How to use a sauna is the question every new owner has on the evening the cabin finally works, and the good news is that there is very little to it. The structure below is how most regular users settle, and the mistakes at the end are the ones that make a first session unpleasant enough to put people off.
Before you go in
Get the cabin to temperature rather than climbing in as it rises, because a cold bench under a hot ceiling is what makes a first session feel wrong. Drink water beforehand. Shower, because it is pleasant and it keeps the benches clean. Bring a towel to sit on, and leave anything that melts, ticks or holds a charge outside.
The session itself
Sit on the upper bench if you want heat and the lower if you do not: the difference between them is substantial. Ten to fifteen minutes is a normal first round. If the heater takes water, a ladle at a time raises the humidity in a short burst. Leave when you want to leave rather than when a timer says so.
Rounds and cooling
Most regular users do two or three rounds with a cool down between: a cool shower, outside air, or a plunge if you have one. The cool down is not optional decoration, it is what makes the next round feel good. Ten minutes out is typical. Rehydrate between rounds rather than only at the end.
Mistakes in the first week
Going too hot too soon and deciding you dislike saunas. Staying in past the point it stopped being pleasant. Pouring neat oil on the stones. Using it after drinking. Going alone while still learning what your limit feels like. And skipping the cool down, which is what most people are missing when they say a sauna leaves them drained.
Questions people ask about how to use a sauna
How long should a first session be?
Ten to fifteen minutes on the lower bench is a sensible start. Build up over sessions rather than testing your limit on day one.
Should you shower before or after?
Both. Before for cleanliness and after to cool down. A cool shower between rounds is what makes the later rounds comfortable.
Can you use a sauna every day?
Many regular users do, at moderate temperatures and durations. Hydration and listening to how you feel matter more than the frequency itself.