How Long to Stay in a Sauna: 5 Mistakes Many Fall Victim To
When you’re new to saunaing, whether at home or at the gym, wondering how long to stay in a sauna is a legitimate question.
How this simple-looking question is answered, however, is often problematic and not based on any real sauna understanding, good science, or real experiences of people who have been saunaing for decades.
Not to even mention the reasons why people want to know the “optimal” time; they want to lose weight, burn fat, burn calories, and detox, ALL of which are TERRIBLE reasons to go to sauna in the first place!
Let’s bring clarity to this nonsense by not only answering how long to stay in a sauna but also exploring WHY and HOW.
How Long to Stay in a Sauna: 5 Major Mistakes
When we look at the best sauna studies, with 1,688 participants studied for decades, we find that:
“A typical sauna session usually ranges from 5 to 20 min.”
And when wondering how long to stay in a sauna for benefits, such as having a significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, the answer is:
- Frequent sauna use of over 4 times per week and duration of sauna bathing of more than 45 min/week.
What about half an hour, is 30 minutes in a sauna OK? Based on multiple studies, a sauna session of 30 minutes several times a week, with a temperature of 175 F (80 C), not any higher and not much less either, is the best for maximum health benefits.
(Infrared “saunas” don’t reach this temperature, so they don’t have as many health benefits as traditional saunas.)
As we move on to the mistakes below, please note that a 30-minute sauna session DOESN’T mean you sit in a sauna for 30 minutes straight.
1. Not taking breaks
This is by far the biggest mistake I see people fall for: some source said you should sauna for 45 minutes, so that’s what you head out to do.
You try to sit in a hot sauna for 45 minutes straight even though you feel awful and would’ve wanted to leave after 5-10 minutes.
Your instincts were correct: even if the total time of saunaing ended up being 45 minutes, you’re supposed to take several breaks in order to cool down in between your sauna session. In fact, 5-10 minutes at a time is perfect for staying in sauna.
When someone says that they like to sauna for 2 hours, what they mean (unless they’re lying) is that they go to sauna multiple times during that time window, they take many breaks in between, and maybe even go for a swim or take a cold plunge within those 2 hours.
2. Saunaing as a performance instead of calming enjoyment
I’ve seen many examples of people trying to tolerate saunaing even when it burns, feels too hot and dry, and is generally unpleasant.
Some people who approach saunaing as a performance like this think it’s a kind of a workout. No pain, no gain, right? FALSE.
Unless you’re a professional athlete, and therefore medically supervised when using the sauna in ways it’s not meant to be used, you should never view the sauna as a performance.
It’s the exact opposite. It’s calming, relaxing, and for many, has a meditative nature.
3. Saunaing for the wrong reasons
What do all the questions below have in common?
Q: How long to stay in a sauna to lose weight? (A: No time as saunaing isn’t an effective way of losing weight. It leads to water loss, but most people interested in weight loss want to lose fat, not water.)
Q: Does sauna burn fat? (A: No, it doesn’t. It doesn’t burn many calories either.)
Q: How long to stay in a sauna for detox? (A: No time as the whole concept of detox is a pseudoscientific scam. Luckily, your body is perfectly capable of detoxing on its own.)
What they have in common is false advertising and taking advantage of people’s ignorance.
Some sauna sellers think they can’t sell any saunas without these false claims, which is exactly why they’re so prevalent. This is much more common in the infrared cabin world than with traditional saunas.
No sauna is a fat loss or detox tool, so if those are your MAIN motivators for saunaing or getting a sauna, you will likely be disappointed.
4. Trying to optimize vs. listening to your body
Have you ever heard that if you have a certain health goal, it affects how long to stay in a sauna? So, let’s say you’re concerned with your heart health, then you should sauna for X minutes Y times a week, but if it’s muscle recovery that you’re after, then the recommended duration is significantly shorter or longer?
I, unfortunately, have seen such stuff written online (they even included how long to sauna for weight loss and detoxification, which we just debunked above). This kind of information is rarely scientifically backed and often just made up.
And even when studies have proven that frequent saunaing is good for heart health, for instance, does it mean you should sauna more and for longer even if you started feeling terrible during saunaing and were about to faint? NO, of course not.
Listening to your own body should always guide you much more than any artificial “goal” that might not even make sense in the first place.
How long is it safe to stay in a sauna? According to Dr. Lasse Viinikka, a medical doctor and Honorary President of the Finnish Sauna Society, you can trust your own judgment and stay in the sauna for as long as it feels comfortable.
The only exception is when you’re drunk; excess alcohol consumption when saunaing is a really bad, potentially dangerous idea.
5. Saunaing solely for benefits
Although sauna offers plenty of physical health benefits, ideally they should be viewed as a nice bonus, not the only reason to sauna.
Saunaing has, after all, most notable effects on your mind and how you feel, which is amazing for mental health. It’s enjoyable and relaxing, and something you do because you want to.
I as someone with 35+ years of sauna experience find it a bit strange that so many people are obsessed with sauna benefits when we’re already talking about a small luxury, not a nasty chore.
If you find saunaing a chore, but you’ve decided to put up with it because of the benefits, then you’re either saunaing the wrong way (maybe your sauna is too hot, dry, and missing löyly), or you just happen to be one of those people who don’t like to sauna (that much).
But just know that saunaing is supposed to feel great. In Finland, for instance, where they sauna the most and all year round, nobody does it because they bear and tolerate it for the health benefits but because it’s fun, extremely relaxing, a tradition, and a way of life.
The Japanese have also realized this during recent years, falling head over heels in love with saunaing.
Americans are starting to get it too, but there’s still so much false sauna information being fed to English-speaking audiences that I have my work cut out for me!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How long to stay in a sauna for beginners?
You can aim for 5 minutes at a time or even less if you prefer.
According to one survey, even some experienced Finnish sauna-goers only stay in the sauna for around two minutes (at a time), while others go for 90 minutes (of course with breaks in between).
2. Is 10 minutes in the sauna enough?
It can be enough for some people while 30 minutes with breaks in between is best for maximum health benefits.
This, however, doesn’t mean you should extend your sauna session if you feel you’re done after just 10 minutes. Listening to your own body is most important.
3. How long to stay in a sauna after a workout? How about for muscle recovery?
There’s no good reason to try to extend or shorten the normal duration of 5-20 minutes (or 30 minutes with breaks in between) or your personal preference just because you had a workout. The same goes for muscle recovery, too.
What is likely to happen, though, is that when saunaing after certain workouts, you may find yourself more tired and dizzy than usual, meaning your sauna session will have to be shorter than you might’ve liked initially.
(That’s what happens to me occasionally; I’ve been looking forward to going to sauna all day, but after a long day and a strenuous workout, my blood pressure drops so much in the sauna that I would faint if I didn’t leave.)
4. Can I sauna everyday?
Yes, studies show that frequent sauna-going (4-7 times a week) has the most benefits.
Final Thoughts
Giving an exact number on how long to stay in a sauna is impossible and would be irresponsible because of these factors:
- what kind of sauna we’re talking about (traditional vs. infrared)
- how hot the sauna is (it’s easier to stay in milder temperatures than hotter ones)
- how humid it is (humidity is more pleasant, allowing for a longer stay)
But if you like to sauna between 5-20 minutes (or 30 minutes with breaks in between) several times a week, that’s great and there’s no reason to try to aim for more than what feels comfortable.
In my experience, an outdoor sauna allows for longer breaks and nicer cool-off areas than indoor saunas: when using our outdoor sauna, we like to cool down and enjoy some cold beverages out on the deck. After a longer break, you feel more energized to go back to sauna.
