right afterwards – that is the classic that feels heavy.
- Not eating anything all day: Some people deliberately skip eating before the sauna because they want to feel "light". In the heat this often backfires with dizziness.
- Sugar instead of a meal: A chocolate bar shortly before the session does not replace a light meal.
- Snacks in the cabin: Even a sweet has no place in the sweating room.
- Too much at once during the break: A lavish portion between two sessions has the same effect as a full lunch.
Eating between sauna sessions
On a longer sauna day you will get hungry in between, and that is completely normal. A small snack during the rest breaks is fine. Three rules are important:
- Never in the sauna cabin: Eating and drinking are taboo in the sweating room – for hygiene reasons and out of consideration for other guests.
- Follow the house rules: Many facilities have a restaurant or bistro and only allow food you bring yourself in certain areas or not at all. If in doubt, ask at the till.
- Keep it small: Better several small bites spread over the day than one large meal between two sessions. After a proper meal, take a longer break before going back into the heat.
How to plan a whole sauna day with a lunch break can be found in our article on the sauna day.
Eating after the sauna
After the last session your appetite often kicks in. First allow yourself a rest and something to drink, then a normal, rather light to medium meal. Many people like something warm and savoury after the sauna, such as a soup or bread with cheese. A heavy feast straight after the last session, on the other hand, tends to make you tired. If you go to the sauna in the evening, plan dinner so that it is not too late and not too lavish.
Snacks for the sauna bag
Well prepared, you do not have to rely on what is available on site – provided the facility allows food you bring yourself. These have proven themselves:
- apple or cucumber slices and carrot sticks in a box
- a few nuts or dried fruit in small portions
- wholegrain crackers or a sandwich
- yoghurt or quark in a sealable, chilled box
- warm tea in a thermos flask
For tea or cold water, the IZY x Pip Studio Thermos Flask "La Dolce Vita" is a good choice: 500 ml, double-walled stainless steel, according to the manufacturer up to 12 hours hot and up to 24 hours cold, with a leak-proof screw cap. The outside stays dry and pleasantly tempered, so it can sit next to the snack box in your bag. You should clean it by hand, not in the dishwasher. You will find more models in the IZY bottles collection.
So that towel, bottle and snack boxes all fit, you need a roomy bag. The Beach Bag Marina in blue and white measures approx. 50 × 40 × 15 cm and, according to the product description, has room for, for example, two hammam towels, a drinking bottle and a change of clothes. It is open at the top and has no zip – for valuables, it is best to bring a small extra pouch.
Related reading: Drinking in the sauna: before, during the breaks and afterwards · A whole sauna day: how to plan your schedule, meals and breaks · After-work sauna: relaxed in two hours after the working day
Conclusion
When eating before the sauna, the rule is: not full, not empty. After a large meal, it is better to wait one to two hours or longer, after something light about an hour, and a small snack is usually fine shortly before. Between sessions, small bites during the rest break are fine – never in the cabin and only where the house rules allow it. Afterwards you can look forward to a normal meal. If you prepare well, you pack light snacks and a thermos flask of tea in your sauna bag.
Frequently asked questions
How long before the sauna should I stop eating?
After a large meal, about one to two hours or more is usual; after a light meal, about one hour. A small snack such as a banana is usually fine shortly before as well.
Can I go into the sauna on an empty stomach?
That is not ideal. On an empty stomach you may feel dizzy or queasy in the heat. Something light beforehand is the better choice.
Can you eat in the sauna?
Not in the sauna cabin – for hygiene reasons and out of consideration. During rest breaks, small snacks are possible as long as the house rules allow food you bring yourself.
What is a good snack between sauna sessions?
Fruit, vegetable sticks, a few nuts, wholegrain crackers or a yoghurt. What matters is that the snack is light and does not smell strongly.
Why am I so hungry after the sauna?
Many people have an appetite after a sauna day. Drink something first, rest, and then eat a normal, rather light meal instead of a heavy feast.
Personally written by Martin – founder of BeachAndSteam. As a family, we have run the Meri Sauna at Lake Kulkwitz for more than 18 years.
