Eucalyptus in the sauna: benefits and how to use it

Eucalyptus is the smell most people connect with saunas and steam rooms. A ladle of eucalyptus water on the stones fills the room with a cool, sharp scent, and your nose feels clear for a while. Here's how to use it safely, what it does and doesn't do, and who should give it a miss.

Why eucalyptus?

The main ingredient of eucalyptus oil is a compound called 1,8-cineole, also known as eucalyptol. It's what gives the oil its cool, medicinal smell, and it triggers the same cold-sensing nerves in your nose as menthol. In a hot room that cool feeling is very welcome.

It's one of the standard sauna scents. The Finnish heater maker Harvia, for example, sells its sauna fragrances in five scents: eucalyptus, peppermint, birch, pine and tar. It's also a common choice for Aufguss sessions and for scented steam rooms.

How to use it in a sauna

1. Buy a eucalyptus sauna scent. These are made to mix into the water in your bucket. Pure eucalyptus oil doesn't dissolve: it floats on top, and the first ladle tips most of it onto the stones.
2. Go easy. Eucalyptus is one of the sharpest scents. Use the low end of the dose on the bottle, because too much stings your eyes and the back of your throat, and the people on the top bench feel it first.
3. Pour a ladle at a time. Wait for the wave of heat and scent to pass before adding more. Two or three ladles per round is plenty.
4. Never put oil straight on the stones. Essential oils are flammable, and sauna stones are far hotter than the point where their vapour can catch fire.

If you only have pure eucalyptus oil, there are safer ways to use it, such as a few drops on an ice ball. Our guide to essential oils in the sauna explains each method, along with the other classic scents from birch to citrus.

In a public sauna, leave scents to the staff. Other people may not want eucalyptus at all, and some react badly to it.

In a steam room or at home

There's no ladle in a steam room. Where the steam is scented, the venue adds the scent to the steam itself, so you don't need to do anything. Eucalyptus feels different here: the room is cooler than a sauna but saturated, so the smell hangs in the air for the whole session instead of arriving in waves.

In a home sauna, you can also put a few drops in a bowl of water under the benches, away from the stove, for a gentle background scent with no oil near the heater.

Eucalyptus branches and whisks

In the Russian banya, bathers use a venik, a bundle of leafy branches, to beat and stroke the skin. Birch and oak are the classics, but eucalyptus is a well-known third option. Fresh branches are used in summer, and dried or frozen bundles the rest of the year. In the heat, a eucalyptus venik gives off the same cool smell as the oil. Read more in our guide to sauna whisking.

What the evidence says

Eucalyptus feels as if it clears your nose. The research says that feeling is real, but the clearing isn't.

• In a 1983 study in Acta Oto-Laryngologica, people breathed eucalyptus, menthol or camphor vapour for five minutes. None of them changed nasal resistance to airflow, but most people reported a cold feeling in the nose and easier breathing. The authors concluded the vapours stimulate cold receptors in the nose.
• A 2008 trial in 42 children aged 10 and 11 found the same for menthol: no change in measured airflow, but the children felt their noses were clearer.
• A 2017 Cochrane review of breathing steam for the common cold, covering six trials and 387 people, found no clear benefit and rated the evidence as low quality.

So eucalyptus in the sauna is a pleasure, not a treatment. It won't cure a cold, and if you have a fever, stay out of the sauna altogether. Our guide to steam room benefits covers what moist heat can and can't do for your breathing.

Who should avoid it

• Babies and young children. The 1,8-cineole in eucalyptus can cause breathing problems in young children. Aromatherapy safety experts advise keeping eucalyptus oil away from the face of children under 10, and the European Medicines Agency's 2014 herbal monograph says children under 30 months, and children who have had seizures, shouldn't use eucalyptus oil at all, because cineole can trigger a spasm of the voice box. Skip the eucalyptus when children are in the sauna.
• People with asthma. Asthma charities warn that strong scents, including essential oils, can irritate the airways and trigger symptoms. The American Lung Association adds that menthol-type oils can make airways feel open when they aren't. Talk to your doctor first.
• Pets. The ASPCA lists eucalyptus as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Cats are especially sensitive to essential oils. Keep pets out of a home sauna and away from the bottle.
• Anyone who might swallow it. Swallowing eucalyptus oil can cause serious poisoning, especially in children. Store bottles out of reach.
• Pregnancy and sensitive skin. Ask your midwife or doctor before using essential oils when pregnant, and never put undiluted oil on your skin.

This guide is general information, not medical advice.

Where to find a steam room

Find My Sauna lists 1,767 places with a steam room, many of them with scented steam. These cities have the most:

Spa zur Sonne

Graz · Steam room and herbal sauna

Spa Wellness Hammam

Rotterdam · Hammam and steam room

Hamam Sahara Wellness

Düsseldorf · Hammam and steam room

Frequently asked questions