What a first visit looks like
A full recovery suite is a group of rooms you use after training or on a rest day: commonly a dry sauna, a steam room and a cold plunge, with somewhere to sit between them. A first visit is mostly about learning the layout and the house rules, so plan less time in the rooms and more time asking questions.
RPM's recovery suite page has a short table of manners for shared rooms. This guide covers the visit around it, from what to settle beforehand to what to do if something does not feel right.
Settle these before you arrive
- Does your tier or pass include the suite, or does it cost extra?
- How is access arranged for men and women, and which section will you use?
- Do you book a time or walk in, and when is it quietest?
- Will a towel be handed to you, or should you pack your own?
- What is the dress code: swimwear, gym kit or something else?
- Will someone show you the rooms and the rules on your first visit?
Ask as well whether the suite keeps the club's hours or closes earlier for cleaning. RPM's hours are below: early-morning and late-evening opening, with shorter Friday hours.
| Days | Opening hours |
|---|---|
| Saturday to Thursday | 06:00–23:00 |
| Friday | 09:00–22:00 |
Hours can change, for example during Ramadan. Confirm with the team before a late or early visit.
A packing list for the suite
Most of this waits in your locker until you need it.
| Bring | Why |
|---|---|
| Two towels, unless the gym provides them (ask first) | One to sit on in the heat, one to dry off |
| Sandals or flip-flops | The floors around the rooms stay wet |
| Swimwear or kit that meets the dress code | Rules vary between gyms, and sometimes between sections |
| A water bottle | There may be no drinking water inside the suite itself |
| A bag for wet things | Damp kit stays away from your work clothes |
| A full change of clothes | In summer you will not want to pull training kit back on |
| Nothing metal or electronic | Metal jewellery heats up in a sauna, and steam is hard on watches and phones |
Moving between the rooms
There is no single correct order, and a first visit is not the time to experiment. Suites commonly suggest one of these patterns, and the one posted on the wall or given by staff is the one to follow.
- Heat only: the sauna or the steam room, followed by a rest and a rinse.
- Heat, then cold: a heat room, a rest, then the cold plunge, if your doctor has no objection.
- Cold only: some people use the plunge alone after training.
- One room per visit: try a different room each time until you know which you like.
Whichever pattern you follow, rest outside the rooms between turns, rinse off before the steam room and the plunge, and keep your water bottle to hand. You do not have to use every room, and leaving early is always fine. To judge the rooms themselves, see the sauna and steam checks and what to look for in an ice bath.
Heat and cold are not for everyone. Speak to your doctor before your first visit if you have a heart or blood-pressure condition, are pregnant or take medication, and leave any room straight away if you feel dizzy, faint or unwell. This guide gives no timings or temperatures: the posted guidance and the staff's instructions come first.
Manners first-timers tend to miss
- Close each door quickly behind you, because an open door lets the heat or steam out for everyone inside.
- Ask before pouring water on the sauna stones, and leave them alone if a sign says so.
- Sit upright when the benches are full, and keep lying down for quiet times.
- Take your turn in the plunge, and step out when someone is waiting.
- Keep conversation low, and save phone calls for the changing room.
- Stay covered as the dress code asks while you move between rooms.
- No shaving or nail clipping anywhere in the suite.
In Abu Dhabi the suite often fills straight after office hours, and in Ramadan the busy slot moves to the evening after iftar. If your first visit falls at one of those times, keep it short and come back when the rooms are quieter to learn them properly.
If something does not feel right
Know these before you need them.
| If | Do this |
|---|---|
| You feel dizzy, faint or sick | Get out, sit down in a cooler spot and let staff know |
| Someone else looks unwell | Press the call button or fetch staff straight away |
| The plunge water looks cloudy or dirty | Stay out and report it at reception |
| A room is dirty, or a door sticks | Tell staff before you use it |
| You are unsure of a rule | Ask, rather than copying what others do |
A first visit to RPM's suite
At RPM's single club, on Level 4 of AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal, the recovery suite has a Finnish sauna, an aroma steam room and an ice bath. Which tiers or passes include it is confirmed on enquiry. Ask before your visit, along with how access works for your section, whether towels are provided and who looks after the suite during the day.
Afterwards, the changing area has keypad lockers, and the grooming hub has a vanity area with hairdryers and products for getting ready. To see the suite before your first visit, book a free guided tour, a walk-through with a member of the team rather than a workout.
Questions, answered.
Can someone show me round the suite the first time?
Ask when you arrive. Many gyms will walk a first-timer through the rooms and the rules, and it is the quickest way to learn the layout. At RPM, ask the team when you book.
What if I do not like the cold?
Skip it. Nothing obliges you to use every room, and plenty of people use only the sauna or only the steam room.
Is it rude to talk in the sauna?
Quiet conversation is usually fine, while loud talk and phone calls are not. Take your cue from the room: if everyone is silent, keep it that way.
Can I use the suite with a friend of the opposite sex?
That depends on how the gym arranges access for men and women. Ask before you plan a visit together, rather than finding out at the door.