Sauna vs Steam Room vs Hammam: Order and How Long

Three hot rooms, three different feelings

The first time you walk into the wet area of a hotel spa, you may see three doors, all promising heat. Yet each one works on your body in its own way. In the sauna the temperature is high but the air is dry; because sweat evaporates straight away, you do not fully notice how hot it is for the first few minutes. In the steam room the temperature is lower but the air is full of water; sweat cannot evaporate, it beads on your skin, and the room feels hotter than it actually is. In the hammam, heat comes both from the air and from the marble beneath you; what defines the experience is not the temperature but water and touch.

Knowing this difference is the first step in deciding how long to stay in each and when to use which.

What is the difference between a sauna, a steam room and a hammam?

The figures in the table are typical ranges given in the sources, not fixed rules. Spas set their thermostats differently; you can ask the staff about the settings at your location.

What is a sauna, and how do you use one?

The Finnish tradition

The sauna spread to the world from Finland. Finnish sauna culture was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 17 December 2020; according to the Finnish Government's announcement, it was the country's first entry on that list. The Finnish Sauna Society (Suomen Saunaseura) names keeping a peaceful atmosphere in the sauna as its most important principle, and does not allow "who can take the most heat" contests in its saunas. These two details show well that the sauna is seen not as an endurance test but as a calm way to rest.

In a Finnish sauna, water is thrown onto the stones on top of the stove; the Finns call the resulting steam löyly, and it creates a short wave of humidity and heat. The Society reminds bathers not to lean towards the stove when throwing water, as the steam rises strongly and can scald the face. In hotel spas you may not always be allowed to throw water on the stones; do not do so without asking the staff.

At our Ordu location the sauna is described as a "Finnish sauna"; the other locations have a sauna too. You will find the details for each location in the table further down.

Using a sauna, step by step

1. Shower and dry off. InfoFinland, the Finnish authorities' official information portal for newcomers, lists a thorough shower before the sauna as the first rule. Dry skin adjusts to the heat more evenly.
2. Put a towel down where you sit. In the Finnish tradition, a small towel goes on the bench before you sit; it is a rule of hygiene and courtesy.
3. Start on the lower bench. Hot air gathers at the top, so the upper benches are noticeably hotter than the lower ones. Sitting low on your first round gives your body time to get used to the heat.
4. Begin with a short first round. On your first visit, 5–10 minutes is enough. If you feel fine you can lengthen later rounds, but do not go past the 15–20-minute upper limit recommended by Harvard Health.
5. Get up slowly. Standing up suddenly after a long time in the heat can make you dizzy. Sit upright first, wait a moment, then stand.
6. Cool down. The Finnish Sauna Society suggests stepping out between rounds for fresh air or cooling off in the shower. Harvard Health recommends cooling down gradually.
7. Drink water. Harvard Health recommends drinking two to four glasses of cool water after each sauna session.

How long should you stay in a sauna?

Harvard Health's general advice is not to stay in a sauna for more than 15–20 minutes, and to keep it shorter still if you have low blood pressure. A 2018 study by Laukkanen and colleagues, published in BMC Medicine, also describes the traditional Finnish sauna as dry air with relative humidity of about 10–20% and 80–100 °C at head height, and notes that sessions typically last between 5 and 20 minutes. On your first visit, a round of 5–10 minutes, around 10 minutes of cooling down in between and, if you like, a second short round is a sensible start. Let your body set the time rather than the clock: leave as soon as you feel uncomfortable.

What do you wear in a sauna?

Here tradition and the hotel spa part ways. The Finnish Sauna Society does not allow swimsuits in its own saunas for reasons of hygiene, though it notes that people who cannot be naked for religious reasons may wrap themselves in a towel. InfoFinland notes that swimsuits are allowed in most mixed saunas. In hotel spas in Turkey, swimwear or a towel is the usual arrangement in mixed areas. The simplest thing is to ask the spa which rule applies.

Metal jewellery, watches and glasses heat up quickly in a sauna, so it is most comfortable to take them off before you go in. Phones do not go into the sauna either: the heat can damage them, and other guests' privacy is protected.

What is a steam room, and how do you use one?

Is a steam room the same as a hammam?

No, although the two are often confused. A steam room is an enclosed room kept humid by steam from a generator; you sit inside and sweat, and that is all. Healthline reports that humidity in steam rooms is 95–100% and the temperature is usually kept between 43 and 48 °C. In a Turkish hammam, steam is just one part of a ritual: you warm up on heated marble, then comes the kese, the foam and rinsing with water. The Türkiye Tourism Encyclopedia describes the hammam as made up of a changing hall, a warm room, a hot room and a furnace room; a steam room has no such architecture and no bathing ceremony.

Put simply, a steam room is a room; a hammam is an experience. At many spas, the steam room is also used on its own to warm up before the hammam ritual.

Using a steam room, step by step

1. Shower first. As with the sauna, clean skin is a good start.
2. Sit on a towel. The benches are damp and warm; a towel beneath you adds hygiene and comfort.
3. Pay attention to your breathing. Moist, hot air can feel heavy for some people. If you find it hard to breathe, sit near the door or step out.
4. Keep it short. On your first visit, 5–10 minutes is enough.
5. Cool down and drink water afterwards. A lukewarm shower and a few sips of water help you settle before moving on.

How long should you stay in a steam room?

According to a caution Healthline attributes to experts, staying in a steam room for longer than 15 minutes can leave you dehydrated. In practice, an upper limit of 10–15 minutes, and an even shorter round on your first visit, is a safe approach. Even though the steam room is cooler than the sauna, it is harder for your body to manage its temperature because sweat cannot evaporate, so do not think "lower temperature, longer stay".

What is a Turkish hammam?

The Turkish hammam was one of the buildings at the heart of Ottoman city life; it was planned together with the mosque and the mansion in each neighbourhood, and run with separate sections or separate hours for women and men. The Bayezid II Hammam in Istanbul, dating from 1507–1508, is a "double" hammam with two identical sections for women and men; today it can be visited as the Turkish Bath Culture Museum.

The hammam ritual moves through three main steps: warming up on the navel stone, being scrubbed with the kese, and being washed with foam. You are then rinsed, wrap yourself in a peshtemal and rest. You will find the cultural details of the ritual in our Turkish bath and hammam guide, and the contents and lengths of the Beatus rituals on our Turkish bath page. What to pack and what to wear are covered separately in what to bring to a Turkish bath.

What is the difference between a hammam and a sauna?

A sauna is a room where you sweat in dry heat, on your own. A hammam is a bathing ritual in a humid, warm-to-hot setting, completed with a kese scrub and foam given by an attendant. In the sauna you decide how long to stay and keep it short; in the hammam the time is set by the ritual itself. In the sauna you mostly sit in silence; in the hammam, water, touch and rhythm are at the centre of the experience.

Which order? Three sample routines

Scientific sources do not define a single "right" order for sauna, steam and hammam. The order depends on personal preference, what else you are doing that day and how your body feels. The three routines below are common in hotel spas and each has a clear logic.

Warming up before a hammam ritual

1. Shower.
2. Warm up with a short round in the steam room or sauna (5–10 min).
3. Cool down and drink water.
4. The hammam ritual: navel stone, kese, foam, rinse.
5. Water or tea in the relaxation area.

The idea behind this routine is to arrive at the hammam already warm. The Infinity Duet on the Beatus menu follows this order: steam and sauna, then kese and foam in the hammam, then a massage in the couples' room. Because the hammam ritual itself already takes place in a hot setting, keep the warm-up short; using two hot rooms back to back for a long time adds to the heat load on your body.

Sauna or steam room first?

If you are using both, some people like to start in the steam room, which feels gentler, and then move to the sauna; others prefer the reverse. The sources do not recommend one order over the other; what matters is to cool down and drink water in between. On your first visit, choosing just one and seeing how your body responds is also a good approach.

Before or after a massage?

In the Beatus package rituals, warming up comes first: in the Infinity Duet the massage follows the steam, sauna and hammam, and in the Jet Lag Package 40 minutes of hammam are followed by 40 minutes of classic massage. Most people find it comfortable to lie down on the massage table already warm. If you would like to go back into a hot room after your massage, keep it short and drink water first; for most people, sitting in the relaxation area after a massage is a calmer way to finish. If a massage is part of your plan, take a look at our massage page; for preparing beforehand, our guide on what to wear for a massage will help.

Sauna or steam room after a workout?

Straight after training, your body is warm and has lost fluid. So rather than heading straight for a hot room, cool down first, let your breathing and heart rate settle, and drink water. After that, a short round in the sauna or steam room is a matter of personal preference. Whichever you choose, keep it short; Harvard Health's advice on drinking water and cooling down gradually matters even more after exercise. If you would like a gym and a spa in the same place, our Wanda Vista and The G Hotels locations have a fitness area, sauna, steam room and hammam together. You will find more about the gym on our fitness page.

Using heat rooms safely: 10 rules

1. Start short. 5–10 minutes is enough for the first round; lengthen it from round to round only if you feel well.
2. Respect the upper limit. 15–20 minutes in the sauna (Harvard Health), 15 minutes in the steam room (Healthline).
3. Cool down in between. The Finnish Sauna Society suggests fresh air or a cool shower; Harvard Health recommends cooling down gradually.
4. Drink water. Harvard Health recommends two to four glasses of cool water after each sauna session.
5. No hot rooms after alcohol. Harvard Health advises avoiding alcohol and medicines that impair sweating and can lead to overheating, before and after the sauna. A 2001 review by Hannuksela and Ellahham also notes that alcohol in the sauna raises the risk of low blood pressure and irregular heart rhythm.
6. Do not go in when you are ill. If you have a fever or are unwell, save the hot rooms for another day. Harvard Health and the Finnish Sauna Society say the same.
7. Leave as soon as you feel unwell. If you feel dizzy, nauseous, notice palpitations or feel weak, step out at once, sit down and let a member of staff know.
8. Do not stay alone. Especially on your first visit, use the wet area when other guests and staff are around.
9. Stand up slowly, walk slowly. Blood pressure can drop in the heat, and wet floors are slippery.
10. Follow the warning signs. In Turkey, business licensing regulations require saunas to display a warning sign; read the time limits and usage notes on it.

Who should check with a doctor before using a sauna?

Most healthy adults use hot rooms without difficulty, but in some situations it is wise to speak to a doctor first. This section is not a diagnosis; it simply flags when it is sensible to ask.

• Heart conditions and uncontrolled high blood pressure. Harvard Health advises people with uncontrolled high blood pressure or heart disease to talk to their doctor before using a sauna, and recommends that people with unstable chest pain (angina) or serious heart problems avoid hot rooms. The Hannuksela and Ellahham review also lists unstable angina, a recent heart attack and severe aortic stenosis among the situations in which the sauna is not suitable.
• Low blood pressure. Harvard Health advises people with low blood pressure, particularly those over 70, to be extra careful and to keep sauna sessions shorter.
• Pregnancy. Scientific reviews treat the sauna in pregnancy as a separate topic, but every pregnancy is different. An NHS GP practice page notes that a significant rise in body temperature during pregnancy can be harmful, especially in the first 12 weeks, and that you may prefer to avoid saunas, hot tubs and steam rooms because of the risks of overheating, dehydration and fainting. If you are pregnant, always check with your doctor before using the sauna, steam room or hammam.
• Regular medication. Some medicines can affect sweating or blood pressure. Harvard Health draws attention to this; ask your doctor or pharmacist how your medication interacts with heat.
• Recent surgery and weakened immunity. Healthline advises avoiding steam rooms in these situations without a doctor's approval.
• Children. The Finnish Sauna Society notes that children may go into the sauna with their parents but should always be supervised. In hotel spas, whether children are admitted to the wet area depends on the spa's own rules.

Sauna, steam room and hammam at Beatus locations

Every Beatus Spa location is inside a hotel. The table below shows the facilities listed on our location pages. When you book, ask the spa whether a facility will be available during your visit and on what terms.

To see the locations by region, take a look at our spas in Istanbul and our spas on the Black Sea coast. If the layout of a hotel spa is new to you, our first-time hotel spa guide explains how the wet area, the relaxation room and the booking process work.