Your first spa day: what to wear, what happens and what to expect

Quick answer: For your first spa day, pack swimwear, sliders or flip flops, a hair tie, a small toiletry bag and a change of underwear; most spas provide a robe, towels and lockers. You undress to your own comfort level for a massage and stay covered with a sheet or towel throughout. Spas are calm places, so phones are usually kept away. If you are pregnant, have high blood pressure or a heart condition, check with your doctor or midwife before using saunas, steam rooms or hot tubs, and tell the spa when you book.

The booking confirmation lands in your inbox and the excitement kicks in. Then the questions start. What do you actually wear? Do you walk around in a robe all day? What happens when the therapist asks you to undress?

A first spa day can feel like stepping into a world with its own quiet language. Once you know what to expect, it becomes one of the most restorative days you can give yourself.

Spas are hugely popular around the world. The Global Wellness Institute estimates there were 201,861 spas worldwide in 2024, generating $157 billion in revenue. This is your friendly guide to making your first visit relaxed from arrival to the last cup of herbal tea.

What to pack

Most spas provide robes, towels and a locker, and many supply slippers and toiletries too. Check your booking details, then pack:

• Swimwear for the pool, hot tub and any mixed thermal areas.
• Sliders or flip flops if slippers are not provided.
• A hair tie or clip, and a comb or brush.
• Fresh underwear and comfortable clothes to change into afterwards.
• A reusable water bottle.
• Any medication you may need, such as an inhaler.
• Minimal jewellery. Leave valuables at home where you can, as metal can get hot in saunas.

Arriving, changing and robes

Aim to arrive 15 to 30 minutes before your first treatment. You will usually check in, fill in a short health form and be shown to the changing rooms. Many spas have private cubicles if you would rather change out of view.

Then comes the robe. Yes, people really do wear their robe and slippers all day, including at lunch in the spa café. Wear your swimwear underneath if you plan to use the pool or heat rooms, and slip the robe on over the top as you move between areas.

What to wear under a massage

This is the question people are most curious about, so here is the simple answer: you undress to your own comfort level. Natural Health Practitioners of Canada describes it this way: the amount you undress is always your choice, and you can stay fully clothed if you prefer.

Many people keep their underwear on; others are happy without. Your therapist will leave the room while you get settled on the treatment couch under a sheet or towel. This is called draping, and it is a standard part of professional massage worldwide:

• Only the area being worked on is uncovered at any time.
• Private areas are never uncovered.
• When you turn over, your therapist holds the sheet so you can move in privacy.
• You can ask for any area to stay covered or be left out of the treatment.

Speak up about pressure, temperature or anything that feels uncomfortable. A good therapist will check in with you and adjust.

Massage is the heart of most spa days. Fresha's Selfcare Report 2025, based on bookings across its marketplace of more than 140,000 businesses in over 120 countries, found that massage accounts for more than 90% of wellness bookings globally. If you would like to explore treatments before you go, our guides to aromatherapy, reflexology and facials explain what each involves.

Spa etiquette: quiet zones and phones

Spas are designed as places to switch off, so a few gentle habits help everyone relax:

• Quiet zones are for whispering or silence. Save chatty catch ups for the café or pool.
• Phones usually stay in your locker. Many spas ask for no phones in thermal areas, partly to protect everyone's privacy.
• Shower before using the pool, hot tub or heat rooms.
• Sit on a towel in saunas for hygiene.
• Arrive on time for treatments, as late arrival often shortens the session.

Heat experiences and your health

Saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs are wonderful, and a little care makes them even better. Harvard Health suggests limiting sauna sessions to 15 to 20 minutes, avoiding alcohol before and after, cooling down gradually and drinking two to four glasses of water afterwards. It also advises people with uncontrolled high blood pressure or heart disease to check with their doctor first.

If you are pregnant, health guidance varies by country, so speak to your doctor or midwife before using heat facilities. A UK NHS GP practice advises avoiding saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs in pregnancy because of the risk of overheating, particularly in the first 12 weeks. In Canada, HealthLink BC advises caution, keeping temperatures below 38.9°C and limiting time to 10 minutes in a hot tub or 15 minutes in a sauna. Many spas offer specialist pregnancy massage, so mention your pregnancy when you book.

Always tell the spa about any health conditions, medication or recent surgery on your health form. Therapists cannot diagnose, but this helps them choose treatments that are comfortable and suitable for you. If you feel dizzy or unwell at any point, leave the heat, sit down and let a member of staff know.

Tipping

Spa tipping varies by country. In the US a tip is widely expected, while in many other places it is a kind extra or already included as a service charge. Check your bill, and see our guide to tipping in hair and beauty around the world for local customs.

Spa customs around the world

Bathing and wellbeing traditions are some of the oldest rituals in the world, and wellness travel is booming: the Global Wellness Institute valued wellness tourism at $894 billion in 2024. If you are visiting a traditional bathhouse abroad, these are the customs worth knowing. Always follow the guidance of each venue.

Nordic sauna

Sauna culture in Finland is recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, and Finland's official site estimates there are around three million saunas in the country. Shower first and sit on a small towel. Swimwear is usually worn in mixed saunas, while single gender saunas are often enjoyed without it. MyHelsinki notes temperatures typically run between 70 and 90°C, that you should ask before adding steam (called löyly) by ladling water onto the stones, and that you go at your own pace, cooling off with a cold shower or a dip in the sea.

Turkish hammam

A traditional Turkish hammam takes you from a cool room for changing, through a warm room, to a domed hot room with a heated marble platform at its centre called the göbek taşı. An attendant exfoliates your skin with a coarse mitt (kese), then washes you in soft soap foam (köpük). You are given a thin cotton wrap called a peştamal. Most hammams have separate sections or bathing times by gender. Plan for 60 to 90 minutes.

Korean jjimjilbang

A jjimjilbang is a social bathhouse where people relax, eat and even sleep overnight. You are given a cotton outfit to wear in the shared heated rooms, while the bathing areas are separated by gender and enjoyed without clothing. Wash thoroughly at the shower stations before soaking, and look out for a body scrub called seshin. Many visitors enjoy sikhye, a sweet rice drink, and eggs baked in the heated rooms.

Japanese onsen

Onsen are natural hot spring baths. Bathing is traditionally done without swimwear, in baths separated by gender. As the Oita tourism guide explains, you wash and rinse thoroughly at the seated shower stations before getting in, and keep your small towel out of the water, often folded on your head. Many onsen have rules about tattoos, so check ahead; some offer private baths.

Moroccan hammam

The Moroccan hammam has long been a weekly ritual and a place for neighbours to gather. A traditional ritual begins in a warm steam room, followed by a massage with black olive soap (beldi), a scrub with a coarse kessa cloth and a wrap of ghassoul clay from the Atlas Mountains. It usually ends with time to rest and a glass of mint or herbal tea.

FAQs

What do you wear to a spa for the first time?

Wear comfortable clothes to arrive, and pack swimwear and sliders. Most spas provide a robe and towels, and you wear your robe between areas all day.

Do you keep your underwear on for a massage?

It is your choice. You undress to your comfort level and stay covered with a sheet or towel, with only the area being treated uncovered.

Can I use a sauna if I am pregnant?

Check with your doctor or midwife first. Guidance varies by country, and many health services advise avoiding or limiting heat because of overheating risk.

Can I take my phone into a spa?

Most spas ask you to keep phones in your locker, especially in quiet zones and thermal areas, to protect privacy and calm.

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