Sauna Before or After a Workout? Timing and Recovery

The rest of this guide covers what the research says about sauna after workout benefits, how long to stay in, how infrared and steam rooms compare, and who should skip the heat entirely.

This article is general information, not medical advice. People who are pregnant, have heart disease, low or high blood pressure or other conditions should talk to a doctor before using a sauna.

Sauna before or after workout: which is better?

Use it after. Heat raises core temperature, heart rate and sweat rate. Doing that before a session means you start training partly dehydrated, with blood already diverted to the skin for cooling instead of to working muscles. For strength, power or interval work, that is a poor trade.

Some people like a brief, mild sauna before working out to loosen up on a cold morning. If you do that, keep it to about 5 minutes at a moderate temperature and still do an active warm-up, because passive heat does not prepare joints and the nervous system the way movement does.

The same pattern applies to the steam room before or after a workout question: after is the better choice.

What are the benefits of a sauna after a workout?

The benefits of sauna after working out fall into three groups: comfort and relaxation, possible recovery effects, and longer-term cardiovascular and fitness adaptations. The evidence is strongest for the last group and still thin for the first two.

Recovery and muscle soreness

Two small Finnish trials looked directly at sauna for muscle recovery:

• A 2015 study in SpringerPlus by Mero and colleagues had 10 physically active men sit in a far infrared sauna for 30 minutes at 35-50 °C (95-122 °F) after strength or endurance sessions. After endurance training, countermovement jump height was higher at 30 minutes of recovery than with no sauna (0.34 m vs 0.32 m). After strength training, recovery markers did not differ.
• A 2023 randomized crossover study in Biology of Sport by Ahokas and colleagues gave 16 male basketball players a 20-minute infrared session at about 43 °C (109 °F) after resistance and plyometric training. Jump performance dropped less, muscle soreness was rated lower and perceived recovery was higher than after passive rest. Night-time heart rate variability did not differ.

So does a sauna help with muscle soreness? In these studies, it made people feel better and did not appear to hurt recovery. Both were small and in young, fit men, so the effect may not generalize.

Endurance performance

The most cited sauna after running study is a 2007 crossover trial in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Six competitive male runners sat in a humid sauna at about 90 °C (194 °F) for around 31 minutes immediately after training, roughly 12-13 times over three weeks. Run time to exhaustion rose 32% compared with control, which the authors estimated as about a 1.9% gain in a time trial, and plasma volume increased 7.1%. Six runners is a very small sample, but the plasma-volume mechanism fits with what is known about heat acclimation.

Fitness and blood pressure

A 2022 randomized controlled trial published in the American Journal of Physiology assigned 47 adults aged about 49, with low activity and at least one cardiovascular risk factor, to exercise only, exercise plus a 15-minute post-exercise sauna, or control for eight weeks. Compared with exercise alone, the exercise-plus-sauna group gained an extra 2.7 ml/kg/min in cardiorespiratory fitness and had systolic blood pressure about 8 mmHg lower.

Long-term observational data point the same way. A 2015 study of 2,315 Finnish men in JAMA Internal Medicine found those who used a sauna 4-7 times a week had lower risk of fatal cardiovascular events than once-a-week users over about 20 years of follow-up. That study shows an association, not cause and effect. For a fuller review, see our guide to sauna benefits.

How long should you sit in a sauna after a workout?

Ten to 20 minutes covers most people. Cleveland Clinic suggests about 15-20 minutes, with beginners starting at 5 minutes and building up. The research sessions above ranged from 15 to 31 minutes, but the longer, hotter sessions were in trained athletes under supervision.

For a full timing guide that covers frequency and rounds, read how long to sit in a sauna.

A safe post-workout sauna routine

Follow these steps to get the benefits of a sauna post workout without overdoing it:

1. Cool down first. Walk or stretch for 5-10 minutes until breathing returns to normal.
2. Drink water. Have 8-16 oz (250-500 ml) before you go in. Mayo Clinic notes that hard exercise and sweating raise fluid needs, and warns that thirst can lag behind actual losses.
3. Rinse off. A quick shower keeps the sauna clean and helps you sweat evenly.
4. Sit low at first. Heat rises; the lower bench is cooler. Move up only if you feel comfortable.
5. Set a timer. Stop at 10-20 minutes, or sooner if you feel light-headed, nauseous or have a headache.
6. Cool gradually. Sit for a few minutes, then take a lukewarm or cool shower. Some people add a cold plunge; see our cold plunge before or after workout guide, because cold right after lifting may blunt some strength adaptations.
7. Rehydrate again. Replace fluids and, after long sweaty sessions, electrolytes.

Avoid alcohol before or during a sauna. Cleveland Clinic advises anyone who has been drinking to stay out, and a 2001 review in the American Journal of Medicine links alcohol in the sauna to low blood pressure, arrhythmia and fainting.

Does a sauna after a workout kill gains?

No study shows that a moderate sauna after lifting reduces muscle growth. In the 2015 SpringerPlus trial, a far infrared session after strength training produced no difference in recovery markers compared with sitting at room temperature. Sauna for muscle growth is a different claim: a few small lab studies have explored heat and muscle adaptation, but there is not enough human evidence to say a sauna builds muscle.

The practical concern after weight lifting is fluid. Harvard Health notes that a short sauna session can cost an average person about a pint of sweat, and losing more water on top of a sweaty lifting session can make you dizzy when you stand up. Rehydrate and keep the session moderate.

Infrared sauna before or after a workout?

The timing advice is the same for an infrared sauna: after. Infrared cabins heat the body with far infrared (FIR) emitters, wavelengths of roughly 3-1000 µm, rather than heating the air to Finnish temperatures. Cleveland Clinic lists typical infrared operating temperatures of 110-135 °F (43-57 °C), compared with 150-195 °F (66-91 °C) for traditional saunas.

That gentler heat is one reason the two Finnish recovery trials used infrared. In the 2015 study, heart rate after infrared averaged 71 beats per minute versus 92 after a traditional sauna at similar air temperature but higher humidity, and the authors described infrared as a light load on the body. For gyms, an infrared sauna is often easier to run between classes because it heats in less time and members can stay comfortably for longer. Compare the heat types in infrared vs traditional sauna.

Working out in a sauna: is it a good idea?

Working out in a sauna, sometimes sold as "infrared workout" or "infrared fitness" classes, combines exercise heat with environmental heat. That raises heart rate and core temperature quickly. Hot yoga and infrared studio classes are usually held at lower temperatures than a sauna, but exercising inside a Finnish sauna at 170 °F or more is not recommended. Heat exhaustion can arrive quickly, and the people at highest risk are often the least likely to notice early warning signs.

If you want heat adaptation for a race in hot weather, the safer approach is to train normally and add a post-exercise sauna, building up over 1-2 weeks.

Who should skip a sauna after exercise?

Skip the sauna, or ask a doctor first, if any of these apply:

• Recent heart attack, unstable angina, severe aortic stenosis or uncontrolled blood pressure
• Pregnancy or trying to conceive
• Feeling unwell, feverish or dizzy after training
• Having drunk alcohol
• Taking medicines that affect blood pressure, heart rate or sweating
• Over 65 or under 16 without medical advice

Setting up a sauna for training at home or in a gym

If you train at home, a 2-person sauna gives room to sit or lie back after a session. Gyms and studios usually want commercial-duty cabins with controls staff can lock; our commercial saunas range and the commercial sauna buying guide cover heater choice, capacity and cleaning. Mars Sauna builds both infrared and traditional stove cabins in 110-120V and 220-240V versions for gyms, hotels and home use; you can request a quote with your space and power details.

Key takeaways

• For most people, use the sauna after a workout, not before; pre-workout heat can reduce power and add fluid loss.
• Aim for 10-20 minutes post-exercise, after cooling down and drinking water, and stop early if you feel unwell.
• Small trials (6-16 participants) suggest post-workout sauna may ease soreness, aid jump recovery and expand plasma volume in runners.
• A 2022 randomized trial of 47 adults found adding 15 minutes of sauna after exercise improved fitness and lowered systolic blood pressure more than exercise alone.
• There is no evidence that a moderate sauna after lifting kills gains; the real risk is dehydration.
• Infrared saunas run cooler and place a lighter load on the body, which suits post-workout use.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Laukkanen T et al. Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Intern Med, 2015
2. Scoon GSM et al. Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners. J Sci Med Sport, 2007
3. Mero A et al. Effects of far-infrared sauna bathing on recovery from strength and endurance training sessions in men. SpringerPlus, 2015
4. Ahokas EK et al. A post-exercise infrared sauna session improves recovery of neuromuscular performance and muscle soreness. Biology of Sport, 2023
5. Lee E et al. Regular sauna bathing after exercise and cardiovascular risk factors: randomized controlled trial. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 2022
6. Hussain J, Cohen M. Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review. 2018
7. Hannuksela ML, Ellahham S. Benefits and risks of sauna bathing. Am J Med, 2001
8. Harvard Health Publishing: Sauna health benefits: Are saunas healthy or harmful?
9. Cleveland Clinic: Sauna benefits and safety
10. Mayo Clinic: Dehydration symptoms and causes