How to Wear a Sauna Hat: Fit, Folding, Wet or Dry

The frihed. Original arrives completely flat, and that is on purpose: the fit does not come from a size label, but from the two folds you make in the brim when you put it on. Here is how to wear a sauna hat properly, from measuring your head to what to do with the hat between rounds.

Key takeaways

1. Measure your head before you choose.
2. Pull on the Original and fold the brim up twice.
3. Put on the Pro as it is, no folding needed.
4. Wear it dry or damp, but never dripping.
5. Take it off when it stops feeling good.
6. Let it breathe between rounds.

1. Measure your head before you choose

Grab a soft tape measure and wrap it around the widest part of your head, about a finger's width above your eyebrows and just above your ears. Keep it snug but not tight. If you do not have a soft tape, use a piece of string and measure it against a ruler. Then compare:

• Up to 26 in (66 cm): the Original fits. It is one size and adapts to your head through the fold.
• From 26.4 in (67 cm): go for the Pro, which has a roomier cut.
• Lots of hair, long hair you want to tuck in, or dreadlocks: the Pro, whatever the tape says.
• Right around 26 in, with thick hair: also the Pro, so nothing presses.

Our fit guide walks through the same steps with pictures.

2. Pull on the Original and fold the brim up twice

The Original is a single layer of boiled wool, which is wool that has been shrunk and compacted until it is dense and soft. Out of the package it looks like a flat pouch. Pull it over your head so that it covers your ears, then fold the lower edge up once, and then once more. The double fold does two things. It sets how deep the hat sits, and it adds an extra band of wool around the forehead and ears. Play with the width of the folds until the hat sits snugly without pressing. Rolled up tight, it looks like a classic fisherman beanie, which also looks good outside the sauna. The Original comes in Stone, Basalt, Forest, Navy, Sand and Berry.

3. Put on the Pro as it is, no folding needed

The Pro is built differently. It has a double layer of boiled wool and keeps its shape on its own, so there is nothing to fold or adjust. Pull it on so that the sewn brim sits over your forehead and eyes, and the extended ear flaps cover your ears completely. Many people like the brim most on the top bench, because you can tilt your head down slightly and shield your face when steam rolls through the room. The roomier cut leaves space for a bun, braids or dreadlocks. If you have long hair, twist it into a loose knot first and use a soft hair tie without metal parts, since metal gets hot in a sauna. Then slide the knot under the hat. The Pro is available in Stone.

4. Wear it dry or damp, but never dripping

Both work, and it is mostly a matter of taste. Worn dry, the wool simply takes up sweat and steam as the round goes on. The Woolmark Company says wool can absorb up to 35 percent of its weight in moisture before it feels wet, so a dry hat stays comfortable for a good while. Some people prefer to dip the hat in cold water before the first round, because the first minutes feel cooler that way. If you do, wring it out thoroughly. A hat that drips sends water down your neck and onto the bench, and in German saunas the rule is no sweat on the wood, as the health magazine Apotheken Umschau puts it. That goes for drips as well. By the second round your hat will be slightly damp from the first anyway, which is fine.

5. Take it off when it stops feeling good

A sauna hat is there to make the heat more comfortable, not to help you stay longer than your body wants. A review in Mayo Clinic Proceedings by Laukkanen and colleagues (2018) describes typical rounds of 5 to 20 minutes, with cool down breaks in between. Some practical rules:

• Keep the hat on for the whole round, including the steam.
• If your head feels too warm under it, take it off. That is a perfectly good choice.
• If you feel dizzy or unwell, do not fiddle with the hat. Leave the sauna and cool down.
• Never hang the hat on or above the heater to dry. Wool is hard to ignite, but the heater is not a drying rack.

6. Let it breathe between rounds

When you step out, take the hat off. After the heat you want to cool down from head to toe, and a warm wool layer only gets in the way under a cold shower or in the plunge pool. Hang the hat loosely on a hook or lay it flat on a bench where air reaches it, away from wet floors. Then do the usual cool down: fresh air, a cold shower, a rest. The Helsinki city guide MyHelsinki recommends a few glasses of water for each sauna session of about 30 minutes, which is a good habit no matter what you wear on your head. Before the next round, put the hat back on and fold the Original again if the brim has loosened. At home, air it out overnight. Washing is rarely needed, and when it is, our guide on how to wash a wool sauna hat explains how.

FAQ

Should a sauna hat cover your ears?

Yes, ideally. The ears sit high up in the hottest air, and many people feel the heat there first, so most pull the hat down over them. The Original covers the ears, and the Pro adds extended ear protection.

Should I wet my sauna hat before the sauna?

You can, but you do not have to. A damp hat feels cooler for the first minutes, a dry one is perfectly fine too. Just wring it out well so it does not drip.

How should a sauna hat fit?

Snug enough that it stays on when you lean back, loose enough that nothing presses on your forehead. With the Original you adjust this with the width of the two folds.

Not sure which size you need? Compare both in our sauna hat collection. And if you are wondering whether a hat is worth it at all, read Do sauna hats actually work?