Sauna & Steam Aromatherapy Oils

Which aromatherapy oil belongs in a sauna or steam room, and how do you use it safely?

Aromatherapy oil turns a sauna or steam session into something you feel in your whole body. Eucalyptus opens the airways in the heat. Lavender settles you down. Mint sharpens a morning session. The scent rides the steam or the heat off the rocks and fills the room.

The key thing to get right is the oil itself. Sauna and steam use pure essential oils made for heat, not perfume or fragrance oil, which can smell harsh or leave residue when heated. We carry the Mr. Steam essential and chakra aroma range, made for exactly this.

Pick by what you want the session to do

How to use it, without wrecking your equipment

In a steam room, the cleanest way is an aroma steamhead or aromatherapy pump that meters oil into the steam line. That keeps the oil out of the generator, which matters. Never pour essential oil directly into a steam generator. It is not built for it and it will cause problems.

In a sauna, dilute a few drops in the water you ladle onto the rocks, or use a dedicated aroma cup that hangs near the heater. Do not drip neat oil straight onto hot rocks. It can flare and it burns off too fast to enjoy.

A little goes a long way. A few drops scents a whole room. Start light. You can always add more, and over-scenting a hot enclosed space is unpleasant and hard to undo mid-session.

What we will tell you not to buy

Do not use fragrance oil or perfume in a sauna or steam room. It is made to smell nice at room temperature, not to be heated, and it can turn acrid and leave residue. Use pure essential oil made for heat.

Do not pour oil into a steam generator to save buying a proper aroma steamhead or pump. You will damage the generator, and that repair costs many times what the correct accessory does.

And do not overbuy scents on day one. Start with one relaxing and one clearing oil, eucalyptus and lavender is the classic pair. Learn what you reach for, then expand. Most people use two or three and let the rest sit.

Common questions