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Is 'take a sauna' the correct expression?

English Language & Usage Asked on March 15, 2021

I’m not a native English speaker and I was just wondering if take a sauna is a correct way to say that I’m going to sauna, the same way you can say take a shower. I have tried to search this up online, and the expression appears in some forum posts and guides but I can’t find anything official.

3 Answers

I never take a shower or a sauna. To where would I take them? I typically shower (i.e. use the noun as a verb), but I'm not happy with sauna as a verb. I tend to "use the sauna" or "go into the sauna". I don't even like to "have" a shower or a sauna; to me this simply implies ownership. (I used to be able to "bathe" but I no longer have a bath, having replaced mine with a shower.)

I dislike both, but find "have" preferable to "take". Although, American probably favours "take".

Answered by KDM on March 15, 2021

Wiktionary has an appendix that includes collocations of 'take' and 'have'. It includes "'take'/'have' a bath" and "'take'/'have' a shower". 'Take' is more common in the US, 'have' in the UK.

The good news is that both terms are intelligible on both sides of the Pond and that most civilized people on either side wouldn't hold it against you that you used the less common, less preferred version.

Answered by DCDuring on March 15, 2021

As a Finn-American I was always directed by my Finlander fam to say take sauna.

I think this might have derived post Finland as the UP of Michigan (where my Grandmother was from) didn't always do the best grammatically while speaking.

"I am going to take sauna." Notice- not "a" sauna. Take sauna (sow-na not saw-na).

Answered by Rachel Lee on March 15, 2021

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