Why Autumn Is the Perfect Time to Start a Sauna Routine | KOVE

As the days get shorter and temperatures begin to fall, spending 20 minutes somewhere hot suddenly becomes a lot more appealing.

But autumn isn't just the season when a sauna starts to feel particularly good. It's also a great time to introduce sauna into your regular routine.

Whether you're considering an indoor infrared sauna, a traditional outdoor sauna or simply want to experiment with a more accessible portable sauna, starting in autumn gives you time to establish a routine before the coldest and darkest months arrive.

So, how often should you sauna? What's the difference between infrared and traditional sauna? And where do cold plunges fit into the equation?

Here's what you need to know.

Why Start a Sauna Routine in Autumn?

For most people, the biggest challenge with any wellness routine isn't finding the perfect protocol. It's actually sticking to it.

Autumn naturally lends itself to sauna use.

Temperatures fall, evenings move indoors and many of us begin changing our exercise, recovery and general routines as summer comes to an end.

Having a sauna at home removes much of the friction involved too.

There's no drive to the gym or spa, no booking a session and no waiting for someone else to finish. You can simply switch it on and use it when it suits you.

And when a cold, wet January evening eventually arrives, you'll probably be very glad you started.

What Are the Benefits of Sauna?

Sauna bathing has a long history, particularly in Finland and across the Nordic countries, where it's far more than the occasional post-gym activity.

Modern research has also explored regular sauna bathing in relation to areas including cardiovascular health, circulation, relaxation and exercise recovery.

One of the most immediate effects of sauna is straightforward: exposure to heat raises skin temperature, increases heart rate and encourages sweating.

For people who train regularly, sauna can also become an enjoyable part of a recovery routine. Rather than finishing a workout and immediately returning to everyday life, a sauna session gives you an opportunity to slow down, get warm and relax.

And then there's something that's considerably harder to quantify: switching off.

Twenty or thirty minutes without your phone, emails, notifications or another job to complete can be valuable in itself.

A sauna doesn't have to become another complicated wellness protocol.

Sometimes, getting warm and doing absolutely nothing for a while is enough.

How Often Should You Sauna?

There isn't one sauna routine that's right for everyone.

If you're completely new to sauna bathing, it's generally sensible to begin with shorter sessions and gradually increase the duration as you become accustomed to the heat.

A simple starting routine could look something like this:

• 10–15 minutes per session
• Two or three sessions per week
• Begin at a comfortable temperature rather than immediately chasing maximum heat
• Drink plenty of water before and after your session
• Allow yourself time to cool down afterwards

As you become more accustomed to sauna bathing, you may choose to use it more frequently or gradually increase the length of your sessions.

The important thing is to listen to your body rather than treating temperature or session duration as a competition.

If you feel dizzy, unwell or excessively uncomfortable, leave the sauna and cool down.

Anyone with an underlying health condition, who is pregnant, or who has concerns about heat exposure should seek appropriate medical advice before beginning regular sauna use.

Infrared Sauna vs Traditional Sauna: What's the Difference?

If you're buying a sauna for your home, one of the first decisions you'll need to make is whether you want infrared or traditional heat.

Both provide a sauna experience, but they create that heat in different ways.

Indoor Infrared Saunas

Rather than relying primarily on heating the air around you, infrared saunas use infrared heaters to deliver radiant heat.

As a result, they generally operate at lower air temperatures than traditional saunas while still producing an intense feeling of warmth.

They're particularly convenient for indoor home use.

KOVE's indoor infrared sauna range includes options from compact one-person cabins through to larger models for couples, families and shared use.

Smaller infrared cabins can also be relatively straightforward to accommodate at home, making them a particularly attractive option if convenience is the priority.

They heat up quickly too, which can make a real difference if you're trying to incorporate sauna into everyday life rather than reserving it for occasional weekend sessions.

Traditional Outdoor Saunas

If you're looking for the classic high-temperature sauna experience, a traditional sauna is difficult to beat.

These use a dedicated sauna heater and sauna stones to heat the cabin. Water can be poured over the heated stones to temporarily increase humidity and create the familiar burst of steam known in Finland as löyly.

For the garden, two of the most popular styles are barrel and cube saunas.

Outdoor barrel saunas offer the instantly recognisable rounded sauna design and work particularly well in traditional garden and outdoor settings.

Outdoor cube saunas provide the same traditional sauna experience in a more contemporary design, making them particularly suited to modern gardens, patios and dedicated wellness spaces.

Whichever style you choose, an outdoor sauna requires a little more planning than most indoor infrared models, particularly when it comes to the base, access and electrical supply.

But once installed, you have a proper high-temperature sauna sitting a few steps from your back door.

What If You Don't Have Space for a Permanent Sauna?

A permanent sauna cabin isn't practical for everyone.

You might live in a flat, rent your home, have limited indoor space or simply want to try sauna before committing to a larger installation.

That's where portable saunas come in.

Options such as infrared sauna blankets and portable sauna tents offer a much more accessible way to incorporate heat into a home wellness routine without dedicating an entire room or section of the garden to a sauna cabin.

They don't replicate the experience of sitting inside a traditional outdoor sauna, but they're not really supposed to.

Instead, they offer a convenient route into regular heat exposure with considerably less space, cost and installation required.

For someone starting a sauna routine for the first time this autumn, that can make a lot of sense.

Can You Put a Sauna Outside in the UK?

Yes — provided the sauna is specifically designed for outdoor use.

In fact, autumn can be a great time to install one.

Getting everything in place before the coldest part of winter means your sauna is ready during the months when you're likely to appreciate it most.

There are a few practical things to consider first:

The base: Your sauna needs to sit on a suitable, stable and level surface.

Electrical supply: Traditional electric sauna heaters will generally require an appropriate dedicated electrical supply installed by a suitably qualified electrician.

Access: Think about how the sauna and its components will physically get from the delivery vehicle to your chosen installation area.

Positioning: Consider how you'll actually use it. A sauna at the very bottom of the garden might look fantastic in September. That walk can feel considerably longer on a dark, wet January evening.

Convenience matters more than people sometimes realise.

Should You Combine a Sauna With an Ice Bath?

You certainly don't have to, but this is where home recovery setups can get particularly interesting.

Alternating between heat and cold is often referred to as contrast therapy, and combining a sauna with an ice bath or cold plunge has become an increasingly popular home wellness setup.

A simple session might involve spending time in the sauna, cooling down outside or using an ice bath, resting, and then repeating the process if desired.

There's no requirement to make it complicated.

In fact, you don't even have to use heat and cold together. A sauna and cold plunge can simply be two separate tools that you use at different times depending on your training, routine and personal preference.

Do You Need a Chiller for an Ice Bath in Autumn and Winter?

This is a good question, particularly in the UK.

During colder weather, the ambient temperature can naturally help keep an outdoor ice bath cooler, which may reduce how much active chilling is required.

However, relying entirely on the weather gives you very little control over the actual water temperature.

An ice bath chiller allows you to set and maintain a consistent water temperature rather than relying on bags of ice or whatever the British weather happens to be doing that week.

That becomes particularly useful if cold-water immersion is part of a regular routine and you want your plunge ready when you are.

It also means your setup remains usable when spring and summer eventually return.

Sauna First or Ice Bath First?

There's no universal sequence that everybody needs to follow.

If your goal is simply relaxation and enjoying the contrast between hot and cold, many people naturally prefer sauna first followed by a cold plunge.

You can then return to the sauna afterwards if you want to repeat the cycle.

If you're using cold-water immersion around exercise, however, timing can matter.

Research has raised questions around frequent cold-water immersion immediately after resistance training and whether it may reduce some of the adaptations associated with muscle growth.

That doesn't mean cold plunging is inherently bad after exercise. It simply means that the best timing depends on why you're doing it.

If maximising strength or muscle growth is your primary objective, it's worth thinking about when cold immersion fits into your training rather than automatically jumping into an ice bath after every session.

How to Create a Home Wellness Routine You'll Actually Stick To

The best home wellness setup isn't necessarily the one with the most equipment.

It's the one you actually use.

If you're introducing sauna this autumn, think about where it realistically fits into your existing day rather than designing an elaborate routine that becomes impossible to maintain.

That might mean 20 minutes in an infrared sauna before work.

It could mean a traditional sauna after an evening training session.

Perhaps it's a sauna and cold plunge on a Sunday morning.

Or it might simply be a portable sauna a few evenings each week instead of another half an hour looking at a screen.

Keep towels nearby. Have water ready. Make your equipment easy to access. And choose a setup that doesn't require so much preparation that you can't be bothered to use it.

Consistency usually beats complexity.

Which Type of Sauna Is Right for You?

There's no single best type of sauna. The right choice depends on your home, budget, available space and the experience you're looking for.

If you want something indoors that's quick and convenient to use, explore our indoor infrared saunas.

If space is limited or you want a lower-commitment way to get started, take a look at our portable saunas.

If you want a traditional garden sauna experience, compare our outdoor barrel saunas and outdoor cube saunas.

And if you want to build a complete hot-and-cold setup at home, you can pair your sauna with one of our ice baths and cold plunge tubs and an ice bath chiller for precise temperature control.

Is Autumn a Good Time to Buy a Sauna?

We'd argue it's one of the best.

Install a sauna in autumn and you're heading directly into the months when you'll naturally want to use it most.

More importantly, starting now gives you time to turn sauna into a habit rather than something you use twice in January because you've made another New Year's resolution.

Whether that's a portable infrared sauna, a cabin inside your home, a barrel sauna in the garden or a complete sauna and cold-plunge setup, the right choice is the one that works for your space and the way you'll genuinely use it.

And if you're not sure which KOVE setup suits your space, electrical supply or intended use, get in touch with us.

We'd much rather help you choose the right setup than sell you the wrong one.