Steam, sauna, cold plunge, rest. How long to stay in each, what to bring and how to make the cold part feel easy.
Most guests step into the thermal suite for the first time with the same question: how long am I meant to stay in each room? It is a fair thing to wonder. Thermal bathing has a rhythm, and once you feel it, two hours pass like twenty minutes. This is the way we walk first-timers through it at Serein.
One note before we start. If you are pregnant, managing blood pressure or a heart condition, or recovering from illness, speak with your doctor before using heat and cold, and tell our host when you arrive. We can build a gentler circuit around the lounge and a cool shower.
Begin with gentle steam
Start in the eucalyptus steam room, which sits at around 110 degrees with high humidity. Steam warms you slowly and feels kind on the lungs, which makes it a good first stop. Sit on the lower bench, close your eyes and breathe through your nose. Eight to ten minutes is plenty.
Starting gently tells your body it is safe to let go. It also raises your temperature gradually, so the sauna afterwards feels comforting rather than sharp.
Then the cedar sauna
Our dry sauna runs at about 175 degrees. Dry heat suits people who dislike humidity, and the cedar smells wonderful. Lie down if there is room, so your head and feet are at the same temperature. Stay between eight and twelve minutes, or leave sooner if you feel light-headed.
There is no prize for endurance. Our most experienced regulars keep their heat rounds short and repeat them, rather than pushing through one long, uncomfortable session.
- Sit on a towel and bring a cup of water from the lounge
- Keep jewelry in your locker, since metal heats quickly
- Skip the heat entirely if you have had alcohol that day
The cold plunge, without the gasp
The 55 degree plunge is where most first-timers hesitate. Here is Renee's trick: step in slowly, keep your hands out of the water for the first few seconds, and make each exhale longer than the inhale. The gasp reflex settles after about ten seconds.
Thirty seconds is a perfectly good first plunge. If you enjoy it, work up to ninety seconds over later rounds. If it is simply not for you today, a cool shower does much of the same work, and nobody will notice or mind.
Rest is part of the circuit
This is the step people skip, and it is the one that makes the whole thing work. Wrap up in your robe, lie back on a heated stone lounger and do nothing for ten minutes. Most guests feel a warm, tingling calm spread from their hands and feet as circulation settles.
Then begin again. Two or three full rounds is a lovely session. Finish with rest, not cold, and give yourself a few quiet minutes with a herbal infusion before you get dressed.
Before a massage or after?
Both work, for different reasons. A round of heat before a massage softens muscles so your therapist can work more deeply with less pressure. A circuit after a treatment stretches the calm out for another hour or two. Any treatment of 60 minutes or longer includes a same-day thermal session, so you can try both and see which you prefer.
This article is general information for relaxation and self-care, not medical advice.
