An increasing number of North American and European gyms have been adding saunas to their regular services. And this is for a good reason! Anyone who has had the pleasure of taking a sauna after finishing up a good workout knows what that heat can do for your body. But depending on your workout habits, some people may skip taking a sauna after a workout so they can save time or they simply aren’t interested. The trick is, though, that the sauna isn’t just a space for leisure. Your body does some magnificent work in the sauna, and adding a quick trip for a hot soak after a hard workout can have a multitude of benefits. Let’s explore the major reasons why you should consider using the sauna after a workout.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Using the Sauna After Workouts
The major reason why you should consider using a sauna after your workout is that saunas are well-regarded by the scientific community as a soreness relief as well as a method to preserve muscle mass. But this barely even scratches the surface of the total benefits that can come about from regularly using the sauna after a good workout. Namely, saunas are tied to cardiovascular health. If you are already exercising your cardiovascular system by getting a sweat going during your initial workout, using the sauna may help extend the gains you’ve made in heart health. Also, saunas are a natural relaxant. Even though the body’s heart rate goes up in a sauna, the ultimate effect on the body is a serenity that could make anyone feel great after a hard workout.
It also pays to explore each of these benefits in detail to understand the best way to maximize each way the sauna boosts the body after a workout.
Saunas are Good for Post-Workout Muscle Health
The benefit that most people on a regular workout regimen are curious about is likely what saunas do to the body’s muscles. There is a remarkable body of scientific literature from Finland and Australia that shows that using a wood-burning sauna after a workout can actually reduce the future soreness that would have happened without taking a sauna. This means that taking a sauna right after a workout could potentially help you dodge the biggest setback in exercise: the sore day after. Many scientists believe that the body is able to cut out post-workout soreness through sauna use because of how wood-burning saunas promote blood flow. It’s likely the inactivity right after a workout that leads to day-after soreness, so by keeping your blood moving in the sauna may ease off the sudden blood pressure change that happens after you go from working out to a hard stop.
There are several cases, also, where sauna use is tied to major soreness release for certain parts of the body. Specifically, sauna use is tied to a reduction of lower back pain. Especially if a long run or heavy leg workouts make your lower back uncomfortable, there is a good body of research that shows saunas may be able to help you reach relief. Of course, professionals say that chronic pain not tied to an over-strenuous workout may either take a long time to drown out in the sauna or that relief could never materialize at all.
More than simply stopping soreness, saunas are also tied to preserving overall muscle mass. Even better, recent findings have shown that regular sauna use can even lead to increased muscle mass. These major gains come about due to a chemical process called mitochondrial biogenesis. This means that the body creates more of the cells that preserve and grow our muscles. A recent study found that a group of young, healthy people who took regular saunas led to a marked increase of activity in the Akt/mTOR biological pathway which is a major pathway for skeletal muscle mass increase. So the more often you sauna in combination with muscle-testing workouts, the more likely you’ll see muscle growth.
Saunas are Good for Post-Workout Cardiovascular Health
The overarching goal of just about any workout is to get your blood flowing. Going for a run? That’s getting your blood flowing. Using a rowing machine? You better believe it. Even just lifting weights is a fancy way of getting your blood to move around more compared to when you’re staying still. And that’s the root of exercise. But using the sauna is also a great way to get your blood moving in ways that your body may not seek out naturally. And this is, of course, great for your overall health. Using the sauna makes the body’s heart rate go up. So on top of the heart rate increase that comes from a good workout, using the sauna can bring you closer to your health goals simply by making it a part of your routine.
By the same merit, there is a growing understanding that pairing sauna use with workouts that bring you to your stamina or endurance limits can help you extend those limits on your next workout. Of course, the best way to get better at any exercise is consistent practice, but adding sauna use to your regimen may very well speed up the process. This is because every time your body uses up its stamina or reaches its limit, the body starts repairing itself with slightly more reinforcement, making your next workout likely even more successful. By spending time in the sauna right after a taxing workout, you’ll extend your body’s stamina drain (if only slightly compared to sustained cardiovascular exercise) by keeping your heart rate up! The conclusion, as found by the scientific community, is better cardiovascular health and better performance during future workouts.
Saunas are Good for Post-Workout Skin Health
Not many people associate working out with good skin health necessarily. But by pairing your workout with sauna use, you can take even further advantage of the skin health benefits that lie right in the sauna. Even without a workout beforehand, taking a sauna is incredibly good for skin health. Each time you get a sweat going in the sauna, your body releases toxins and oils that build up in your pores. And even more, the body produces significantly more collagen when it sweats in the sauna. Now consider this: if you already started sweating during your workout, using the sauna right afterward is a wonderful way to keep that good health process going. Spending time in the sauna right after a good workout helps the body promote good skin health, as you’ll already be in the prime state of sweating, likely right when you get in the sauna.
And now, let’s talk some more about the blood flow benefits that come from using saunas. Blood flow isn’t just good for your heart. Getting your blood flowing is also great for the overall health and look of your skin. When the body gets hot in the sauna, blood flows closer to your skin than normal, and in doing so, the body normalizes using those pathways for blood. Exercise promotes this same healthy process. This means that, once again, working out and using the sauna bring about the same genuinely healthy byproducts.
Saunas are Good for Post-Workout Respiratory Health
There are several ways that saunas are good for your overall respiratory health, and even more so when you pair saunas with a good workout. Let’s start from the most obvious and work our way into the body’s systems: first, think about what happens when you first step into a super hot sauna. Your body naturally starts drawing in long, slow, rhythmic deep breaths. This comes as a passive body response to the heat of the room, as breathing quicker in a sauna can lead to overheating or hyperventilation. Saunas lead the body naturally to relaxation because the heat and dryness slow down our breathing. This can, then, be doubly soothing after a workout that really gets your breath running. Running directly to the sauna after a heavy workout, however, has its own problems, but we’ll get to that later. But as your body is cooling down, choosing to weather out that cool down in a sauna is a heavenly way to double down on relaxation.
But spending time in the sauna after a workout doesn’t just make you feel relaxed. There is a large amount of data showing that regular sauna use can also help increase your breathing capacity. This is likely due to, once again, the body’s natural choice to slow down breathing and make it considerably deeper in the sauna. Pairing cardiovascular exercise that tests your lung capacity, like sustained running or another aerobic exercise with a sauna, is likely a great way to continue toward your overall health goals.
What Type of Sauna is Best to Use After a Workout?
Luckily, all forms of sauna from traditional wood-burning, steam rooms, to even infrared saunas are beneficial to your post-workout health. But because the heat from these three distinct classes of sauna come about in different ways, there are some key different benefits that come from each, some more beneficial to the post-workout sauna-user than others. In short, traditional wood-burning saunas likely have the most benefits you can take advantage of after a workout. This conclusion, however, is based on the huge amount of sauna data and studies that are based on wood-burning saunas. As more research on steam rooms and infrared saunas show up, that may change.
Can Saunas Cause Post-Workout Weight Loss?
There are several rumors and long-standing myths about saunas and weight loss but unfortunately the majority of them are not true. While it is technically true that the body loses weight through the water we sweat out in the sauna, that weight isn’t the type of weight you’ll want to lose too much of. Plus, the body restores weight related to water immediately after you rehydrate. And unless you plan on trying out self-embalming, you’re probably not interested in losing too much water weight.
If you are pairing sauna use with a good workout, that workout itself will be responsible for any future weight loss considerably more than the sauna. True weight loss will only ever happen after major changes in your diet and regular exercise. Using the sauna, however, as we’ve explored above, will make your workouts more tolerable and potentially extend your gains. So while saunas won’t shed your weight directly, using a sauna with regular workouts may indeed help you lose weight faster.
Things to Consider Before Using a Sauna After a Workout
Using the sauna after a workout may come with a great collection of health boons, but there are some precautions that come with sauna use that every user, post-workout or not, must consider. Before making saunas part of your workout routine, think about these common problems that arise from pairing saunas with the workout.
Be Sure to Drink Enough Water Before Getting Into the Sauna
Even if you haven’t just gone through a big workout, it is absolutely essential that you take a big drink of water before just about any sauna visit. Using the sauna drains the body of water just about as quickly as a taxing workout. So then imagine how much water you’ll lose if you flop into the sauna right after running your body ragged. No workout gain is worth dehydration, so be sure to take regular drinks during your workout and then right before getting in the sauna too.
Many of the sauna benefits that pair with working out talk about the benefit of using the sauna directly after a workout but that doesn’t mean you don’t have time for water. Taking a few minutes between your workout and getting in the sauna won’t cut down on your potential sauna benefits. If you step into the sauna directly after a workout or even up to 10 minutes after a workout, your body is still in exercise mode and this means that you’ll still be able to take advantage of the best benefits that come from using the sauna after a workout.
Consider this just a general reminder that anyone using a sauna is at risk of dehydration and likely quicker than you think. Even just a 20-minute sauna session could be enough to push a person toward dehydration conditions, so just imagine how much worse off the body would be if you were already working out and sweating before you started using the sauna. Just like exercise itself, using the sauna requires steadfast rehydration habits above anything else.
Avoid Using the Sauna if You Have Major Rashes or New Cuts
It’s not uncommon for exercise to lead to some minor cuts or even rashes from rubbing pants or shoes. Even a cut or rash that doesn’t hurt, however, has a real chance of flaring up in a sauna. If you have new cuts, rashes, or even existing skin conditions like eczema, think twice before using the sauna. The increased blood flow from sauna use can actually lead to increased inflammation. And any open cuts, of course, are a lot less likely to properly close up in a sauna because the body is pushing more blood on the area than if you were in a normal environment. Those with rashes on their legs or thighs ought to be even more cautious, as sitting on rashy skin in a sauna can lead to serious pain.
As it stands, use your best judgment whether or not to use the sauna when you’re dealing with a cut or rash. And further, any kind of skin irritation condition like eczema may even flare up during your initial workout, so sauna use may just exacerbate your case. This, of course, doesn’t mean everyone with skin conditions can’t use the sauna after working out. Small precautions like a towel between the afflicted skin and your bench can make a big difference. Those with existing conditions should ask their doctor, or better, a dermatologist if regular sauna use could make their conditions better or worse.
Using the Sauna After a Workout Can Cause General Overexertion in Beginners
Let’s get down to it. Saunas can be very overbearing, especially for beginners. Using a sauna directly in an already taxing workout can easily put someone over the edge of their comfort. Saunas then have the risk of causing exhaustion, especially in beginners of either working out or saunas outright. The objective of most hardcore athletes is to reach their limit every day with the goal of stretching that limit with every final lunge or extra mile. But that doesn’t mean that every person on Earth is ready to shoot for the moon. If you’re feeling especially beat after a workout and want to try out a sauna for the first time, it’s probably better for you to wait until you’re back at 100%. Even if you’re fairly familiar with sauna use, using the sauna when you’re already beat or on the edge of overexertion may not give you the pleasure you expect it to. The worst thing to do is shock an already spent body with more intensive labor. Even though spending time in a sauna may feel like lounging, the body is working hard to keep your internal temperature consistent and homeostasis clear across all of your systems. Ease your way into the sauna use the same way you would ease yourself into exercise. There is nothing wrong with skipping a sauna visit after a workout if you’re feeling too spent. You know your body better than anyone else, so be an advocate for your own wellness and choose when the sauna is right for you.
What to Wear in the Sauna After a Workout
No matter what, be certain that you do not wear the same clothes you worked out in when you use the sauna. While it may be natural to think that by wearing the same clothes that you’ll be continuing your initial workout sweat, there are more important things to think about than your own sweat. Wearing used workout gear in the sauna is extremely unsanitary and even uncourteous to your fellow sauna users if you are using a public sauna. Saunas are enclosed environments that promote bacterial growth and by wearing spent workout gear in the sauna, you’ll be making the place much more germy and potentially smelly for the next user. After taking a shower, use a clean towel when stepping into your sauna or whatever clothes your club requires when using a public sauna.
Conclusions on Saunas Post-Workout
The bottom line is that using the sauna after your workout is a bonafide way to boost your gains and overall health. Using the sauna on its own is already extraordinarily healthy and promotes positive body processes, so pairing that with good exercise is a superb choice. Further, using the sauna after a good workout just makes that good feeling last even longer. Anyone who has had the pleasure of taking a sauna after a tough workout knows that a good heat soak is a reward in itself, not even counting the health boons that may come to affect your daily life. As long as you take the right precautions, adding a trip to the sauna to your total workout regimen is a meaningful way to keep your body upkeep under control and feel better all the while.