One of the best ways to elevate your sauna experience is to use essential oils for sauna aromatherapy. Essential oils can offer fantastic physical and emotional benefits to improve your wellness. However, finding the best essential oils for sauna use can be difficult. We created this guide to help you find the best essential oils for sauna use, including a breakdown of each essential oil’s scent and benefits, so you can get the best sauna aromatherapy experience possible.

How We Ranked These Essential Oils

To determine the best essential oils for sauna use, an independent research team evaluated multiple top essential oil blends across 5 different weighted criteria. Each blend was then assigned a weighted 100-point score to determine its overall value. The criteria and weighting used to determine this score were:

Practice Fit (30%): How well the essential oil's ingredients and benefits suit sauna aromatherapy use.
Scent Profile (25%): The strength of the essential oil’s scent profile, including its character, depth, and intensity.
Use Method (20%): How the essential oil is recommended to be used in the sauna, such as diluted in water or in a diffuser.
Dilution and Dispensing (15%): How diluted and easy to dispense the essential oil is.
Price (10%): The price per fluid ounce of the essential oil.

Best Essential Oils for Sauna: 2026 Comparison

Rank	Essential Oil	Therapeutic Benefits (30%)	Scent Profile (25%)	Use Method (20%)	Dilution and Safety (15%)	Price (10%)	Score
1	Othership: Essential Oils Set of 5	Signature blends offer relaxation, focus, and mindful presence	5 blends with offering woodsy, herbal, floral, and citrus aromas	Sauna rocks, diffusers	100% pure essential oil, dropper cap for dispensing	~$1.89/ml	98
2	Almost Heaven Essential Oil Box	Range of calming effects	8 scents for customization	Sauna rocks	100% essential oil, dropper cap for dispensing	~$1.11/ml	97
3	Almost Heaven Harvia Eucalyptus	Invigorating, relaxing, mental clarity	Fresh, herbal, subtle	Sauna rocks	Diluted, flip top cap for pouring	~$0.14/ml	96
4	Almost Heaven Harvia Peppermint	Cool, energizing, alertness	Fresh, minty, sweet	Sauna rocks	Diluted, flip top cap for pouring	~$0.14/ml	94
5	Sauna Box Essential Oil Variety Pack	Invigorating, relaxing, destressing	Eucalyptus and 2 distinct herbal blends	Sauna rocks, diffusers, Sauna Box lava rock diffuser	100% essential oil, dropper cap for dispensing	~$1.33/ml	93
6	Touch of Finland Rento Sauna Scent Eucalyptus	Relaxing, soothing, refreshing	Herbal, subtle	Sauna rocks	Diluted, twist cap for measuring and pouring	~$0.04/ml	92
7	Almost Heaven Harvia Pine	Grounding, rejuvenating, destressing,	Woodsy, crisp, clean	Sauna rocks	Diluted, flip top cap for pouring	~$0.14/ml	90
8	Touch of Finland Rento Sauna Scent Birch	Soothing, refreshing, calming	Woodsy, crisp, sweet	Sauna rocks	Diluted, twist cap for measuring and pouring	~$0.04/ml	89

Essential Oil Safety

To use essential oils in steam saunas safely, always dilute them in water to the recommended amount. Pour this mix over sauna rocks or into an aromatherapy dish. Never pour essential oil directly onto sauna rocks or your heating element, as the oil can burn, smoke, or damage electric heaters. If you’re using a diffuser, follow your diffuser's instructions for essential oil use.

See the Othership Essential Oil Booklet for more information about essential oils and safe handling.

1. Othership Essential Oils Set of 5

Othership is a top brand for wellness products and experiences in the New York and Toronto metropolitan areas. Founded in 2022, Othership is dedicated to helping you on your wellness journey with guided sauna and ice bath experiences and carefully formulated products to enhance your self-care and wellness rituals.

The Othership Essential Oils Set of 5 includes 10ml bottles of each of Othership’s signature blends: Signature Scent, Sojourn Scent, All Around, Up, and Down. These signature blends were formulated to support your daily wellness needs across the full spectrum, from energizing, soothing, grounding, supporting, and everything in between. Each blend also offers a distinct aroma with a range of natural notes, creating strong and pleasant scents. The careful curation, variety, and holistic aromatherapy approach make these the highest-rated essential oils for sauna use.

Uses: Holistic physical, emotional, and wellness support
Recommended Dilution: A few drops into a full sauna bucket or a diffuser
Price: ~$1.89/ml of 100% essential oil

Summary of Online Reviews

Otherships’ customers highly praise this set’s variety of signature blends, noting that they used each for different outcomes for their sauna aromatherapy sessions. Reviewers cited different signature blends as their go-tos for their unique benefits and scent profiles, though the Signature Scent blend was a common favorite, offering a calming, woodsy aroma.

2. Almost Heaven Essential Oil Box

The Almost Heaven Essential Oil Box includes 10ml bottles of eight scents: Pine, Ylang Ylang, Lavender, Cedarwood, Frankincense, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and Lemon. The variety of 100% pure essential oils, each with its own aromatherapy benefits, lets you customize your own blend to suit your aromatherapy needs. This customization also lets you personally curate the scent profile, making it one of the best essential oil sets for sauna use if you’re seeking a variety of sauna aromatherapy experiences.

Uses: Customizable, dependent on blend
Recommended Dilution: 3 to 6 drops per quart of water
Price: ~$1.11/ml of 100% essential oil

Summary of Online Reviews

Almost Heaven’s customers praised the set's customizable nature and the strong scent of each essential oil. Most users agreed that most of the scents in this set were useful for creating calm atmospheres. This set was more popular among experienced essential oil users familiar with blending practices.

3. Almost Heaven Harvia Eucalyptus

The Almost Heaven Harvia Eucalyptus essential oil comes diluted in a 400ml bottle. Eucalyptus is widely recognized as one of the best essential oils for sauna use because its fresh, invigorating aroma relaxes and re-energizes the senses. The diluted eucalyptus scent is subtle, awakening and energizing without overpowering the senses. The subtle freshness also helps relax you and calm your emotions, leaving you feeling refreshed. This delicate balance makes this one of the best essential oils for sauna use when you want both calm and energy.

Uses: Relaxing, rejuvenating, clarity
Recommended Dilution: Ratio of 1 part scent to 20 parts water
Price: ~$0.14/ml of diluted essential oil

Summary of Online Reviews

Almost Heaven’s customers spoke highly of the eucalyptus scent of this essential oil, stating that it was their go-to scent and blend for sauna aromatherapy. Although many customers reported that they could use this essential oil for either energizing or relaxing, many reported that they preferred to use this essential for one or the other.

4. Almost Heaven Harvia Peppermint

The Almost Heaven Harvia Peppermint essential oil comes diluted in a 400ml bottle. Peppermint is a popular scent for sauna aromatherapy because of its ability to shock the senses awake with its cool and fresh aroma, boosting energy and attention. Peppermint also has an underlying sweet scent that comes through in this essential oil, adding a pleasant sweetness that softens the aroma's sharpness. The diluted peppermint scent of this essential oil also trends more subtly to alert and energize you without a harsh shock to the senses. This balance makes this one of the best essential oils for sauna use when you want to boost your energy.

Best For: Refreshing, energizing, focus
Recommended Dilution: Ratio of 1 part scent to 20 parts water
Price: ~$0.14/ml of diluted essential oil

Summary of Online Reviews

Almost Heaven’s customers highly praised this essential oil’s scent, stating that it was a highlight of the essential oil during aromatherapy. Many enjoyed the underlying sweetness of the aroma and some reported that they used this essential oil for its scent over its benefits in aromatherapy.

5. Sauna Box Essential Oil Variety Pack

The Sauna Box Essential Oil Variety Pack includes three 10ml bottles: one of 100% pure Eucalyptus oil and one each of Sauna Box’s Invigorate and Relax blends. This Eucalyptus oil features soft, woody undertones that support its fresh herbal scent. The Invigorate and Relax blends are also formulated with 100% natural ingredients that deliver a pleasant herbal aroma with underlying citrus notes. With this curated essential oil set, you can choose refreshing clarity, energizing rejuvenation, or soothing relaxation, making it a great set of essential oils for sauna use when sauna aromatherapy is part of your daily routine.

Best For: Refreshing, invigorating, relaxing
Recommended Dilution: 4 to 10 drops in steam output dispenser; 4 to 5 drops directly onto Saunabox Lava Rock diffuser
Price: ~$1.33/ml of 100% essential oil

Summary of Online Reviews

Sauna Box customers enjoyed this essential oil set's range, which provided appropriate energy and calm throughout the day. Most customers rated the Relax blend as their favorite for its rich herbal scent, which they described as the set's most complex aroma.

6. Touch of Finland Rento Sauna Scent Eucalyptus

The Touch of Finland Rento Sauna Scent Eucalyptus essential oil comes diluted in a 400ml bottle. This essential oil's eucalyptus scent is prominently herbal and aims to refresh you by relaxing and soothing the senses. For sauna aromatherapy, the soothing herbal notes and subtle aroma help to calm you and create a peaceful atmosphere. Eucalyptus's freshness also helps decongest and promotes muscle relaxation, making it a great essential oil for sauna use when you want to unwind after physical or mental stress.

Best For: Relaxing, calming, soothing
Recommended Dilution: 2 to 4 capfulls into a full sauna bucket
Price: ~$0.04/ml of diluted essential oil

Summary of Online Reviews

Touch of Finland’s customers praised the subtle eucalyptus scent, saying it often provided the perfect amount of fragrance without overwhelming them. Many customers said they preferred this blend for relaxation. However, customers noted that the blend's high dilution required more liquid for noticeable effects, causing them to use up the essential oil faster.

7. Almost Heaven Harvia Pine

The Almost Heaven Harvia Pine essential oil comes diluted in a 400ml bottle. Pine is a popular aromatherapy scent because its fresh, woodsy aroma can promote mental clarity, energy, and stress relief. This pine blend has a clean note that supports its prominent woodsy scent, promoting calm and rejuvenation during sauna aromatherapy. The earthiness also helps to ground and de-stress, making this a great essential oil for sauna use when you want to recenter and refocus.

Best For: Grounding, destressing, clearing mental fog
Recommended Dilution: Ratio of 1 part scent to 20 parts water
Price: ~$0.14/ml of diluted essential oil

Summary of Online Reviews

Almost Heaven’s customers appreciated this blend's woodsy aroma and favored it for its clean scent. Customers said this aroma improved their focus and helped them recenter, making it a reliable essential oil for customers who use sauna aromatherapy for regulation.

8. Touch of Finland Rento Sauna Scent Birch

The Touch of Finland Rento Sauna Scent Birch essential oil comes diluted in a 400ml bottle. This essential oil has a woodsy birch scent with crisp mint that refreshes the senses and promotes alertness. Sweet undertones in the pine scent add brightness that rounds out the aroma and creates a calming, refreshing atmosphere. The lush, soothing scent makes this a great essential oil for sauna use when you want natural calm.

Best For: Soothing, calming, refreshing
Recommended Dilution: 2 to 4 capfulls into a full sauna bucket
Price: ~$0.04/ml of diluted essential oil

Summary of Online Reviews

Touch of Finland’s customers praised the subtle birch scent of this blend, noting its sweet undertones. However, customers noted that the blend's high dilution required more liquid for noticeable effects, causing them to use up the essential oil faster.

Spin-Off Rankings by Use Case

Best Essential Oil for Sauna Aromatherapy Beginners

Rank	Incense	Why It Ranks
1	Othership Essential Oils Set of 5	Curated blends provide five options for multiple aromatherapy needs, supporting beginners with high quality options without extensive aromatherapy knowledge required
2	Sauna Box Essential Oil Variety Pack	Curated blends provide three options for every part of the day, requiring minimal aromatherapy knowledge for effective sauna aromatherapy sessions
3	Almost Heaven Harvia Eucalyptus	Classic eucalyptus scent for sauna aromatherapy works as a great starting point for beginners

Best Essential Oil for Aroma

Rank	Incense	Why It Ranks
1	Othership Essential Oils Set of 5	Highly praised for its variety of scents and blends covering woodsy, herbal, floral, and citrus aromas
2	Almost Heaven Peppermint	Mix of sharp mint and refreshing sweetness highly praised by customers, adding a refreshing element to sauna aromatherapy
3	Almost Heaven Essential Oil Box	8 options of 100% essential oils provide rich scents and a customizable scent profile, letting customers create their desired aroma

Best Essential Oil for Post-Exercise Recovery

Rank	Incense	Why It Ranks
1	Touch of Finland Rento Sauna Scent Eucalyptus	Calming eucalyptus scent helps to relax and soothe, providing an ideal atmosphere for cooldowns after exercise
2	Othership Essential Oils Set of 5	Variety of blends aid in multiple areas of cooldown after exercise, including relaxation, calming, and soothing
3	Touch of Finland Rento Sauna Scent Birch	Soothing and calming birch scent helps to relax and refresh, helping cooldown after exercise with a lush, natural atmosphere

The Best Essential Oils for Your Aromatherapy Needs

Whether for sauna use, massages, or general aromatherapy, essential oils can enhance your wellness rituals and help you get the most out of self-care. Othership knows that having a variety of essential oil options helps you stay prepared to meet your wellness needs without hassle. View Othership’s collection of essential oils and aromatherapy blends at Othership to find your new favorite blend.

Try othership free for 30 days

use code: allaboard

Best Essential Oils for Sauna

How We Ranked These Essential Oils