If you’re new to the workout game, you may have heard fitness enthusiasts hitting the sauna for relaxation after a heated workout session. But do you know they’re good for your health?

Saunas are extremely beneficial for your health if they’re used correctly. It can be both a noun and a verb and offers benefits to your body, skin, and overall health. People hit the saunas for multiple purposes, whether in the locker room in a gym, at home, or in the spa. In countries such as Norway and Finland, the sauna plays a crucial part. It’s not unusual for people to bond in a sauna the way people in other regions hit the bar, and many houses in Scandinavian countries have a built-in sauna.

In the United States, you can set up your sauna at home depending on your requirements, costing you from around $100 to thousands of dollars. More expensive saunas are at-home or outdoor saunas, while inexpensive saunas tend to be portable tent-like ones. Irrespective of what you choose, ensure you follow all the steps in installation and use.

And the best part is that you don’t have to be naked to have a relaxing time inside a sauna. You can also be fully clothed while enjoying a sauna session to better absorb the sweat. However, taking a shower immediately after the sauna session is important to avoid rashes or irritation because of the intense workouts.

Saunas can be of different types, but generally, all of them are rooms that are pre-heated to temperatures between 65 degrees Celsius and 90 degrees Celsius.

In Finland, saunas are usually “dry,” while Turkish saunas (or bathhouses) are mostly humid and have lots of steam. People usually spend around 15 to 20 minutes in the sauna based on their heat tolerance, and this heat is produced using different methods. These are the most common types of saunas:

●    Infrared: In infrared saunas, specialized lamps heat your body without changing the room temperature. It is a modern approach, and the benefits are similar to more traditional saunas. These saunas produce heat at much lower temperatures at around 60 degrees.

●    Wood Burning: In such sauna types, stoves heat the rocks in the room. Although you’ll find the room temperature very high, the humidity is comparatively low.

●    Steam Rooms: Turkish saunas, also referred to as Turkish bathhouses, have high humidity and low temperatures.

●    Electrically Heated Saunas: In such saunas, you’ll find an electric heater installed on the wall or the floor to heat the room. Here, the humidity is low, but the temperatures are high.

Top 5 Benefits of Sauna After Workout Sessions

1. You Feel Relaxed

Taking sauna sessions after intense workouts can be a great way to relax your body and decompress from the day. The majority of individuals hit the sauna in the evening for maximum benefits. However, remember to adequately hydrate yourself and avoid drinking alcohol before hitting the sauna.

Also Read: Deep Tissue Massage: A Relaxation Technique

2. Relieves You of Lower Back Pain

The sauna room's high temperature will relieve lower back pain, muscle stiffness, or soreness. Moreover, it helps relax your muscles and rejuvenates your mental health.

3. Removes Toxins in the Body

Once in the sauna, you will sweat profusely — which is nothing but metabolic waste. The sweat you produce eliminates metabolic waste and cools the body. Apart from the toxins, the sweat produced in the sauna also releases minerals such as zinc, nickel, lead, and mercury, thereby detoxifying your body.

Read Out: Sweat It Out: Sauna Vs Steam Room

4. Lowers Stress

Stress can result in poor sleep cycles, weight gain, hormonal imbalance, and irritation. Hitting the sauna is a great way to relieve stress by releasing feel-good hormones and relaxing the body.

5. You Will Sleep Better

When you indulge in intense cardio or weight training, you cause your muscles to stress. So, it is only through a relaxing session post-workout that your body can grow bigger and stronger than before. You need to get proper rest, which is a great way to recover from your intense training sessions. Not only will you sleep better, but you will also spend more time in REM sleep.

Take a Look: Common Causes Of Sleep Problems

Top 3 Things to Avoid in the Saunas

Given below are the top 3 sauna risks to watch out for in your next session:

1. Don’t Stay More than 30 Minutes

If you’ve just started your sauna sessions, you should limit your experience to 10 minutes. As you get acquainted with the temperatures inside the sauna, extend your time gradually. However, ensure you do not spend more than 30 minutes at one go. If you stay overtime, your body will get inflamed and blistered.

2. Leave Immediately If You’re Dizzy

If your workout session was intense and you decide to head out to the sauna without giving your body the time to cool down, it’s normal to feel dizzy and nauseous. Leave at once if you feel dizzy, especially if you’re the only person in the sauna. Enter the sauna once you’ve cooled down and taken a refreshing shower.

3. Remove Your Jewelry and Other Wearables

If you wear jewelry or metal wearables in the sauna, it will get extremely hot, causing your fingers to swell, inflame, and blister. Hence, removing everything —including glasses and even fitness bands — is advised before you head to the sauna.

The Bottom Line

Building a habit of hitting the sauna after a successful sweat session can be amazing. Now that you know all the benefits of sauna after workout sessions that nobody ever mentioned to you, try to get into the habit twice or thrice weekly.

Building a habit of hitting the sauna after a successful sweat session can be amazing. Now that you know all the benefits of sauna after workout sessions that nobody ever mentioned to you, try to get into the habit twice or thrice weekly.
It will relax your body, improve your blood circulation, help you to recover from an intense workout session, lower muscle soreness, and help you sleep better at night. It may even help you to build perfect bonds with fellow fitness enthusiasts. Those are pretty amazing reasons to get charged up!

Also Read: Can Sauna Help Cure Your Depression