What to Wear in a Sauna (UK Edition): The Honest Guide
UK saunas are not Finland or Germany. A clear guide to what to wear at wild saunas, gym saunas, hotel spas and home saunas — without the prescriptiveness.
If you have just looked up what to wear in a sauna because you are about to walk into one for the first time, the short answer for the UK in 2026 is: swimwear at almost every venue you are likely to visit, with one or two specific exceptions where the rule flips and a different etiquette applies. The fuller answer depends on the kind of sauna (wild beach sauna, gym, hotel spa, dedicated thermal venue, home sauna) and how much you care about authenticity versus convention. This guide walks through each setting honestly, including the awkward bits, without prescribing one true way to do it.
The UK convention versus the European one
The cultural baseline matters because it explains why UK saunas look different from the ones you may have seen in a Finnish summerhouse film or a German thermal spa. In Finland, saunas are part of the country's national identity and traditionally a place where clothing is removed; family saunas, friend saunas and even some workplace saunas operate on a textile-free convention with towels covering the bench, not the body. Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Scandinavia mostly follow a similar pattern in dedicated spa venues — clothing is considered unhygienic for the wood and the heat, and most spas are explicitly nude-with-towel.
The UK has imported the sauna without the cultural framework. The default is treated as another room at the swimming pool — swimwear, modesty, a towel to sit on. This is partly because most UK saunas live inside leisure centres, gyms and hotel spas where the broader changing-room norm is swimwear; partly cultural conservatism about nudity in public; and partly the practical reality that mixed-gender, mixed-fitness-level public spaces in the UK have always trended towards 'cover up' rather than 'cover down'.
Neither convention is more correct. The honest UK answer is: follow the convention of the venue you are in, and don't worry about authenticity — the heat works the same either way.
Wild saunas: the UK's fastest-growing venue type
The UK wild sauna scene — beach saunas, lakeside barrel saunas, mobile horsebox saunas pulling up at coastal car parks — has exploded since 2022. These are the venues most readers find this guide before visiting, because the change-out logistics are less obvious than at a gym. The convention is almost universally swimwear plus a large towel, for three practical reasons:
The whole point of a beach or lakeside sauna is the contrast — hot session, plunge into cold sea / lake / cold tub, repeat. Swimwear is the obvious solution because you wear it on the cold side too. Coming out of the cold dip naked into a public beach is not the cultural register here.
Wild saunas are usually pop-up structures on a beach, in a car park, or beside a lake — passersby can see in if the door is open, and the change-out area is often a small tent or a portaloo. Swimwear makes the public-private boundary manageable.
Wild sauna bookings are almost always mixed-gender (couples, friend groups, family members of different generations). The UK default for a mixed-gender public-adjacent space is covered, and the venues design for that.
Many wild-sauna venues sell themselves on Instagram-friendly stylish swimwear photos, so do not overthink the aesthetics — anything you would wear at a UK lido or open-water swim is fine. A few venues offer dedicated nude-allowed sessions (clearly signposted, usually single-gender or pre-booked groups) but these are the exception; default to swimwear unless the venue's booking page explicitly says otherwise. The full venue listings sit at Wild Sauna UK: The Complete 2026 Guide and Beach Saunas UK 2026.
Gym, leisure-centre and hotel-spa saunas
The largest UK venue category — every council leisure centre, mid-range hotel spa, and gym chain operates a sauna where swimwear is the explicit house rule, almost always backed up by signage at the door. Practical points:
One-piece or two-piece for women, swim shorts or trunks for men. Avoid bikinis with metal underwires or clasps — the metal can get uncomfortably hot. Lycra/elastane swimwear handles 80–90°C heat without damage; cotton sportswear absorbs sweat and stays clammy.
Most UK gym and hotel saunas require this implicitly — and it's good hygiene regardless. The towel goes on the bench so sweat doesn't soak the wood. Bring a second smaller towel to wipe your face.
Saunas in leisure centres are usually wet underfoot in the change-area corridor. Most venues do not allow shoes inside the sauna room itself — leave them at the door.
Cotton sportswear (gym kit) is discouraged at most venues — it traps sweat, and at extended sauna sessions wool/cotton garments can scorch or discolour from the heat. Jewellery (necklaces, earrings, watches) heats up and can burn skin. Make-up and heavy moisturisers melt and run; come bare-faced if you can.
Dedicated thermal-spa venues: the UK exception
A small but growing UK category — dedicated thermal-spa venues that consciously follow the German/Austrian textile-free convention. Thermae Bath Spa runs textile-free 'Twilight' sessions; some London-based saunas (Aire Ancient Baths Spa, Banya No. 1) and a handful of country-house spas (Eden Hot Tubs and similar) have textile-free zones or nude-allowed sessions clearly signposted on their websites. These are still a minority of UK venues, and the convention is usually textile-free with a large towel — you bring the towel onto the bench, wear it walking between rooms, and remove it for the actual sauna session.
If you are visiting one of these venues for the first time, check the booking page or call ahead. The websites are usually direct about which sessions are textile-free, mixed-gender, single-gender, and what the towel etiquette is. It is much less awkward to arrive prepared than to find out the rule at the changing-room door.
Home saunas: whatever you want
If the sauna is in your own house or garden, the UK convention does not apply — there is no etiquette beyond what you and your fellow users want. Most home-sauna owners use the sauna textile-free with a towel on the bench (the Finnish convention transfers cleanly to a private setting), but plenty of UK households use it in swimwear out of habit or shared-household preference.
Two practical points that do matter regardless of clothing:
Sweat soaks into wood, and even kiln-dried sauna timber will discolour and develop odour over time if it absorbs body sweat directly. A large bath towel under the body and feet is the universally-recommended practice.
Body lotion, sunscreen and aerosol deodorants react badly with hot wood — they smoke, leave residues, and degrade the wood finish. Five minutes under a lukewarm shower before the session is the right hygiene baseline.
If you are still researching a home unit, see Home Sauna Buying Guide UK 2026 for what actually matters across the price tiers.
Practical clothing and towel checklist
Lycra/elastane content, no metal hardware, dries quickly. Avoid pure cotton — it sags and stays damp.
Sized to sit on plus a margin for spread. This is the most important item — every UK sauna setting requires or expects it.
Wiping sweat off the face during a session is comfort-critical; a small towel hanging round the neck is the standard pose.
For the walk to/from the sauna. Not worn inside.
Hydration matters at 80–90°C. Many wild-sauna and home settings are fine with a water bottle inside; gym/spa saunas often restrict it to outside-the-room.
You will be damp after the cold dip and the cool-down phase even if you towel off. A full change is worth the bag space.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just go in naked at a UK sauna if I want to?
Is cotton sportswear OK in a sauna?
What about glasses, jewellery and watches?
Should women wear a swimming costume or bikini?
Can I wear a robe over swimwear in the sauna room?
Do I need different clothing for a wild sauna versus a gym sauna?
Is there any UK sauna setting where I should NOT wear a towel?
The bottom line
The UK answer to 'what should I wear in a sauna' is, almost everywhere, swimwear plus a large towel. The handful of textile-free venues signpost themselves clearly on their websites, so unless you have actively booked one of those, plan for swimwear and a generous towel and you will fit the room. If you have your own sauna at home, the convention is whatever you and your household prefer — just always sit on a towel and shower first. The cultural difference between the UK and Finland or Germany is real but not problematic; saunas work the same either way, and nobody at a UK venue will judge you for following the local norm.
If you are new to the practice and not sure how long to stay in or how to structure the session, start with How to Sauna: A Complete Beginner's Guide for 2026.