Gyms put the sauna next to the locker room for a reason. After a hard session, heat feels like the right thing.
Whether it does anything beyond feeling good has been tested, in small studies. This article reports what they found and how small they were. It sits under our overview of sauna health benefits. This is general information, not medical advice.
Short answer: a sauna after training may reduce soreness and help you feel recovered, and one small study found an endurance gain. The studies involved 6 to 16 men each, so treat the results as promising, not settled. A sauna adds to exercise. It doesn’t replace it.
Soreness and next-day power
In 2023, researchers had 16 male basketball players do a hard resistance session twice, a week apart. After one session they rested for 20 minutes. After the other they sat in an infrared sauna at about 43°C for 20 minutes.
The findings: “Muscle soreness was less severe, and perceived recovery was higher” after the sauna. The drop in jump performance was also smaller.
The authors noted that a single session “had no detrimental effects on recovery of the autonomic nervous system.”
A study that found less
An earlier study, from 2015, is a useful counterweight. Ten active men used a far-infrared sauna for 30 minutes after strength training and after endurance training.
After strength training, “there were no differences in any variables” between the sauna and no sauna. After endurance training, jump height was slightly higher with the sauna.
So the two studies don’t fully agree. With 10 and 16 people, that is expected.
Endurance
A 2007 study looked at longer-term use. Six male distance runners sat in a sauna at about 90°C for around 30 minutes after training, roughly 13 times over 3 weeks.
Their run time to exhaustion rose by 32% compared with the control period. The authors estimate that as about a 1.9% improvement in a time trial, and they linked it to an increase in blood volume.
Six runners is a very small study. It is one data point.
The studies at a glance
| Study | Who | Sauna | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahokas et al., 2023 | 16 male basketball players | Infrared, about 43°C, 20 minutes | Less soreness, better perceived recovery |
| Mero et al., 2015 | 10 active men | Far infrared, 35 to 50°C, 30 minutes | No difference after strength work; small gain after endurance work |
| Scoon et al., 2007 | 6 male runners | About 90°C, about 30 minutes, 3 weeks | Longer run to exhaustion |
All three studied men only.
Can it replace cardio?
Your heart rate rises in a sauna. UCLA Health says it “may reach 100-150 beats per minute,” and compares the stress relief to “low or moderate exercise.”
That isn’t the same as training. The same UCLA article reports that using the sauna “for 15 minutes after a workout, three times a week” improved blood pressure more than exercise alone. The benefit came from adding the sauna to the workout.
How to do it safely
You finish a workout already short on fluid. The sauna takes more.
- Drink water before you go in and after you come out.
- Keep it to about 15 to 20 minutes. Note that the 30-minute sessions above were done under study conditions.
- Leave if you feel dizzy, weak, or sick.
- Skip it if you have been drinking alcohol.
Cleveland Clinic says people with heart conditions or who are pregnant should check with a provider first.
Which sauna, if you are buying
The two recovery studies used infrared saunas at low temperatures. Infrared cabins are also the easier install. The Dynamic Andora ($2,210.99) plugs into a 120V/15A outlet and lists a 140°F maximum. The endurance study used a hot, traditional-style sauna. For that kind of heat, a cabin like the Almost Heaven Salem ($4,176) needs a 240V, 30-amp circuit.
The home sauna buying guide covers the rest.
Bottom line: a short sauna after training is a reasonable recovery habit with some small studies behind it. Drink water, keep it brief, and keep doing the workout.
Sources
- Ahokas EK, et al., “A post-exercise infrared sauna session improves recovery of neuromuscular performance and muscle soreness after resistance exercise training,” Biology of Sport, 2023 (abstract): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Mero A, et al., “Effects of far-infrared sauna bathing on recovery from strength and endurance training sessions in men,” SpringerPlus, 2015 (abstract): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Scoon GS, et al., “Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners,” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2007 (abstract): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- UCLA Health, “Benefits of sauna bathing for heart health,” February 1, 2023: uclahealth.org
- Cleveland Clinic, “Get Your Sweat On: The Benefits of a Sauna,” August 12, 2024: health.clevelandclinic.org
- Dynamic Saunas and Almost Heaven listings (price, power, maximum temperature), checked September and October 2026