The Sauna Hat

At any bania, bath house or sauna worth it's salt, you'll find folks wearing some manner of sauna hat. These are generally conical shaped hats made of wool, although it can be any sort of covering of the head.

Was that a chuckle I heard? You think wearing a cap in a sauna is too embarrassing because none of the other guys at the gym do it? Feh. If you're not going to take this serious, you might as well get your heat in your mom's jacuzzi bathtub then and leave space on the bench for a real sweatsmen. The cap is a crucial element to getting a good heat.

As we know, the basic idea of a sauna is to create heat in the body to stimulate organs and release toxins. And as we know, this feels like total forgiveness and freedom. Except in one organ: the brain.

Maybe you've felt like this before: You've got a good sweat going and you're deep into it. But you're starting to get a headache, and you're a little wobbly on your feet. There's a metallic taste in your mouth and you feel nauseous.

And my guess is you're not wearing a sauna cap and you've baked your brain like a three-cheese lasagna.

It happens, and it's a detriment to the enjoyment of a good heat. They know this in India, they've known it for years. They take their heat with their heads outside of the sauna. Note the wee head hole in this traditional, Ayurevic sauna cabinet.

Also, the head had more capillaries per square centimeter than other other part of the body. (If there are any medical doctors reading this who care to debate this fact, let's get in to it. I will not be intimidated by you.) Capillaries are particularly taxed by heat, and over-exposing them to high temperatures can do real damage.

You have probably been advised in the past that following your exposure to heat, you should wait an equal amount of time before you return (10 minutes in the sauna means 10 minutes of cooling down). This is to allow your capillaries to recover.

The theory behind the sauna hat is that it provides a barrier between the heat and your head, so that the sweat you produce actually has a chance to evaporate and cool the air in the cap. So the cap has to be pretty thick while at the same time allowing some air to circulate.

Caps are generally made out of wool felt, which is both thick and somehow very cool in the sauna. (Physicists, please feel free to weigh in here. I welcome and respect your knowledge and defer to you at every turn with humility and honor.) These are the kinds that you see the Russians and Finns wearing, as is pictured above.

I've also seen gentlemen wearing terry cloth, cotton and even baseball hats soaked in water. These won't work quite as well, as they don't provide enough space for air to cool and keep the head at an even temperature, but it's better than boiling your brains.

These caps are generally available at the front desk for about $20, or you can pick one up off the internet for five dollars less. They can simply be rinsed and air dried after your heat, and should last a lifetime. Remember to buy your hat before you go into the sauna, and not on your way out when you've admitted that I'm right. Make the investment, and enjoy!