New
First light
Southerly
Sharp, sherbet-bright citrus and green leaf. Clean air after the wind turns.
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The ritual
There’s no wrong way to sit in the heat. But a bit of structure helps. Here’s how we do a scented session. Take what works, leave what doesn’t.
Before you start
- Drink some water. Leave your phone in the locker.
- At the gym? Check whether oils and water on the heater are allowed. Plenty of gyms say no, and that’s their call.
- At home, set the sauna to a temperature you’re comfortable with. New to sauna? Go shorter and cooler.
- Fill your bucket and add 3–5 drops of your blend. Stir. Verifydosage
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Step 1:Heat.
Sit low for the first few minutes, where it’s cooler. Let your shoulders drop. Notice the timber, the light, the tick of the heater.
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Step 2:Breath.
When you’re ready, stir the bucket and ladle a little water onto the stones. Listen for the hiss. That’s löyly, the Finnish word for the steam that rises off the stones. Breathe in slowly through your nose. Pour again when the room settles, if you like. Less is more, and in a shared sauna, ask before you pour.
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Step 3:Quiet.
Step out when you’re ready, not when a timer says so. Cool down: fresh air, a cool shower, or a cold dip or ocean swim if that’s your thing. Then rest. Sit, lie down, wrap up. This is where the heat lands.
Repeat
Many people do two or three rounds. Some do one. Listen to your body and stop if you feel dizzy, unwell, or uncomfortable.
PlaceholderTwo versions
First light
Before work
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Heat.
Get in early, before the room fills up. Sit low while the heat builds. Two or three slow breaths, shoulders down.
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Breath.
Stir in First Swim or Southerly and give the stones a small pour. Bright, clear steam. Breathe in through your nose. One or two pours is plenty when you’ve got somewhere to be.
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Quiet.
Cold shower, cold plunge, or the ocean pool if it’s close. Then a few minutes sitting still before the day starts. Don’t skip it because you’re in a hurry. Allow time to cool down fully before you head off.
Last light
After work
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Heat.
Leave the day in the locker. Sit low, let the room do the work, and notice your shoulders come down from around your ears.
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Breath.
Stir in Inland or Still Water and pour slowly. Warm, woody steam. Take your time between pours; nobody’s waiting on you.
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Quiet.
A cool shower rather than a cold shock, if you prefer. Then sit, wrap up, drink some water. Let the evening start slowly.
Safety, plainly
- Oil goes in the water, never straight onto stones or the heater. Undiluted oil can flare.
- Stir before every pour; oil floats.
- Keep oils away from eyes. If you get some in, rinse with plenty of clean water.
- Keep oils, and the scented room, away from children and pets. Many essential oils, including eucalyptus and tea tree, are harmful to cats and dogs.
- Pregnant, breastfeeding, or living with a medical condition? Talk to your doctor before using essential oils or saunas.
- Skip the sauna after drinking alcohol. Stay hydrated.
- Infrared sauna? There are no stones. Don’t put oil on panels or heaters. Use a diffuser outside the cabin, or follow your manufacturer’s guidance.
- Always follow your sauna and heater manufacturer’s instructions, and your gym’s rules.
Legal review
No sauna?
Try a warm bath with a diffuser in the room or a few drops on a cloth nearby (not straight into the water; oil doesn’t mix with water and can irritate skin), or a hot shower with a scented cloth hung out of the water stream.
A note on tradition
Sauna is Finnish, and Finnish sauna culture is recognised by UNESCO as living heritage.1 Related traditions run through the Baltics, Russia, Germany, and beyond. We’re two Sydney regulars borrowing from all of that, and we try to get the details right. If we get something wrong, tell us.
- UNESCO, “Sauna culture in Finland” Verifylink before publishing
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- Last light
Inland
Dry, smoky warmth, like timber that's been in the sun all day.
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- NewFirst lightLast light
First Rounds
Four 5 ml minis, two for each end of the day.
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