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What is a sauna session?

A sauna session (Danish: saunagus, German: Aufguss) is a guided round in the sauna. A sauna host pours water with essential oils on the hot stones of the sauna stove and fans the scented steam around the room with a towel or a fan. A session normally has three rounds of 10-15 minutes with breaks in between to cool down - often with a dip in the sea or a cold plunge. Several venues also offer sessions with four or more rounds.

How a sauna session works

  1. You arrive in good time, 10-20 minutes before the sauna session starts. At most venues you should be changed and showered before the session begins.
  2. The sauna host welcomes you and explains the theme, the scents and how long the rounds will be.
  3. First round. The sauna host pours water with essential oils on the stones. The steam makes the air feel much hotter, and the sauna host spreads it with the towel. The first round is usually the least hot, but it can feel very intense: your body has to get used to the heat first, and you have not cooled down the way you have after the breaks before rounds two and three.
  4. Break. You step outside, cool down in the sea, under a shower or in a cold plunge, drink water and let your pulse settle.
  5. Second and third round introduce new scents and rising intensity.

Three rounds is the norm for a sauna session, but several venues also offer sessions with four or more rounds. Many sauna hosts use music, and some finish with ice, a salt scrub or a short mindfulness ritual.

You can always leave the sauna if it gets too hot. The lowest benches are the coolest.

How long does a sauna session last?

A typical sauna session in Denmark lasts 75 minutes from start to finish, breaks included. The short ones are mostly single rounds in public pools; the long ones are three rounds or more with breaks.

Essential oils - the scent of the session

The scented steam in a sauna session comes from essential oils. Essential oils are concentrated plant oils extracted from, for example, eucalyptus, peppermint, pine, citrus or lavender. The sauna host mixes a few drops in water or ice and pours it on the stones, so the scent follows the steam into the room.

The oils are a big part of the experience. Peppermint and eucalyptus feel cooling and open up your breathing, citrus feels fresh, and wood oils bring calm - the scents build the session from round to round. That is why it matters that pure, natural essential oils are used and not synthetic fragrance oils: in a hot sauna you breathe the steam in deeply, and a perfumed fragrance oil can feel sharp and cause headaches.

What does a sauna session cost?

Most sauna session sessions in Denmark cost between DKK 145 and 275 per session. The cheapest are sessions in public pools and winter bathing clubs, where admission or membership is paid separately. The most expensive are long sessions at dedicated venues. Many venues sell multi-ride cards or memberships that make each session cheaper.

See prices city by city:Copenhagen, Aarhus, Frederiksberg, Odense, Aalborg, all cities with sauna sessions.

What should you bring?

  • Two towels: one to sit on in the sauna, one to dry yourself with afterwards.
  • Swimwear. At the vast majority of Danish venues you wear swimwear. There may be a few sessions where you take part nude - in that case it is stated in the description of the session.
  • A water bottle. You sweat a lot - drink before, between and after.
  • Bath shoes or flip-flops if there is a walk to the water. Neoprene shoes can help keep your feet warm in the water.
  • A sauna hat, if you like, which protects your head from the heat.
  • Some people leave jewellery at home, as the metal can get hot.

Types of sauna sessions

Venues give their sessions themes. The most common on GoSauna right now:

See all session themes

Saunagus is the Danish word for what is called Aufguss in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. In a Finnish sauna you also throw water on the stones - the Finns call the steam löyly - but the sessions take place without a sauna host, oils and towel technique. Finnish sauna culture was inscribed on UNESCO's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2020 [2].

Is a sauna session healthy?

A Finnish study followed 2,315 middle-aged men for just over 20 years and found that those who used the sauna 4-7 times a week had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who went once a week [3]. A 2018 review of the research points the same way for blood pressure and stroke, among other things [4].

But most people go to a session because it feels good.

Who should take care?

If you are unsure whether a sauna session is safe for you, talk to your doctor beforehand. That applies, for example, if you are pregnant, have a cardiovascular disease or take medication that affects your blood pressure.

Do not go to a session with alcohol in your blood. Step out if you feel dizzy or nauseous, and do not go into cold water alone.

Where can you go to a sauna session in Denmark?

GoSauna currently gathers 208 venues in 118 cities with 13,683 upcoming sessions. Times, prices and free spots are fetched automatically from the venues' own booking systems several times a day, and you book with the venue itself.

Questions and answers

What does the Danish word gus mean?

Session is a Danish adaptation of the German Aufguss: pouring water on the stones of the sauna stove. The word saunagus has been used in Danish since 1999.[1]

What does a sauna host do?

The sauna host leads the participants through the session: chooses scents, theme and music, pours water and oils on the stove, spreads the heat with a towel and keeps an eye on everyone's wellbeing.

How hot is a sauna session?

The sauna is typically 80-90 °C. When the water evaporates the humidity rises, and that is what makes the heat feel so much stronger - the thermometer hardly moves.

Do you need to book a sauna session?

Yes, almost always. A session has a limited number of seats, and popular times sell out. GoSauna shows free spots and sends you on to the venue's own booking.

What should I keep in mind the first time I go to a sauna session?

Choose a calm session the first time, sit on one of the lower benches, and step out if it feels too hot. You can tell the sauna host that it is your first time.

Are you nude at a sauna session?

At most Danish venues you wear swimwear. A few venues and a few sessions are nude, but then it will be clearly stated in the description of the session.

Last updated 15. October 2026. Written by GoSauna. The figures are calculated from the upcoming sessions in the calendar.

Sources

  1. Den Danske Ordbog: "saunagus". Det Danske Sprog- og Litteraturselskab. ordnet.dk
  2. UNESCO: "Sauna culture in Finland", Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2020. ich.unesco.org
  3. Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA: "Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events". JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015. jamanetwork.com
  4. Laukkanen JA, Laukkanen T, Kunutsor SK: "Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence". Mayo Clinic Proceedings 93(8), 2018. mayoclinicproceedings.org
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