Your First Sauna Gus: How to Pick the Right Session

Your first sauna gus is less about packing the right towel and more about picking the right session.

A lot of people assume every gus is roughly the same. It isn't. Some are calm and easy to settle into. Others start hot, push hard with the towel and keep going. So it's worth choosing on purpose rather than grabbing whatever time is free.

If you want the practical checklist first, read our guide to preparing for gus. This article is about choosing a session you'll actually enjoy.

Don't start with the hardest one

Sounds obvious, but people do it all the time. You see a popular session with a cool name at a time that suits you, and you book it.

For a first visit, look for words like calm, low, relax or classic if the venue uses them. Those sessions are much easier to be in than anything labelled high, power or extra hot. On Zauna, the extra hot sessions are marked with a 🔥 badge, so they're easy to spot and skip for now.

The goal of your first gus isn't to prove anything. It's to have a good enough time that you want to come back.

Read the description, not just the title

Some sessions sound great from the name alone. The short description is what tells you whether it's for you. Look for:

• whether it's described as calm or intense
• whether it focuses on breathing, music or scents
• whether it sounds classic or more like a show
• anything about level, heat or a special theme
• how much of it involves the sea or an ice bath

A plain, classic session is rarely a bad choice when you're new.

Short or long?

Go for something that feels manageable. Not because you can't handle more, but because it's easier to relax when you don't feel you have to sit it out for a long time. Once you've done a few, you'll know whether you like calm, theatrical or physically tough sessions.

Where you sit matters more than you'd think

Heat rises, and the difference between the bottom and top bench is big. On your first visit, sit on the bottom or middle bench. You still get the steam, the scent and the towel work, just without making it harder than it needs to be. You can always move up next time.

By the water or somewhere quieter?

The setting changes the experience a lot. Some people love the mix of heat, fresh air and a jump into the harbour. Others have a better first time somewhere indoor and calmer, with fewer transitions.

Neither is more correct. If you know you like things quiet, maybe skip the wildest harbour session for your first go. If you're here for the hot and cold contrast, go for it. You can compare venues and sessions side by side on Zauna.

Morning, after work or weekend?

An evening session after work is great if you just want to switch off. A morning session is quiet and a nice way to start the day. Weekend sessions tend to be busier and more social.

For a first time, pick a slot where you're not in a rush. Turning up stressed makes the heat feel harder.

Alone or with a friend?

You don't need to know anyone. Plenty of people go alone, and it works fine. It's social in the sense that you share the experience, not in the sense that you have to make small talk.

That said, bringing a friend can make it easier to actually go. What matters most is that you pick a session you're looking forward to.

So which one should you book?

Keep it simple:

• a session that sounds calm or classic
• a length that feels manageable
• a place that's easy to get to
• a description you understand straight away
• and not the extra hot one at the top of the list

Bottom bench and a good time beats top bench and survival mode. The best first gus isn't the most intense one. It's the one that makes you want to go again.

Ready to find your first session?

Start with our guide to sauna gus in Copenhagen, look for something calm, and then check what's available. Then book directly with the sauna.

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See all available times and book directly at the sauna.

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