Fit Pros, are more and more of your clients using saunas for post-workout recovery? Have you ever wondered what the difference between a dry sauna and a wet sauna is and which to use when?

If so, keep reading. Here’s the deal with saunas. They play a valuable role in post-workout recovery by enhancing circulation, relieving muscle soreness, and promoting overall well-being (Ahokas et al., 2023). The heat exposure stimulates the body’s natural healing processes, both at the muscular and cellular levels. Here’s some more detailed information about how saunas can help post-workout recovery.

Benefits of Saunas for Recovery

1. Muscle Repair & Recovery: Heat increases blood flow, which delivers oxygen and nutrients to muscles more efficiently. This helps repair exercise-related muscle damage and speeds up recovery.

2. Reduced Muscle Soreness: Improved circulation, along with the release of endorphins, helps ease muscle stiffness and reduce post-workout soreness.

3. Enhanced Relaxation & Sleep: Endorphins released during sauna use promote a deep sense of relaxation, which can help lower stress levels and improve sleep quality—both vital for athletic recovery.

4. Cardiovascular Conditioning: Regular sauna use mimics some effects of moderate exercise by elevating heart rate and improving blood vessel function, which supports cardiovascular health and endurance.

5. Cellular Repair & Heat Shock Proteins: High heat exposure triggers the production of heat shock proteins (HSPs), which protect cells and support the repair of damaged muscle tissue. Heat shock proteins are a family of proteins produced by cells in the human body in response to stress conditions like cold, heat, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

6. Detoxification: Sweating helps eliminate toxins and metabolic waste, aiding the body’s natural detox systems and supporting recovery.

(Ahokas et al., 2023)

Tips for Using Saunas for Post-Workout Recovery

• Consult a qualified medical professional: If your client has certain medical conditions, it is important to have them get medical clearance first. Conditions such as high blood pressure, circulation issues, and heart problems are key to watch out for (Pletcher, 2016).
• Start Slow & Pay Attention to how the Body Reacts: Begin with shorter sessions (5–10 minutes) and gradually increase duration. Stay away from overheating (Pletcher, 2016)..

Now, there are dry saunas and wet saunas. Dry saunas are often referred to as ‘traditional’ saunas, while wet saunas are referred to as “steam rooms.” The main distinctions between dry and wet saunas are their differences in heat and humidity, which in turn result in differing health effects. Other key differences are that dry saunas can use infrared technology for health reasons, while wet saunas can use essential oils such as eucalyptus to open up sinuses and assist with allergies, sinus clearing, and respiratory conditions.

• Dry saunas use high temperatures and low humidity to stimulate sweating, relax muscles, and enhance circulation.
• Wet saunas (steam rooms) use lower temperatures combined with high humidity to moisturize the respiratory system, relieve congestion, and hydrate the skin.

Choose a dry sauna for deep sweating and detoxification, or a wet sauna for respiratory support and skin hydration.

Dry Sauna (Traditional Sauna)

• Heat and Humidity(Ahokas et al., 2023): Operates at high temperatures (160–200°F / 70–90°C) with low humidity levels (approximately 5–20%).
• Infrared Technology: Dry saunas have the capacity to use far-infrared light technology to directly heat the human body, thereby promoting health benefits like pain relief, enhanced cardiovascular health, and improved skin. This technology can stimulate mitochondrial function, which in turn increases ATP production for cellular health and athletic recovery. The technology is able to do this because it can penetrate the skin in the human body up to 1.5 inches deep, reaching the fat-rich subcutaneous tissue where sweat glands are located.
• Health Benefits:
  • Detoxification: The intense dry heat promotes heavy sweating, helping to eliminate toxins from the body.
  • Muscle Relaxation: Deep heat penetrates muscles, reducing tension and promoting relaxation.
  • Cardiovascular Support: Boosts circulation and may benefit heart health (with the caveat of existing heart conditions).
  • Skin Improvement: Encourages clearer, more even skin by promoting detoxification through perspiration.

Wet Sauna (Steam Room)

• Heat and Humidity (Biggers, 2024): Uses lower temperatures (110–120°F / 43–49°C) with very high humidity (up to 100%).
• Use of Essential Oils: Essential oils are concentrated, aromatic extracts obtained from various parts of plants, like as leaves, flowers, seeds, and bark. They are usually extracted through steam distillation or other techniques. Essential oils such as eucalyptus and/or peppermint oils are commonly used in wet saunas for their effects on opening the sinuses and promoting respiratory health. For example, peppermint oils have been shown to ease headaches and fight fatigue, and eucalyptus oil can relieve pain (Lin, 2021). Both help open the sinuses and relieve the respiratory system in moderate amounts. Due to the nature of dry saunas, they are not conducive to the use of such oils.
• Health Benefits:
  • Respiratory Relief: The moist air helps hydrate airways, loosen mucus, and ease symptoms of asthma, allergies, and congestion.
  • Skin Hydration: Moisturizes dry or flaky skin and can help relieve skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis by enhancing blood flow.
  • Gentle Heat: The lower temperature and high humidity combination puts less stress on the cardiovascular system, making it a gentler option for many.

Which Sauna to Choose?

• For Respiratory Relief: Opt for a wet sauna since the steam opens airways and helps clear congestion.
• For Skin Conditions: A wet sauna is better for soothing dry or irritated skin. A dry sauna may be more effective for detoxifying the skin and improving tone.
• For Heat Sensitivity: If your client is sensitive to high temperatures, a wet sauna is likely more comfortable due to its lower heat levels.
• For Relaxation and Circulation: Both sauna types promote relaxation and circulation. However, dry saunas offer a more intense sweating experience, which some find more effective for these purposes.

Important Health Tip:
Let your clients know to stay well-hydrated before, during, and after any sauna session (Pletcher, 2016). You can ask them to consult with their healthcare provider if you have existing medical conditions or concerns.

Additionally, saunas can arguably help with weight loss. However, it is not an optimal way for long-term sustained weight loss, such as an exercise program paired with proper nutrition. It can aid the process through its detoxifying effects and advise clients to use caution when using saunas for weight loss as a sole method (Pletcher, 2016; Young, 2022).  Staying in any type of sauna for too long or at too high a temperature can create negative results, such as dehydration.

There are different options for sauna use, such as dry sauna (many times with far infrared light) and wet saunas. The dry saunas have been shown to assist with several aspects of post-workout recovery, while wet saunas help with skin health and the respiratory system. Wet saunas can have essential oils added, such as eucalyptus and peppermint, while dry saunas would not.

References

Ahokas, E.K., Ihalainen, J.K., Hanstock, H.G., Savolainen, E., & Kyröläinen, H. (2023). A post-exercise infrared sauna session improves recovery of neuromuscular performance and muscle soreness after resistance exercise training. Biol Sport. 40(3), 681-689. doi: 10.5114/biolsport.2023.119289.

Biggers, A. (2024). Steam room health benefits. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/steam-room-benefits

Lin, Y. (2021). 11 Essential Oils: Their benefits and how to use them. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/essential-oils-101-do-they-work-how-do-you-use-them

Pletcher, P. (2016, December 19). Sauna after workout: The health and weight loss benefits. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/sauna-after-workout

Young, M. (2022, April 14). Infrared saunas: What they do and 6 health benefits. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/infrared-sauna-benefits