The order is shower, sauna round, shower again, cold plunge, and one more shower before the next round starts. The shower between the heat and the cold is not a nicety, it is a house rule, and it is the step people skip.
The plunge is optional. There is no target time to hit, and no prize for having been in.
What the break actually looks like
A session is three rounds in the sauna. Each round runs ten to twelve minutes, with around ten minutes in between. The cold lives in that gap.
You come out warm and a little slow. Here, the filtered plunge tubs are on the terrace a few steps from the sauna door.
There are four showers on the terrace, and one has warm water if you need it. The first time, wash your whole body and your hair with soap before you go into the sauna. A quick rinse does not count. Between rounds you rinse the sweat off, then get in.
The chillers are set to 7 °C, but that is not the same as a fixed water temperature. The water can warm in hot weather and also changes with the number of bathers. On a very hot summer day it can be around 15 °C. The tubs are not heated, so the water can freeze in winter.
The order, and why it runs that way
Wash with soap, whole body and hair, before the sauna. A sauna round. Shower again, so the sweat is off. Cold plunge, head above the water. Shower before you go back in for the next round. Same loop, all three rounds.
The middle shower is the one that matters. Everyone shares the water in the tubs. We treat it with chlorine, but the soap and rinse keep it decent for the next person. It is not optional.
Head above the water is the second rule. Face and hair stay out. That one is about the water too, not about how brave you are.
Between all of it, the room is quiet. No talking during a session.
How much cold is the right amount
Some people get in after every round. Some get in once, or not at all. Both are an ordinary evening here.
Get out when you want to. The same goes for the heat: sit lower where it is cooler, or step outside.
There is no one right number of minutes
Research has not established one duration that is best for everyone. A 2025 systematic review found studies using very different temperatures and durations, and called for more research into what works best. That does not make a self-chosen time safe for everyone.
The 11 minutes a week sometimes mentioned was the average self-reported time in cold water in a small 2021 observational study of eight experienced male winter swimmers. Seven of the eight also used sauna. It did not test 11 minutes as a target or threshold.
The RNLI warns that water at 15 °C and below can trigger cold shock and involuntary changes in breathing. Even our warmer summer water is still cold. This is general water-safety guidance, not a recommended plunge time.
This is general information, not medical advice or a personal safety assessment.
If all of this is new, Saunagus for beginners walks through a first session from the door onwards, and What is saunagus? explains what the gusmester is actually doing with the towel.
Questions we get
Sauna first, or cold plunge first?
Sauna first, after a shower with soap. The heat is the session and the cold is what you do between rounds, so you are never walking into a cold tub off the street. And a shower in between, every time.
Do I really have to shower before the cold plunge?
Yes, every time. Soap and water over your whole body and hair before you go in the first time, then a shower every time you move between the sauna and the tubs, in both directions. It is in our FAQ for the same reason it is a rule out here: the water is shared.
Can I put my head under?
No. Keep your head above the water, with face and hair out.
Do I have to get in the cold at all?
No. A session is complete without it. Standing in the cold air between rounds is a real option, and so is sitting on a bench doing nothing.
How cold is the water?
The chillers are set to 7 °C, but the water does not have one fixed temperature. It can warm in hot weather and also changes with the number of bathers. On a very hot summer day it can be around 15 °C. The tubs are not heated, so the water can freeze in winter.
How hot does it get in there?
We do not publish a number, because the heat is not one number. It shifts with the round, with the oils, and with where the gusmester sends the towel, and it is always hotter high up than low down. If it is a lot, sit lower or step out. That is what the lower benches are for.
Ready to try it
Pick a time in the schedule. Relaxed Gus is three gentle rounds, while Signature Gus builds and settles again. Current prices are on the pricing page.