How long does a sauna session actually last? And why is it so hard to answer afterwards?
Many of our guests tell us that you lose track of time during a sauna session. And it really does happen. One evening I noticed, quite by accident, that I had been in the sauna and the hot tub for as long as six hours. I took turns in the löyly (sauna steam) and cooling off, and at some point the evening had turned into night. I hadn't paid any attention to the clock the whole time.
We are used to glancing at the clock. At work the calendar is full, and at home the phone reminds us of the next thing before the last one is even over. The clock comes along even when there is no hurry. For many, a sauna session is one of the few moments in the week when you don't need to look at the clock. At the start of the session, people still glance at their phone before leaving it in their bag. At that point, the evening is still a schedule. A few hours later, the schedule has been forgotten.
Sauna sessions and being present
So why does this happen? Perhaps it is the relaxing effect of the löyly and the surroundings. When the mind settles into a languid state and hurry isn't pressing in from every side, there seems to be no need to keep checking the time. When the phone stays in the changing room, thoughts on the benches move to the rhythm of the löyly. If you come to the sauna straight from work, the first rounds of löyly easily go into unwinding from the working day.
During the first rounds of löyly, many people still think about how much time is left. After a few cooling-off rounds, the counting is usually forgotten. More löyly is thrown, someone goes out to cool off and someone stays on the top bench a little longer. Nobody asks what time it is. In a smoke sauna, the heat lasts a long time in the stones and the walls, so there is löyly well into the late evening.
We especially love this kind of feedback. For us, losing track of time is a sign of a successful sauna experience. It tells us that the heating has gone well and the evening has been allowed to take its own course.
Around the sauna, time has always taken its own course. The sauna was heated on Saturdays and at Christmas, and people went in when it was ready. Heating and löyly took as long as they took. The smoke sauna comes from a time when nobody needed a clock on the benches, and the same spirit seems to live on. In the dim steam room you can't tell whether it is evening or night outside. In winter, darkness falls before the sauna session even begins, and in summer the light evening goes on for so long that it is hard to guess the time.
When a sauna session runs long
Of course, timelessness has its flip side. Sometimes at the end of the evening I have to gently remind the After Session Sauna (jälkilöylyt) groups that it is time to head home from the sausage fire. Otherwise the evening would stretch into a night shift for us too.
Reminding people is still a pleasant job. If guests have to be nudged towards home, the evening has gone just the way we hoped. People often sit by the fire for a while longer, even with their coats already on. If the reminder has to be repeated, that's fine. On the way home there is time to look at the clock and wonder where the evening went.
The sauna doesn't ask how long you plan to stay. A tip for those who like to take their time: if you want to bathe without hurry, leave other plans out of that evening. At the weekend After Session Sauna there is plenty of time, so there is room for unhurried bathing and sitting by the fire for a good while.
Timelessness is a rare treat.
Read also: Public smoke sauna and room for silence and Smoke sauna soot and the art of brushing
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book a sauna session in advance?
Yes. It is always worth booking your place in a sauna session in advance, so you avoid a wasted trip if the session turns out to be full. You can find the Sipoonjoen perinnesauna sessions at saunotus.fi.
What can you do after a sauna session?
After the löyly, you can sit by the sausage fire and stay by the fire for a while longer before heading home.
