sauna
gb/sˈɔnə/ us/sˈɔnə/
B1
English
szauna, szaunázás
NOUN
B1
1
szauna
A2
Usage pattern:
in/at a sauna; use the sauna
After swimming, we warmed up in the sauna.
Úszás után a szaunában melegedtünk fel.
The gym has a sauna next to the changing rooms.
Az edzőteremben az öltözők mellett van egy szauna.
He poured water on the hot stones to make the sauna feel hotter.
Learner examples
There is a sauna in this hotel.
Van szauna ebben a szállodában.
I like to sit in the sauna after exercise.
Szeretek edzés után beülni a szaunába.
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse a sauna (typically dry heat) with a steam room (wet steam), and may omit the article: say “go to the sauna,” not “go to sauna.”
Meaning
heated room for sweating
Collocations
use the sauna
|sit in the sauna
|go in the sauna
|a public sauna
|a private sauna
|a hotel sauna
|a sauna heater
|a sauna bench
|an infrared sauna
|a wood-fired sauna
Synonyms
steam room (Similar spa room, but heated mainly with moist steam rather than dry heat.)
|
steam bath (Often refers to a steamy heated room or the experience; not always the same as a sauna.)
Antonyms
ice bath (A cold immersion used as an opposite hot/cold treatment.)
Themes
health
|fitness
|leisure
|travel
|daily_life
Definition
a hot room where you sit and sweat
A small heated room, usually lined with wood, where people sit for a short time to sweat for relaxation or health.
NOUN
B1
2
szaunázás
B1
Usage pattern:
have/take a sauna; a quick/short sauna
Let’s take a sauna before dinner.
Szaunázzunk egyet vacsora előtt.
I usually have a sauna twice a week.
Általában hetente kétszer szoktam szaunázni.
After a short sauna, she took a cold shower.
Learner examples
I want to take a sauna today.
Ma szeretnék szaunázni.
We had a sauna after the gym.
Az edzőterem után szaunáztunk.
Common mistake:
A common error is missing the article: “take a sauna,” not “take sauna.”
Meaning
a session in a sauna
Collocations
take a sauna
|have a sauna
|a quick sauna
|a short sauna
|a sauna session
|after a sauna
|between saunas
|a sauna break
|a relaxing sauna
|a post-workout sauna
Synonyms
sauna session (More explicit; often used in gyms and wellness contexts.)
Themes
health
|fitness
|leisure
Definition
time you spend in a sauna
A period of time spent sitting in a sauna.
NOUN
B2
3
szauna
A2
Usage pattern:
a sauna with [features]; a men’s/women’s sauna
A new sauna opened near the station.
Új szauna nyílt az állomás közelében.
They met at a sauna that also has a small pool.
Egy olyan szaunában találkoztak, ahol egy kis medence is van.
The hotel recommended a sauna in the city center.
Learner examples
There is a sauna near my home.
Van egy szauna az otthonom közelében.
We visited a sauna on the weekend.
Hétvégén elmentünk egy szaunába.
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse “sauna” for any spa; in English it usually means the sauna room itself unless context clearly means the facility.
Meaning
place offering sauna facilities
Collocations
a local sauna
|a neighborhood sauna
|a sauna and spa
|a sauna complex
|a sauna facility
|a sauna with a pool
|a sauna with a plunge pool
|a mixed sauna
|a women-only sauna
|a sauna membership
Synonyms
spa (Broader: may include many treatments beyond saunas.)
|
bathhouse (Broader facility for bathing; may include saunas.)
Themes
health
|leisure
|business
|travel
Definition
a place where you can use a sauna
A place or business that provides saunas for customers, often as part of a spa, gym, or bathhouse.
NOUN
B2
INFORMAL
4
szauna
A2
Usage pattern:
It’s a sauna in [place].
It’s a sauna in this apartment—can we open a window?
Kész szauna ez a lakás – kinyithatnánk egy ablakot?
With the heat off, the office turned into a sauna by noon.
Kikapcsolt fűtés mellett is délre szauna lett az irodából.
Learner examples
It’s a sauna in here.
Kész szauna van itt.
My car feels like a sauna in summer.
Nyáron olyan az autóm, mint egy szauna.
Common mistake:
This is usually used in the pattern “It’s a sauna in here,” not as a literal statement about an actual sauna.
Meaning
uncomfortably hot place (metaphor)
Collocations
It’s a sauna in here
|the room is a sauna
|this place is a sauna
|turn this sauna off
|a sauna-like room
|a sauna-like office
Synonyms
oven (Common metaphor for uncomfortable heat; often suggests dry heat.)
|
furnace (Stronger metaphor implying intense heat.)
Antonyms
icebox (Metaphor for a place that feels very cold.)
Themes
daily_life
|weather
|home
Definition
a place that feels very hot
An environment that feels extremely hot, compared to the heat of a sauna.
Grammar
Dictionary form
sauna
IPA
GB/sˈɔnə/
US/sˈɔnə/
Syllables & stress
sauna (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (sauna)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: sauna
- Plural: saunas
Expressions
go to the sauna
1/ɡˈoʊ tə ðə sˈɔnə/
fixed phrase
visit a sauna facility
to visit a sauna
Examples
- We went to the sauna on Sunday evening.
- Do you want to go to the sauna after work?
Learner examples
- Let’s go to the sauna.
- I go to the sauna every week.
sauna bath
1/sˈɔnə bˈæθ/
fixed phrase
formal
a sauna session (term)
a time when you use a sauna
Examples
- The spa offers massage treatments and a sauna bath.
- After training, the team had a sauna bath to unwind.
Learner examples
- The hotel offers a sauna bath.
- We had a sauna bath after swimming.
sauna suit
1/sˈɔnə sˈut/
fixed phrase
garment to increase sweating
special clothing that makes you sweat
Examples
- He wore a sauna suit while running to cut water weight.
- Doctors warn that exercising in a sauna suit can lead to dehydration.
Learner examples
- He is wearing a sauna suit.
- A sauna suit can make you sweat a lot.
take a sauna
1/tˈeɪk ə sˈɔnə/
fixed phrase
spend time in a sauna
to sit in a sauna for a short time
Examples
- We took a sauna after our hike.
- She likes to take a sauna to relax at the end of the day.
Learner examples
- I want to take a sauna.
- We took a sauna after the gym.