Serious Bathers on Their Sauna Rituals

Welcome to this summer sauna special, in collaboration with my friends at Lore. This will be a recurring series on their Substack, so keep an eye out for more.

I am once again telling you how much I adore the sauna. Surprise, surprise. The beautiful interiors, the physical and mental catharsis that comes with sweating and plunging, the mandatory disconnection with the outside world—all reasons I’ve repeated on record too many times.

One thing I haven’t touched on, though, is how unique the experience of a sauna can be for each person, each time they arrive. It’s both deeply personal and undeniably communal; the sauna is meant for connection with ourselves and with those around us.

I find it fascinating how some of us are more drawn to pre-programmed, social-first classes, while others prefer to slip in and out of their neighborhood spot almost anonymously. With almost endless options thanks to the Great Bathing Boom we find ourselves in—especially in its epicenter, New York—the sauna-curious are able to explore the different formats, levels of privacy, and temperatures available to us across the city.

Which spaces resonate with us, where do we feel most comfortable, and what style of sweating is right for us are all deeply intuitive questions that I, for one, am enthusiastic about answering. As a self-appointed sauna critic (side note: if any major publication is looking to add one to their roster of columnists, feel free to bang my line), I’ve sweated all over this great city, judging the quality of wood and the hand soap in bathrooms like I’m being paid to do it, when, in fact, the opposite is always the case. I never mind. Because you see, the thing about trying new saunas is that, unlike workout classes or expensive meals (two of my other amateur critic jobs) that can leave you feeling disappointed at the end, you’ll never feel like you wasted time or money at the sauna. The physical benefits are invariable; releasing your stress through sweat—even in a sauna that could stand to be a few degrees hotter—is always an intimate, and always worth it. And it always feels good to come back home.

I’m quite lucky to live just a short walk away from Lore, Noho’s finest bathing club, which has become a staple in my weekly wellness routine. I can bring my magazine, a friend, or strike up a conversation with someone sweating nearby, depending on the day’s mental state. My favorite products are there—a small gesture that makes the place feel both familiar and luxurious—and I know I’m in the company of others who feel the same way.

Well how, exactly, do I know this? I don’t, it’s just a feeling. A feeling that I’m going to validate by speaking to my fellow bathers to learn about how they got into sweating in public, what individual rituals they’ve created for themselves, and what their time spent in the bathhouse means to them. Let’s get into it.

Brand Director at Ash Hotels

Tell us about your relationship to the sauna. What inspired you to try it, and what keeps you coming back?

The sauna is my moment in the day to go inward—to repair, to detox, to reduce my inflammation, and help my body heal. As someone with an autoimmune condition, I started saunaing as a way to counteract my inflammation, and I quickly realized how much relaxation and presence I felt in the heat.

It’s become truly ingrained in my weekly routine—when I’m not saunaing regularly, I feel an acute difference in both my body and my mind. After a workout, after work, early in the morning to start the day—it keeps everything moving and regulated, and gives me a moment to unwind.

What’s been fun with Lore is that, as much as I love coming alone, I also love bringing a friend. Catching up over a sweat and a plunge instead of a drink is such a nice way to find time to be social without the scheduling fatigue.

Walk us through your hot, cold, or hot and cold routine. How often are you coming, for how long, etc.?

I try to come 3x a week—once in the evening after work (usually a Monday), once after a very early weekday morning workout to maximize my recovery, and once on a Saturday or Sunday to unwind. I normally start with 15 minutes in the dry sauna followed by 2 minutes in the plunge (and please don’t forget to shower!), and then cycle through that two more times. If there’s an aufguss session, I’ll do that. Some days I have 60 minutes, other days I have 30—but I always fit in at least one cycle when I’m there.

What’s one thing that takes your sauna experience to the next level?

Minerals in my water—I love Trace drops. I also tried the Corpse Reviver sold in the upstairs fridge and really enjoy how refreshing it is post-sauna (petition for them to change the name). My experience is especially elevated when I’ve timed it just right and it’s not too crowded—that’s one of the things I initially was super drawn to at Lore, how intimate it is.

Programming and Partnerships Director, RAY

Tell us about your relationship to the sauna. What inspired you to try it, and what keeps you coming back?

I’ve always been incredibly averse to cold water: the initial shock, the sore joints and contracting muscles. But that’s the poetic part of the sauna-cold plunge circuit: the extreme of one experience turns the opposite into a balm, unlocking an ecstatic equilibrium.

Walk us through your hot, cold, or hot and cold routine. How often are you coming, for how long, etc.?

Ok, so, the first thing I do during my weekly trip to Lore is hit the infrared sauna. I spend time stretching, sitting quietly, observing what my fellow sauna-goers are reading at the moment. It takes about half an hour before I really start to sweat, and then I head upstairs, guided by wafting copal incense (my favorite scent!). I rinse off and then head into the sauna, ideally for an aufguss. Then it’s 90 seconds in the cold plunge up to my neck (I time it on the clock, closing my eyes, and opening one to peek at my progress every 10 seconds or so as I focus on relaxing each muscle) and then back to the sauna for anywhere from 5-15 minutes. Repeat!

What’s one thing that takes your sauna experience to the next level?

Post-Lore pierogies, black tea, and Ukrainian borscht at the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant on 2nd Avenue, hair still damp from the post-sauna shower.

Brand Director at Awake NY

Tell us about your relationship to the sauna. What inspired you to try it, and what keeps you coming back?

For me it’s simple. It makes me feel better, lighter. I’ve been going to saunas since I was in my early 20s. I’m 33 now. I can’t really pinpoint a specific thing that made me wanna try it. I like the feeling of sitting in the heat and knowing that the day’s stress is washing away one sweat drop at a time.

Walk us through your hot, cold, or hot and cold routine. How often are you coming, for how long, etc.?

I try to come in as much as possible. Some weeks I do five or six days straight. I like to start in the infrared sauna and stretch a bit. Then I rinse off and head for the cold plunge. I spend two to three minutes in there. Then I head for the big sauna for 15 minutes. I make sure I always end my session with cold plunge, especially in these hot summer days.

What’s one thing that takes your sauna experience to the next level?

For me it’s most definitely the aufguss ritual. There is no better feeling than when that hot air hits your body. I can’t explain—you just have to experience it for yourself. The mixture of the essential oils and the music with the hot air is quite euphoric.

That is all for this special edition of Plant Based, in partnership with my friends at Lore. If you have a special sauna ritual of your own, we’d love nothing more than to hear it.