Best Sauna Accessories: Buckets, Ladles, and Thermometers
Once the sauna is built and the heater is running, a few small accessories make every session better.
A wooden bucket and ladle let you pour water on the stones for steam, a thermometer and hygrometer show you how hot and humid it really is, and a sand timer helps you keep sessions to a safe length.
Most of these are made from wood that is meant to stay comfortable to touch in high heat, so they belong in the sauna rather than a kitchen drawer.
Best Bucket and Ladle Set: Wooden Sauna Bucket and Ladle
A classic wooden bucket with a liner and a long handled ladle is the heart of any traditional sauna.
Wood stays cool enough to handle, and the long ladle keeps your hand away from the hot stones and steam burst.
Rinse and let it dry between sessions so the wood lasts.
Wooden Sauna Bucket and Ladle Set
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Traditional wooden sauna bucket with liner and long handled ladle for pouring water on stones.
Shop on Amazon →Best Thermometer: Wooden Sauna Thermometer and Hygrometer
A combined thermometer and hygrometer shows both heat and humidity, which together decide how intense the sauna feels.
Mount it high on the wall near where you sit, since air is much hotter at the ceiling than the floor.
Wooden frames stay comfortable to touch and fit the look of a cedar or spruce room.
Wooden Sauna Thermometer and Hygrometer
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Two in one sauna thermometer and humidity gauge in a heat safe wooden frame.
Shop on Amazon →Best Timer: Sauna Sand Timer 15 Minutes
Time disappears in a hot sauna, and a wall mounted sand timer makes it easy to keep track without a phone.
Most are set to 15 minutes, a common length for a single round.
Flip it when you sit down and step out to cool off when it runs out.
Wall Mounted Sauna Sand Timer
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Heat safe wooden sand timer for keeping sauna sessions to about 15 minutes.
Shop on Amazon →Best Headrest: Cedar Sauna Headrest
A contoured wooden headrest makes lying on the upper bench far more comfortable.
Cedar and other sauna woods stay cooler than metal and resist moisture.
It is a small upgrade that people tend to use every single session.
Cedar Sauna Headrest
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Contoured cedar headrest for relaxing comfortably on the upper sauna bench.
Shop on Amazon →Best Steam Scent: Sauna Aromatherapy Oils
A few drops of sauna scent mixed into the bucket water adds birch, eucalyptus, or pine aroma to the steam.
Use oils made for sauna use and add them to water, never straight onto the stones.
They are a nice touch for winter evenings and for guests.
Sauna Aroma Scent Set
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Sauna scent concentrates such as eucalyptus and birch to mix into bucket water.
Shop on Amazon →Tips for Sauna Accessories
- Choose wood over metal. Metal handles and frames get painfully hot. Wood stays comfortable to touch.
- Mount gauges high. Put the thermometer near head height on the upper bench so it reads what you actually feel.
- Dry everything after use. Leave the bucket and ladle upside down to dry so they do not crack or grow mildew.
- Keep sessions short. Limit each round, drink water, and cool off between rounds, especially at higher temperatures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What accessories do you need for a sauna?
The basics are a bucket and ladle, a thermometer, and a timer. A headrest, backrest, and scent are nice extras.
Can I use a plastic bucket in a sauna?
It is better not to. Plastic can soften or warp in high heat. Wooden buckets with a liner are made for it.
Where should a sauna thermometer go?
Mount it on a wall near the upper bench, away from the heater, so it shows the temperature where you sit.
Can I put essential oil on sauna stones?
Do not put oil directly on stones. Mix sauna scent into the water in your bucket and ladle it on.