sauna
Americannoun
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saunas
plural
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a bath that uses dry heat to induce perspiration, and in which steam is produced by pouring water on heated stones.
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a bathhouse or room, usually of wood, equipped for such a bath.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an invigorating bath originating in Finland in which the bather is subjected to hot steam, usually followed by a cold plunge or by being lightly beaten with birch twigs
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the place in which such a bath is taken
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sauna
Borrowed into English from Finnish around 1880–85
Explanation
A sauna is a small therapeutic hot room. Some people use a sauna at the gym or pool, where they sit and relax, enjoying the cleansing heat. If there’s a separate steam room, then the sauna provides dry heat. In many Scandinavian countries, saunas are very common — in Finland, it's not unusual to have a sauna in or attached to your house. People who enjoy saunas find the steam, usually created by pouring water onto hot rocks, to be very relaxing and to have health benefits as well. The word sauna is Finnish, used to refer to both the structure of the room and the steam bath itself.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The lower level features a bar and recreation areas, while the home also comes equipped with an exercise room and sauna.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Donald Trump "pretty much does what he wants" and recommended staying calm in a world on edge, preferably with a sauna, in a freewheeling interview to AFP on Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Vivaldi, Reiki and sauna sessions with training partner Hodgkinson.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
A luxury backyard sauna and cold plunge could make sense for decompressing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The hot, dry air that we were breathing reminded me of how it had felt to breathe while sitting in a Finnish sauna.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
He and his wife have installed German-made saunas inside their residences, South Korea’s spy agency said in 2015.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Walking through the space, I passed between the steam room and saunas of the traditional vapor and infrared variety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Some gyms and saunas still maintain "no tattoo zones" on the grounds that certain tattoos "are too intimidating and may offend other guests".
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
I walk a frozen Bothnian Gulf at Nallikari, an obscured lighthouse, a delinquent lifeguard stand, and makeshift saunas stand on white expanse like archaeology.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026
Unlike traditional saunas, infrared heats you from within, and the founders recommend going in after class when you’re already warm so you sweat more effectively.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026
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