Sauna guides

What to bring to a sea sauna.

Most of Ireland’s saunas are outdoors: on beaches, piers and lakeshores, with the sea or a lake for cooling off. Some have changing rooms and hot showers. Plenty have a hook and a bench. Pack for the second kind and you’ll be fine at both.

The checklist

Swimwear. Wear it under your clothes and you won’t need to change in a hurry.
Two towels. One to sit on in the sauna, one to dry off with after.
Something warm and quick to put on. A changing robe or a big hoodie and tracksuit bottoms. You’ll cool down faster than you expect once you’re out.
A woolly hat and socks for between rounds and the walk back to the car.
Sandals or swim shoes. Beaches and slipways can be stony and slippy.
A bottle of water. You’ll sweat more than you think.
A bag for wet things.
A sauna hat, if you have one. Wool felt keeps the hottest air off your head, so you can stay on the top bench longer.

Leave at home, or in the car

Jewellery and watches. Metal gets hot fast.
Your phone, or at least keep it outside the sauna. Heat isn’t good for it, and most people go to get away from it anyway.
Anything valuable. At many beach saunas your things sit on a bench outside.

Before you go

Check your booking time and the sauna’s own page for anything specific, like parking, whether there’s a shower, or whether the session runs in bad weather. Every sauna on our list links straight to its own booking page.

New to it? Read sauna etiquette for first-timers and how to do the cold part safely.

Find a sauna near you

Every public sauna we can find in Ireland is on the sauna list, county by county, with prices, session times and booking links. Nobody pays to be on it.