Wellness Guide5 min read
Sauna, Steam Room and Ice Bath: A Beginner's Guide
A simple guide to the thermal circuit — what each part does, and a sensible order to try them in.
Ton Mai Spa Team
Editorial
Between the dry sauna, the herbal steam room and the ice bath, it's easy to end up just picking whichever one has no queue. Here's roughly what each does, and why people tend to move between them rather than sticking to just one.
Dry sauna
A dry sauna uses hot air with low humidity, usually hotter than a steam room. The heat raises your skin and core temperature, gets your heart rate up a little, and is generally the most intense of the three.
Herbal steam room
A steam room uses moist heat — in our case, infused with lemongrass. It's usually a gentler heat than the sauna, and the humidity can help clear the sinuses. Many people find it easier to sit in for longer stretches than a dry sauna.
Ice bath
The cold plunge is exactly what it sounds like — a short dip in cold water, usually after a stint in the heat. This kind of contrast — hot then cold — is sometimes called contrast therapy, and plenty of people find the shock genuinely energising rather than unpleasant once they're in.
A sensible order
There's no single "correct" sequence, but a common one is: sauna or steam room first to warm up, a short cold plunge to finish, then straight to the pool loungers to actually relax. Listen to your own body — if the heat or cold doesn't agree with you, there's no obligation to push through it.
