Many people often wonder: How long should I stay in the sauna to reap the benefits? Will I gain more advantages from a longer session?
These questions are common among sauna bathers who want to enjoy the potential health benefits without overdoing it. In this guide, we examine research-backed recommended durations for different health outcomes.
Quick Overview
How long you stay in a sauna depends on what you are trying to achieve. For relaxation, stress reduction or muscle soreness, a 10-20 minute session is a good starting point. For cardiovascular benefits, you can increase the time to 30 minutes. For joint relief, 15 to 30 minutes in a traditional sauna is usually enough.
Quick Recommendations: How long should you stay in the sauna?
| Desired Benefit | Recommended Time |
|---|---|
| Immediate cardiovascular effect - Blood pressure and circulation | 15-30 minutes |
| Improvement to vascular function | Up to 30 minutes |
| Long-term cardiovascular health | Longer than 19 minutes |
| Relaxation and stress relief | 10-20 minutes |
| Muscle recovery and joint pain relief | 15-30 minutes |
| General health and wellbeing | 15-20 minutes |
The recommended guidelines come from various studies on the health benefits of sauna bathing [1,2,3,4,5]. The 10-20 minute range is a useful benchmark for most sauna users. Experienced sauna users can spend up to 40 minutes in a sauna session, but this appears to be a personal preference rather than being necessary for health benefits.
Sauna Bathing: Does session length change outcomes?
When people ask, "How long should I stay in the sauna?" what they really want to know is, "When will I hit the sweet spot for what I want to achieve?"
The time you spend in the sauna matters because the effects on the body are cumulative. As heat exposure continues, physiological changes occur, such as increased sweating, blood-vessel dilation, and higher body temperature and heart rate. A longer session produces a greater heat load, but that does not mean it produces greater health benefits.
For some conditions, the physiological changes that provide health benefits occur only after a certain length of time. But duration alone cannot determine these changes. Let’s explain.
The total sauna experience and its effect on health rely on the interplay between three elements. They are:
- Duration (how long),
-
Sauna temperature (how hot)
- Frequency (how often)
For this investigation, we are focusing solely on duration, but if you’re interested in learning more about sauna temperature or how often you should sauna, you can find our in-depth look into those topics here.
Related: Sauna benefits and risks: What research reveals
Traditional and infrared saunas
Key Takeaway: A 30-minute infrared session is not the equivalent of a 30-minute traditional Finnish sauna session.
Traditional saunas (electric or wood-burning) operate at much higher temperatures (70–100°C) than an infrared sauna (45–65°C). This means a person can stay in an infrared sauna much longer (up to 45 minutes), making it an ideal option for benefits like muscle recovery and joint pain.
Related: Infrared vs Traditional Sauna: Which One Should You Choose?
Post-workout sauna timing and benefits
Key Takeaway: The clearest evidence shows that a 20-30 minute sauna immediately after exercise can reduce muscle soreness.
Sauna use after exercise adds another physiological stressor rather than simply helping the body recover. Hydration and heat tolerance therefore affect the health outcomes as much as the sauna duration.
Regular sauna (3 to 4 times a week) is shown to be more beneficial for recovery than an isolated session [6]. Research also shows that 2 or 3 shorter sauna rounds after exercise (5-10 minutes each) are also beneficial for relaxation and muscle soreness.
Does contrast therapy affect how long you can spend in the sauna?
Key Takeaway: Contrast therapies (cold showers, cold plunges, or cooling breaks) between sauna sessions can make a subsequent session more tolerable and reduce heat strain.
A recent study (2026) tested this question. Sixteen healthy adults participated in two sauna sessions with a 10-minute cooling period between them. On one occasion, they took a cooling break; on another, they cold-plunged for 20 seconds during the break.
The results showed that cold-water immersion therapy was more beneficial than fresh-air cooling because it produced better heat tolerance. The study showed that contrast therapy can help you manage the heat of multiple sauna sessions, but it did not show that it can extend a 10-minute session to, say, 25 minutes.
Related: 7 Surprising Benefits of Cold Plunge Therapy
Research-backed sauna durations for heart health and pain management
Most sauna studies focus on its benefits for heart health and pain management. These studies claim reduced high blood pressure, improved arterial function and pain reduction. For people with these conditions, sessions of 10-30 minutes are adequate to receive the health benefits.
| Health benefit | Duration | The claims |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary blood pressure reduction | 15-30 minutes | A 30-minute session at 73°C produced an average reduction of about 7 mmHg in systolic BP and 7 mmHg in diastolic BP immediately afterwards. [7] |
| Improved vascular function | Up to 30 minutes | A 30-minute sauna at 73°C significantly reduced pulse-wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, immediately after the session. [8] |
| Musculoskeletal pain or fibromyalgia symptoms | 15 minutes | Waon therapy studies have used 15 minutes in a 60°C far-infrared sauna, followed by 30 minutes of warm rest, to reduce pain and fibromyalgia symptoms. [9] |
The final verdict
Much of the research on sauna use supports the idea that 10-20-minute sessions provide the required health benefits. Most bathers can comfortably manage the heat of a traditional sauna for this time period. Saunas that work at lower temperatures, such as infrared saunas, allow bathers to extend their time in the sauna. The best indicator of how long you should stay in a sauna is your personal comfort and experience because everyone is different.
You can learn more about the 6 different types of saunas and their specific health benefits in our free resource:
Types of Sauna: Features and Benefits Explained
FAQs: How long should you stay in a sauna?
1. How long should I stay in a sauna for best results?
No optimal sauna duration applies across sauna types and bathers. Most sauna users benefit from a 10-20 minute traditional sauna session and a 30-45 minute infrared sauna. Health benefits derived from sauna therapy are dependent not only on duration but also on sauna temperature and how often you sauna. For best results, start by creating a sauna routine that is a safe and enjoyable experience and does not worsen any existing health conditions.
2. How do I know that I’m staying in the sauna for too long?
There is no time period that will let you know you’ve been in a sauna for too long. Rather, you should pay attention to your body’s warning signals. If you feel dizzy, experience a rapid heartbeat, feel like fainting, get a headache or feel nauseous, these are signs that your body is under strain. Leave the sauna immediately, get some fresh air and slowly sip some room-temperature water until your body adjusts.
3. How long should I stay in the sauna to relax and soothe sore muscles?
A 15- to 20-minute session in a traditional sauna will help with relaxation and soothing sore muscles. For longer sessions at lower temperatures, an infrared sauna is ideal. The infrared light warms the body directly instead of the environment. This soothes muscle pain, and users report noticeable stress reduction.
4. How long should I stay in the sauna to lose weight?
If your goal is to lose fat, there is currently no evidence to support the idea that spending a certain duration in a sauna will help you achieve this goal. Saunas at high heat make you sweat profusely, and this makes it appear that you have lost weight after a sauna session. However, this weight loss is mostly fluid loss rather than a true decrease in centimetres.
5. How long should I stay in a steam room or steam sauna for high blood pressure?
Most sauna research around blood pressure is based on dry heat rather than steam saunas. This makes it difficult to recommend how long you should stay in a steam room if you have hypertension. In one study, people with heart disease showed a temporary improvement in systolic blood pressure after a 30-minute sauna at 73°C and 10–20% humidity. More evidence is required to understand whether the same effect applies to steam rooms.
6. Does temperature affect how long I can stay in a sauna?
Yes. Sauna temperature plays a huge role in how long you can stay in a sauna. Electric and wood-burning saunas operate at much higher temperatures than an infrared sauna or a steam bath. Most people can comfortably tolerate temperatures of between 40°C and 60°C for longer periods (up to 30 minutes). Higher temperatures (up to 100°C) become more difficult to manage. These temperatures can usually only be tolerated for short sessions (5-10 minutes).
Sources:
2. Acute effects of sauna bathing on cardiovascular function | Journal of Human Hypertension?
4. Sauna use linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problems - Harvard Health
5. Sauna use as a lifestyle practice to extend healthspan - ScienceDirect
7. Acute effects of sauna bathing on cardiovascular function - PubMed
9. Efficacy of Waon therapy for fibromyalgia - PubMed
Reviewed by the Palmako UK content team with insights from our garden building experts.
