Too Hot to Handle: 5 Wild Celebrity Sauna Stories

Forget the red carpet. Forget the backstage parties.

Sometimes the funniest celebrity stories happen in a hot wooden room with absolutely nowhere to hide.

From a comedian getting kicked out for wearing too many clothes to a Harry Potter star making a dramatic exit into the snow, these sauna adventures are anything but ordinary.

Welcome to the steamy side of celebrity life.

1. John Oliver — Kicked Out for Wearing Too Much

Last Week Tonight. No Clothes Tonight.

Most people worry about what to wear when visiting somewhere new.

John Oliver discovered that sometimes the answer is absolutely nothing.

During a trip to Japan when he was 19, the comedian visited a sauna and decided to keep his clothes on.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite how things worked at this particular establishment.

Oliver later told Jimmy Fallon that he was thrown out for not being naked enough.

Imagine getting kicked out of a sauna for being overdressed.

That’s one dress code nobody warned him about.

2. Miriam Margolyes — Harry Potter and the Naked Snow Angel

Expecto Perspiration!

Miriam Margolyes has never been shy about telling an outrageous story.

And this one might be among her finest.

During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, the Harry Potter actress recalled visiting a health farm while it was snowing.

After enjoying the sauna, she decided to run outside naked and roll around in the snow.

Unfortunately, her snowy adventure was interrupted by the establishment’s director and a group of visitors.

She was promptly told off.

From Hogwarts to hot rocks. Miriam knows how to make an entrance — and an exit.

3. Samu Haber — The Rockstar Who Refused to Take It All Off

Sunrise Avenue. Sauna Exit.

Finnish singer Samu Haber loves saunas.

He has several of his own and has described enjoying them around five times a week.

But during a visit to a German spa with his band, things got a little awkward.

Unlike the sauna customs they were familiar with, this particular establishment expected guests to be naked.

Samu and his bandmates weren’t keen on the idea.

And according to Haber, they were kicked out for refusing.

Rock stars getting thrown out of a spa? That’s a backstage story with a twist.

4. Valtteri Bottas — Formula One’s Unexpected Sauna Star

Fast Cars. Hot Saunas. No Racing Suit.

Finnish Formula One driver Valtteri Bottas is known for his speed on the track.

But he also became famous for a rather unexpected television moment.

In Netflix’s Drive to Survive, viewers got a glimpse of Bottas enjoying a traditional Finnish sauna.

The scene attracted plenty of attention, thanks partly to his very relaxed approach to sauna attire.

For Bottas, it was simply a familiar Finnish tradition.

For international viewers, it was an introduction to a rather different side of Formula One.

The hottest seat in Formula One isn’t always inside the car.

5. Jasper Pääkkönen — The Viking Who Built a Sauna Palace

From Vikings to Very Hot Buildings

Jasper Pääkkönen has played fierce warriors on screen.

But his real-life passion project is considerably warmer.

The Finnish actor helped create Löyly, a spectacular public sauna complex on Helsinki’s waterfront.

His ambition?

To build a sauna destination so striking that people would travel to see it.

The result combines traditional Finnish saunas, dramatic architecture and the chance to swim in the Baltic Sea.

Most actors build careers in Hollywood.

Jasper built a place where everyone can get hot.

The Best Stories Happen in the Heat.

Whether you’re a comedian, musician, movie star or Formula One driver, a sauna has a wonderful way of making everyone a little more human.

At The Ice Bath Club, our social saunas are made for relaxing, catching up and enjoying good company.

And if you want a dramatic exit, there’s always an ice bath waiting.