Workout recovery. Moist heat can help relieve pain and lower muscle damage. Steam rooms might offer some relief by increasing blood flow to muscles. Experts used to think that these heated rooms only moved blood to the skin. However, they also shift blood from your core into your muscles.
On average, 73-134 calories were burned per 10-minute session, totaling 400 calories during a 1-hour period. It's important to note that this study had cooldown periods between sessions and used sedentary individuals with higher body mass and lower heat tolerance, who tend to burn more calories during a sauna session.
Saunas, with their dry heat, and steam rooms, with their moist heat, both ramp up your sweat game, helping to remove heavy metals, alcohol, nicotine, and any other unwanted substances from your body. Science backs this up, too.
The recommended length of time to spend in a sauna is 15-20 minutes. First-timers should start with five to 10 minutes. People with certain health conditions should not use a sauna. If you're not sure if that's you after reading this article, consult with a healthcare provider.
The sauna/steam room should be used “2-3 times a week for no more than 10-20 minutes at a time,” Jay says. Some individuals like to opt for intervals. “You can do 15 to 20 minutes inside the room, take a 5 minute break outside the room, and then go back inside, repeating this for 3-4 cycles.”
Steam Sauna: Steam saunas combine heat with high humidity, which can make them feel hotter than they actually are. For this reason, it is advisable to start with shorter sessions of 10-15 minutes and gradually increase the duration up to 20 minutes per session, 2-3 times per week8.
The recommended duration of time to spend in the steam room is between 10-15 minutes. Hydrate before, during and after using the steam room by drinking plenty of water. After exiting the steam room, it's important to shower off any sweat that may have built up.
Steam Room Health Benefits
Relaxation: Like saunas, steam rooms offer relaxation benefits, helping to reduce stress levels and promote mental well-being. Joint and muscle relief: The moist heat of a steam room can help soothe sore muscles and joints, providing relief for conditions like arthritis or muscle stiffness.
The short answer is that it's generally not recommended to bring your phone into a sauna. The high temperatures and humidity levels can cause damage to your phone's internal components, and the risk of overheating or even explosion is not worth the convenience of having your phone with you.
Because you sweat during your session and toxins are released, having a shower after your sauna will help to cleanse the skin and close pores. A cold shower after your sauna can also activate cold shock proteins in the body, which may help assimilate fat for weight loss.
Inhaling water vapors in the form of steam is believed to loosen the mucus in your throat, lungs, and nasal passages. As a result, a proper steam detox improves your breathing and should relieve the inflammation and swelling of your blood vessels.
When you sit in a sauna, the heat causes your blood vessels to dilate. This dilation increases blood flow, which can help transport lymph throughout the body more effectively. Additionally, the sweating induced by the sauna can help flush toxins out of the body, potentially reducing the load on the lymphatic system.
Although a steam room may assist you in temporarily shedding some water weight, it is not an effective way to lose fat or maintain permanent weight loss.
Both saunas and steam rooms are great for you, says Dr. Pelz. “Saunas may be slightly better for reducing cholesterol, while steam rooms may be slightly better for reducing muscle soreness.”
Steam rooms operate at a lower temperature, ranging between 110°F to 120°F, but the humidity makes the heat feel more intense. Because of this, steam room sessions should generally be shorter than sauna sessions—aim for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Shower Before You Enter
Not only is this hygienic—rinsing off sweat, body oils, and any cosmetics—it also preconditions your body for the heat. Don't: Use heavy soaps or fragrances before entering. The hot air intensifies smells, and you don't want to overwhelm your fellow sauna-goers with a potent scent.
Don't swim with or otherwise submerge your AirPods. Don't put AirPods in the washing machine or dryer. Don't wear AirPods in a sauna or steam room. Don't expose AirPods to high-velocity water, such as while water skiing.
Most experts recommend that you should only stay in a steam room for 15 to 20 minutes at most. However, depending on your tolerance to heat and how hydrated you are, it will likely not be unhealthy for you to spend more time in a steam room without experiencing any adverse effects.
The heat of a steam room can make the body release endorphins. They are known as 'feel good' hormones because they help reduce stress in the body. Relaxing in a steam room can also decrease cortisol levels, which is a hormone the body releases in response to stress.
The warm, humid air inside steam rooms reduces inflammation and opens up passageways to help you breathe easier. This encourages a more restful sleep that is both deeper and longer in duration. Steam rooms can also boost circulation, which may help to regulate hormones that are responsible for quality sleep.
A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that regular sauna use could improve liver function in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a common liver condition characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver.
Don't wear metal jewelry. It's going to get hot! Take off all metal jewelry or hooks, or anything you might be wearing which could hold in the heat and burn you. You don't want to be thinking, for the whole time you're in there, 'ouch!
If you feel like your hair needs to be washed after a sauna, then you should go ahead and do it. If, however, you are happy with how your hair looks and feels (like coming from the beach) then you may not need to wash it every time.