The chains that do publish sauna rules agree on the basics: shower first, sit on a towel, cover up, leave the phone. Many publish nothing at all, which is where the unwritten code comes in. Either way, the list below best summarizes them.
The short answer
- 01 Shower before you go in, and bring a towel.
- 02 Sit on the towel, not the bench.
- 03 Wear a swimsuit, or a towel where the room is single-sex. No street clothes, gym clothes or outdoor shoes.
- 04 In an infrared pod, light clothing usually stays on; the red-light panels need eye protection.
- 05 Leave the phone in the locker: no calls, no photos.
- 06 Keep it quiet, and sit up when the room is busy.
- 07 Ten to fifteen minutes is a normal session. Cool down and drink water between rounds.
- 08 Do not pour water or oils on the heater, and leave the thermostat alone.
- 09 Rules vary by chain and by club, so the policy, handbook, or sign in the room beats any third-party guide — including this one.
Sauna etiquette gets described as a set of unwritten rules. Plenty of US gym chains do write them down: a policy page, a member handbook, a flyer by the door. The written part is mostly hygiene and liability. The part that causes arguments is not written anywhere.
We summarized the sauna and steam-room material on the websites of the gym chains in our directory and read through member threads. Some chains publish a full sauna policy. Some mention the sauna only in a blog post or an amenity page. Many publish nothing at all. YMCA does it branch by branch, so the rules can change from one town to the next.
Rules change, and the staff at the club have the last word, so read the sign or ask at the desk. Hopefully, for first timers, these points can save them from an awkward moment.
What almost every gym with a written rule requires
Eleven chains publish a chain-wide sauna policy, and they agree on the basics. These are the rules that keep showing up, with the number of chains that state each one.
Across 11 chain-wide policies
Counted from chain-wide policies only. Blog posts and branch flyers are not included.
- 7 of 11 What to wear (or not)
- 6 of 11 Shower before entering
- 6 of 11 Age limits
- 4 of 11 Sit on a towel
- 4 of 11 Water on the rocks
- 4 of 11 Phones and cameras
- 4 of 11 Medical conditions
- 3 of 11 Time limit per session
- 3 of 11 No exercising in the heat
What to wear (or not)
7 of 11 chains
“You must wear proper attire and may not shave in, or use in the nude, the sauna, spa, or steam room.”
Shower before entering
6 of 11 chains
“24 Hour requires you to shower before using the pool, whirlpool, sauna or steam room.”
Age limits
6 of 11 chains
“Children under the age of 16 are not permitted in the sauna.”
Sit on a towel
4 of 11 chains
“If a suit is not worn in the sauna or steam room, you must sit on a towel.”
Water on the rocks
4 of 11 chains
“You may not pour water on the sauna heater.”
Phones and cameras
4 of 11 chains
“Use of cell phones or other devices for photography or videography is strictly prohibited in the locker rooms (including saunas and steam rooms), Kids Zone, group exercise studios, and spa/ massage areas.”
Medical conditions
4 of 11 chains
“Those with ANY medical conditions should seek physician approval before entering”
Time limit per session
3 of 11 chains
“Limit yourself to a maximum of 15 minutes.”
No exercising in the heat
3 of 11 chains
“Shaving and exercising in these spaces are not allowed.”
Rules are there to protect your health, other members’ health and the equipment, so the dry sauna or steam room stays open rather than closing for repairs. Often they read like conditions set by an insurer or a landlord. So shower first, cover up, keep water off the elements, keep children out, keep cameras out. Everything else is left to the room.
These rules repeat in these lists because the risks are the same everywhere. For example In-Shape, Fitness Connection and CLUB4 are unrelated companies, and their rules are nearly identical, down to the ten-minute cool-down.
Where the rules change from club to club
The agreement stops at the basics. Something allowed or recommended at one chain can be banned at the next, and two clubs of the same chain can differ.
What to wear, and whether a towel counts
US chains agree that you should be covered. What counts as covered varies. Life Time spells out both cases: “we require members to remain covered in the sauna and steam room. A towel is adequate in men- or women-only facilities. In co-ed units, a swimsuit or workout gear is appropriate.” ACAC is looser: “Bathing suits must be worn in the whirlpools and optionally in the saunas and steam rooms”, plus a towel if you skip the suit. In-Shape wants “workout attire or bathing suits”. One YMCA branch flyer wants a swimsuit, full stop.
No chain in the sample requires nudity, and most require cover. ACAC allows it, with the towel condition. Life Time forbids it: “may not … use in the nude”. The YMCA flyers ban street clothes, workout clothes and “rubberized clothing” inside the room. If you learned to sauna in Finland, this is the adjustment that catches you, and it is in the rules.
Infrared pods and red-light saunas
The RedZone pod is the exception to the undress question. In the unit used by Planet Fitness and some YMCAs, the manufacturer says most users remain in activewear or light clothing because infrared heat passes through standard fabrics. The Gordon Family YMCA requires clothing in the pod and recommends light gym attire; its page and Planet Fitness’s RedZone guide both call for protective eyewear for the red-light panels.
The pod runs at 100-130°F, cooler than a traditional sauna. Planet Fitness caps a session at 15 minutes a day, and the Gordon Family YMCA recommends about 15 minutes, two to three times a week. Wipe the seat before and after; the composite interior needs no wood sealing or sanding, which is part of why clubs can add a pod without a traditional sauna build-out. Planet Fitness’s guide also lists pregnancy, heart conditions, diabetes, epilepsy, recent skin procedures and implanted devices among the conditions to discuss with a doctor first.
How long is a session
Where a chain sets a limit, it is short. CLUB4 says “Limit yourself to a maximum of 15 minutes”, Fitness Connection asks members to “limit your session to a maximum of 10-15 minutes”, and In-Shape’s rules page says “Members must limit themselves to 10 minutes before using another area with at least 10 minutes in a cooler environment in between.”
In-Shape’s other member document says “Limit use to 20 minutes or less”. Same chain, two numbers. YMCA branch pages run from 10 minutes to 30, and one says “Limit yourself to a maximum of 10 minutes per hour”. Follow the sign on the wall of the room you are in.
Water on the rocks
In Finland you ladle water on the stones. In a US chain gym you usually cannot. Four of the 11 chains prohibit it, and the reason is the equipment: “Do not pour water or use essential oils on the heating rocks or steam sensors. These are electric saunas and steam generators. Pouring water on the rocks or sensors will damage the heating element and will be subject to termination of membership.” That is In-Shape’s rules page, termination clause and all. Life Time is shorter: “You may not pour water on the sauna heater.” CLUB4 and Fitness Connection extend the ban to oils and any liquid at all.
Age limits
A parent should check before a first visit. 24 Hour Fitness bars under-12s from wet areas entirely. Healthtrax prohibits under-14s from the whirlpool, sauna and steam rooms, with the age floor varying by state. In-Shape’s rules page requires 14, while its new-member guide says 16. CLUB4 requires 16 for the sauna and 18 for the steam room. Fitness Connection says “Use by persons under 18 years of age is strictly prohibited.” 10GYM allows 12-to-17-year-olds only with a parent or guardian present at all times.
Footwear: one bans, one seems to require
In-Shape bans shoes outright: “No gym shoes or sneakers allowed in steam rooms or saunas.” 10GYM’s rule can be read as requiring them, since everyone in the wet areas or saunas “must wear proper attire including proper footwear (tennis shoes, sandals or flip-flops are acceptable).”
The two rules pull in opposite directions, and neither is unusual. If you are unsure at a new club, look at the door. The sign usually says which of the two it is.
Breaking a rule can cost more than a telling-off. In-Shape makes water on the rocks “subject to termination of membership”, 10GYM can end a contract “without refund of any monies paid” and expel a member for breaking the rules, and Life Time can suspend or terminate a membership for violating its policies. Most chains never write a sauna-specific penalty, so read the club’s own page or ask at the desk.
Where each chain publishes its rules
The table covers the chains that publish something. Each link goes to the chain’s own page, and the chips show what that page covers.
| Chain | Scope | Rules | Topics | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 CLUB4 Fitness | Chain-wide | 17 | Age limits No alcohol Time limit No exercise | FAQ | CLUB4 Fitness club4fitness.com · 2 pages |
 Fitness Connection | Chain-wide | 14 | Age limits Attire Time limit No exercise | Membership Policies fitnessconnection.com |
 In-Shape Fitness | Chain-wide | 10 | Age limits Attire Time limit Footwear | In-Shape Fitness Rules, Regulations and Club Eti inshape.com · 2 pages |
 Life Time | Chain-wide | 8 | Attire Phones No exercise Other | Guest and Club Policy lifetime.life · 2 pages |
 Villa Sport | Chain-wide | 8 | Attire Food & drink No shaving Other | 2025 Club Rules Master FINAL 11.25.25 villasport.com · 3 pages |
 Equinox | Chain-wide | 6 | Attire Phones Footwear Other | Member Policies equinox.com · 4 pages |
 10GYM | Chain-wide | 4 | Member tier Age limits Attire | Rules & Regulations | 10GYM 10gym.com |
 24 Hour Fitness | Chain-wide | 4 | Age limits Phones Other Shower first | Member Policies 24hourfitness.com |
 acac Fitness & Wellness | Chain-wide | 4 | Attire Phones Towel | Policies acac.com |
 Healthtrax | Chain-wide | 2 | Age limits Medical | Member Guidebook | CT, RI, PA, MA, NC, NY Fitne healthtrax.com |
 VASA Fitness | Chain-wide | 2 | Member tier Shower first | Rules & Regulations vasafitness.com |
 YMCA | Branch | 22 | Wipe bench Attire Sharing Time limit | Sauna Etiquette greatermorristownymca.org · 3 pages |
 Chuze Fitness | Guidance | 5 | Age limits Time limit Medical Hydration | How Long Should You Stay In The Sauna? chuzefitness.com · 2 pages |
 EōS Fitness | Guidance | 4 | Attire Phones Quiet Shower first | Benefits of a Sauna After a Workout eosfitness.com |
 Crunch Fitness | Guidance | 3 | Time limit Medical Hydration | Benefits of Sauna crunch.com |
 Workout Anytime | Guidance | 1 | Member tier | Infrared Sauna workoutanytime.com |
16 of the 39 chains publish sauna rules on their own site. The other 23 had none we could find, 8 of them because there was no sauna page to read. A missing row means no published page, not no rules.
Chain-wide means one policy for every club. YMCA publishes per branch, and four chains only mention the sauna in a blog post. LA Fitness and Gold’s Gym post their rules in the club rather than online; Planet Fitness publishes a RedZone use guide, but it covers the pod rather than a general sauna policy. The sign on the wall is still the authority, and 24 Hour Fitness says so in its own policy.
What members expect that the rules rarely mention
Members describe a different priority order from the rulebooks.
| What members bring up | Mentions | Written rule at |
|---|---|---|
| Gym clothes or shoes in the sauna | 19 | 6 chains (attire), 2 (footwear, in opposite directions) |
| Noise and conversation | 15 | 1 chain (Life Time), plus YMCA branch pages |
| Not sitting on a towel | 13 | 4 chains |
| Phones and phone calls | 13 | 4 chains |
| Shoes specifically | 11 | 1 chain bans, 1 requires |
| Not showering first | 10 | 6 chains |
| Shaving or grooming inside | 7 | 2 chains |
| Exercising in the sauna | 7 | 3 chains |
Shoes and gym clothes are the most-mentioned theme, because they bring dirt and smell into a small hot room. They are also the rule that varies most between chains: In-Shape bans gym shoes, while 10GYM’s wording can be read as requiring them.
Noise comes up almost as often: talking, phone calls, grunting, doors. Life Time is the only chain in the sample that calls its saunas quiet areas, and one YMCA branch page asks members to keep conversations down.
Phones are treated as a privacy problem more than a hygiene one. Four chains ban photography and filming in the sauna, and Life Time also bans calls while allowing headphones.
Where members disagree with each other
Threads disagree about nudity and about shoes. Some argue the towel rule is pointless in a gym that bans nudity (“if your gym doesn’t allow nudity, then why sit on a towel?”), and others defend socks on hygiene grounds of their own. The room you are in settles it better than the internet does.
Five situations, and what to do
Someone is on a phone call
Four chains ban photography and filming in the room, and Life Time bans calls while allowing headphones. Elsewhere it is not written down. The front desk can handle it: reporting it keeps you out of the argument, and staff can point at the rule.
Someone walks in with shoes and gym clothes
The rules are split, with In-Shape banning gym shoes and 10GYM’s wording readable as requiring them. If it keeps happening, mention it at the desk rather than to the person.
The nudity and towel question
Most chains require cover, with a towel in a single-sex room and a swimsuit in a co-ed one. If someone is sitting bare on the wood, the towel is the part worth raising, and the desk is the better place to raise it. A YMCA page puts the reason plainly: “for hygienic purposes, please sit on a towel (no bare skin on the wooden benches).”
Water, oils and the thermostat
Do not. Four chains prohibit water on the elements, and the damage is real: electric saunas and steam generators, in In-Shape’s words, “will damage the heating element and will be subject to termination of membership.” Aromatherapy oils are banned at CLUB4 and Fitness Connection, and members complain about them too: “when some jagoff pours peppermint oil on the heating elements or rocks.” If the room is too hot, too cold, or the heater is being misused, tell staff rather than adjusting the control yourself.
The 6pm crowd
When the room is full, sit up and leave when your session ends. Life Time states the principle: “if the sauna or steam room is crowded, be mindful about giving others enough space to enjoy the experience, too.” If it is regularly overcrowded, the front desk can pass that on.
Sauna safety: the part everyone agrees on
The medical sources are more cautious than the gym rules, and they are the better guide to how long to stay.
Start with 5 to 10 minutes
A typical traditional Finnish session runs 5 to 20 minutes at 80 to 100°C, and the review literature is explicit that there is “insufficient evidence to recommend specific temperature, frequency, or duration of sauna bathing for any specific health outcome.”
Do not push past 20 to 30 minutes
That is the ceiling the medical sources give for a single session, and it is longer than most chain limits.
Drink water before and after
Every medical source we read says so, and Life Time’s guidance notes you can sweat out a couple of glasses’ worth even after a brief session.
Skip the beer
In Nordic population studies of sauna deaths, “half or more of all these deaths involving the use of alcohol”. Several chains ban use after drinking, and a YMCA branch flyer also bans use after drugs that affect blood pressure or cause drowsiness.
Ask a doctor if pregnant or managing a condition
Four chains say so, and In-Shape goes further: pregnant members and people with high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes or respiratory problems “should avoid exposure to high heat”. No source we read gives a universal safe duration for pregnancy.
Leave if you feel dizzy or overheated
Do not try to finish the session. A YMCA flyer adds the practical version: do not open the door to cool down, exit the room instead.
Avoid saunaing alone; remove metal jewellery
CLUB4 requires it, and the reason is burns: metal conducts heat.
Club temps vs medical ceiling
Typical club saunas run 150 to 195°F (66 to 91°C), and medical sources put the ceiling at 212°F (100°C).
First-timer checklist
- Shower before you go in, and take a clean towel.
- Wear a swimsuit, or wrap in a towel. No street clothes, no gym clothes, no outdoor shoes.
- Sit on the towel, not the wood.
- Leave the phone in the locker. If you want music, headphones are the only version any chain allows.
- Ten minutes is a normal session. Get out, cool down, and go back if you want more.
- Drink water before and after. Skip the alcohol.
- Do not pour anything on the heater, and do not touch the controls.
- If you have a heart condition, are pregnant, or take medication that affects blood pressure, ask your doctor first.
Sources and method
Rules come only from the chain’s own website. A third-party listicle or a forum post was never treated as a policy.
RedZone details come from the manufacturer’s product page, the Planet Fitness RedZone guide and the Gordon Family YMCA page; those links are inline above.
Member expectations come from threads in popular fitness subreddits and in chain-specific ones. They are opinions rather than rules, and the threads are linked below with the chain pages and the medical sources.
Chain pages
Club pages
Medical
Reddit
Hover or tap a source group to browse. Every source opens the original page.
