Quick answer: Sauna sweat is sodium-heavy — roughly 800–1,200 mg of sodium per liter, and a good session takes a liter or more out of you. The best electrolyte for sauna use is a sodium-forward, zero-sugar mix in the neighborhood of 1,000 mg sodium per serving. Suolaa (1,000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, 60 mg magnesium) is the only one built specifically for sauna. LMNT matches the mineral profile and is a fine choice too. Magnesium-led mixes like Magna and sugar-based mixes like Liquid IV are built for other jobs.
The sauna takes something. Mostly, it takes salt.
An hour of proper löyly can pull a liter or more of sweat out of you, and that sweat isn’t water — it carries somewhere between 800 and 1,200 mg of sodium per liter, along with smaller amounts of potassium and magnesium. Plain water puts back the volume but none of the minerals. That’s the whole argument for electrolytes, and it’s why the drinks aisle doesn’t quite work: most electrolyte products were formulated for the gym, the trail, or the hangover — not the heat.
Here’s how the four most-asked-about options actually compare for sauna use.
What to look for in a sauna electrolyte
Three things, in order:
- Sodium first. Sodium is lost in far greater quantity than any other mineral in sweat. A serving in the ~1,000 mg range replaces what a real session takes. Anything under ~500 mg is a light-sweat product.
- Zero sugar. Sugar-and-dextrose mixes are built around glucose-assisted absorption for endurance athletes mid-race. After a sauna you’re not mid-race. You don’t need 11 grams of sugar to absorb salt.
- Potassium and magnesium in supporting roles. You lose these too — just much less of them. A roughly 5:1 sodium-to-potassium ratio tracks what sweat actually contains.
How the options compare
| Suolaa | LMNT | Magna | Liquid IV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 1,000 mg | 1,000 mg | 300 mg | 500 mg |
| Potassium | 200 mg | 200 mg | 150 mg | 370 mg |
| Magnesium | 60 mg (citrate) | 60 mg (malate) | 210 mg (3 forms) | — |
| Sugar | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 11 g |
| Sweetener | stevia | stevia | stevia | cane sugar + dextrose + stevia |
| Built for | the sauna | keto / fasting / training | daily magnesium, focus | mass-market hydration |
| Price per serving | $1.97 ($1.66–1.77 sub/bundle) | $1.50 ($1.30 sub) | ~$1.77 | ~$1.56 |
Prices are one-time list prices per stick/serving as of mid-2026.
Suolaa — made for this
Suolaa is a Finnish-style electrolyte made specifically for sauna use — 1,000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, 60 mg magnesium per stick, zero sugar, zero calories, sweetened with stevia.
“Suolaa” is Finnish for salt, and that’s the honest description of what’s in the stick: salt, in the proportions sauna sweat leaves you short. The sodium-forward ratio matches the mineral profile of heavy sweating, the magnesium comes as citrate, and there’s nothing else along for the ride — no sugar, no caffeine, no vitamin blend. One stick in cold water after the last round.
It’s also the only product on this list that speaks sauna natively. The launch flavor is Löyly Lemon Lime — löyly being the steam that rises when water hits the kiuas. Not a drink. A ritual.
Best for: sauna. That’s the point.
LMNT — the strong generalist
LMNT deserves its reputation. Same mineral numbers (1,000/200/60, magnesium as malate), zero sugar, and at $1.50 a stick it’s cheaper than Suolaa. If you’re already drinking it around workouts and fasting, it will do the job after a sauna too — the sodium is right.
The difference is intent, not chemistry. LMNT is built and marketed around training, keto, and fasting; sauna is nowhere in its vocabulary. Whether that matters is up to you — we’ve written an honest head-to-head in LMNT vs. Suolaa.
Best for: gym, keto, fasting — and a perfectly good sauna backup.
Magna — a magnesium product, not a sweat product
Magna leads with magnesium — 210 mg across three forms (L-threonate, malate, glycinate), with B and D vitamins, positioned around focus, energy, and recovery. As a daily magnesium supplement it’s a considered product.
But look at the sodium: 300 mg. That’s under a third of what a liter of sauna sweat carries. Magna itself markets against “salty electrolytes” — which is a fair position for its use case, and exactly why it’s mismatched for the sauna, where salt is precisely what you lost.
Best for: daily magnesium supplementation. Not sweat replacement.
Liquid IV — built for a different problem
Liquid IV’s Hydration Multiplier is engineered around oral rehydration science: sugar (11 g) plus sodium (500 mg) to speed water absorption. That design makes sense mid-marathon or when you can’t keep fluids down. After a sauna, it means you’re drinking 45 calories of sugar to get half the sodium a session took out.
Best for: endurance events and travel. Not the sauna bench.
Does the sauna really take that much out of you?
A typical session runs 0.5 to 1.5 liters of sweat per hour depending on heat, humidity, and how you run your rounds. Multiply by 800–1,200 mg of sodium per liter and a serious evening at the bathhouse can move north of a gram of sodium. The full arithmetic — and what it does and doesn’t mean — is in How Much Sodium Do You Lose in a Sauna?
FAQ
Do you need electrolytes for the sauna? For a short, single round, water is fine. For longer sessions, multiple rounds, or contrast bathing, replacing sodium along with fluid helps you finish the evening feeling like yourself instead of wrung out.
What’s the best electrolyte ratio for sauna use? Sodium-forward. Sweat carries roughly five times more sodium than potassium, so a mix in the range of 1,000 mg sodium / 200 mg potassium / 60 mg magnesium mirrors what you actually lost.
Is LMNT good for sauna? Yes — its mineral profile suits heavy sweating. Suolaa uses the same sodium-forward ratio; the difference is that Suolaa is formulated, flavored, and built around the sauna ritual specifically.
Should electrolytes have sugar? Not for sauna use. Glucose-based mixes exist to speed absorption during endurance exercise. Post-sauna, a zero-sugar mix replaces minerals without the calories.
When should you drink electrolytes — before or after the sauna? After is the simple answer; some people split a serving before and after long sessions. Full breakdown: Electrolytes Before or After the Sauna?
Suolaa — Finnish for salt. The sauna takes something. SUOLAA gives it back. Shop the Box of 30 →
This article is for general information and isn’t medical advice. If you have a condition that affects sodium or fluid balance, talk to your doctor about sauna use and electrolyte intake.