You may have come across the quirky looking large felt hats sported on sauna goers and wondered why would you wear a woollen headgear in a sauna? Isn’t it already hot enough? Wouldn’t extra layers just make you feel uncomfortable?

1. WHAT is a sauna hat?

The sauna hat has quite a few benefits in the high temperatures of sauna and looking stylish is not the most important one. Sauna hats are a traditional way of cooling the head in a hot sauna environment. The versatility of materials used for sauna hats make them equally suitable for indoor sauna use and outdoor cold plunging and whilst bathing in hot tubs. You often see sauna enthusiasts wear the hats in the sauna as well as outside when they dip into a cold plunge to cool off. Wearing one is certainly worthwhile considering, especially for regular sauna goers. So, what is the actual function of a sauna hat?

Cooling and Protection

Sauna hats protect your head from the heat, allowing you to enjoy the “löyly” without feeling uncomfortable sitting on the top bench. Being close to the ceiling where it gets the hottest in a sauna, your head is most likely to feel over-heated first. Your scalp, hair and ears may begin to feel uncomfortably warm if they’re not protected even if the rest of your body feels perfectly fine. This is where the sauna hat comes in useful. It will prevent your head, ears or hair from feeling too hot. This way you can enjoy the benefits of the sauna for longer periods of time.

Wearing a proper sauna hat will also protect the hair and is good particularly for colour-treated strands. Whilst sauna hats don't stop regular hairloss issues, some people believe that heat exposure can lead to hair loss which may be prevented by keeping your head cool with a felted sauna hat. . Furthermore, a felted hat can also reduce the formation of split ends

Sauna hats also help to regulate your body temperature, decreasing the risk of feeling dizzy in the heat. Contrary to what you may think, the hat actually reduces sweating from the head.

2. WHAT are sauna hats traditionally made of?

Traditional sauna hats are most commonly made of wool felt, which is a well-suited material to be used in the sauna. Wool has antibacterial properties and is more resistant to dirt, moisture and smell in comparison to many other textiles. Alpaca and sheep wool are often used for the felted sauna hats. Linen is a popular sauna textile and can also be used as a material for sauna hats. It absorbs moisture efficiently, is ecological, skin friendly and improves in softness the more you use it.

We offer traditional sauna hats, as well more novel versions such as children's cartoon charaters - get inspiration here. 

3. HOW to use a sauna hat?

You can soak your sauna hat in cool water before using it. Gently wring out any excess water and place on your head, lightly covering the top of your ears to make most of the cooling effect. When cared for correctly and cleaned regularly, your sauna hat will last you for a long time.

The sauna hat pictured above is from our outstanding sauna linen partner Jokipiin Pellava. The material is a linen terry fabric, which is woven and sewn at Jokipii, Western Finland, without the use of any chemicals in the production process. Shop it HERE.