The first time most people sit in a sauna, they stay too long. The second time, they bail out early. If that sounds familiar, don’t worry: there is an achievable middle ground. Ultimately, how long to stay in a sauna depends on the type of sauna, your heat tolerance, and what you’re hoping to get from it.
Here’s how long you should stay in a sauna as a beginner vs. as a regular, how the timing changes in an infrared cabin or a steam room, what the research says, and where to find one near you.
On that last point, a spa pass through ResortPass is the easiest way to get consistent sauna time without a membership: it gets you daytime access to hotel and bathhouse saunas across the country starting at just $25.
Access hotel pools, spas, and resort amenities by the day. No overnight stay required.
Browse ResortPassHow long to stay in a sauna: the quick guide
For a quick rule of thumb to follow:
- New to saunas? Stay 5 to 10 minutes.
- Used to the heat? 15 to 20 minutes is a standard round in a traditional dry sauna, and two or three rounds with cooling breaks in between is how the Finns do it.
Most experts and most sauna operators cap a single round at about 20 minutes; past that, you’re adding dehydration and dizziness risk without adding much benefit.
Three factors affect the ideal number, though:
- The type of sauna: A traditional dry sauna runs far hotter than an infrared cabin or a steam room, so you won’t need to spend as much time in one.
- Your experience with heat: Tolerance builds over weeks, not days. Don’t rush your stay-time and listen to your body.
- Your goal: A post-workout recovery session, a relaxation ritual, and a cardiovascular routine don’t call for identical timing.
What the research says about sauna time
The best-known sauna data comes from Finland. A study in JAMA Internal Medicine (Laukkanen et al., 2015) followed 2,315 middle-aged Finnish men for a median of 20.7 years.
Compared with men whose sauna sessions lasted under 11 minutes, those who stayed more than 19 minutes had a 52 percent lower risk of sudden cardiac death and a 24 percent lower risk of fatal cardiovascular disease, after adjusting for other risk factors.
These are associations, not instructions, but they’re the strongest signal we have that regular 15 to 20 minute sessions are the ones tied to long-term benefit. This is, of course, after you’ve worked your way up gradually.
A follow-up in the Journal of Human Hypertension (Laukkanen et al., 2018) measured a single sauna session: 102 adults with a cardiovascular risk factor sat for 30 minutes at 163°F (73°C), and systolic blood pressure fell from 137 to 130 mmHg, with arterial stiffness dropping too.
Thirty minutes is longer than what we’d generally suggest; those participants were closely monitored.
On safety, a systematic review in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Hussain and Cohen, 2018) pooled 40 clinical studies with 3,855 participants and found regular dry sauna bathing well tolerated. For a deeper dive, see our guide to sauna benefits.
How long to stay in a sauna by type
Traditional dry sauna:
Typically 150 to 195°F (66 to 91°C) with low humidity. Beginners start at 5 to 10 minutes; regulars settle into 15 to 20 per round, separated by a cool shower, a cold plunge, or a few minutes outside.
Infrared sauna:
Infrared cabins heat your body directly rather than the air, so they run cooler, usually 110 to 135°F (43 to 57°C). That’s why guidance for how long to stay in an infrared sauna runs longer: 20 to 30 minutes for a regular, 10 to 15 for a first session.
Steam room:
Around 100 to 115°F (38 to 46°C) at nearly 100 percent humidity, which stops sweat from evaporating and makes the heat feel heavier than the thermometer suggests. Ten to 15 minutes is the usual guidance, with 20 as the ceiling. In a thermal circuit that mixes both, keep each stop short.
How to time a sauna session
Hydrate first and skip alcohol:
Drink a glass or two of water in the half hour before. Alcohol blunts your sense of how hot you’re getting, so it’s best to avoid it.
Start low and set a timer:
The top bench can run 20 or more degrees hotter than the bottom one, so sit lower down for your first few minutes. Decide on your number before you walk in and use the sand timer; “a bit longer” is how 15 minutes can become 30 before you know it.
Cool for as long as you heated:
Between rounds, leave the hot room for at least as long as you were in it.
Scale up over weeks, and leave at the first warning sign:
Add a few minutes per round only as sessions start to feel easy. How long is too long in a sauna? However long it takes for your body to send a signal: dizziness, a headache, nausea, a racing heart that doesn’t settle, chills while you’re still in the heat, or sweating that stops. Step out, sit somewhere cool, and drink water. Anyone pregnant, on heart or blood pressure medication, or with unstable heart disease should keep sessions short and check with a doctor first.
Where to practice: ResortPass properties with great saunas
A spa pass is the simplest way to make sauna a habit. Each of these offers day access to a sauna, most pair it with a cold plunge, and all are bookable on ResortPass. Confirm inclusions on the listing before you go.
Spa Castle New York, College Point (Queens), NY
A sprawling Korean-style bathhouse with themed sauna rooms at different temperatures, hydrotherapy pools, and a cold plunge, which makes it ideal for practicing short rounds from mild to hot.
The sauna rooms sit in an area called Sauna Valley, where you can rotate through jade, Himalayan salt, halotherapy, and infrared rooms, and the bathhouse itself spans five floors of indoor and outdoor pools. Start in the milder rooms for 5 to 10 minutes and work up to the hotter ones as the day goes on. Browse more New York spa passes or our best spas in NYC.
Waldorf Astoria Chicago, Chicago, IL
A weekday Sauna Pass with pool access: separate men’s and women’s saunas and steam rooms, hydrotherapy pools, and an indoor heated pool for the cool-down.
Because the pass covers the whole day, it’s an easy place to practice the full routine: a round in the sauna, an equal stretch cooling off, then back in. Mix in the steam room and hydrotherapy pool between rounds, and finish with a meal at Brass Tack, the hotel’s restaurant. It’s one of our picks in our guide to Chicago spa deals.
Dua Hotel Miami, Autograph Collection, Miami, FL
A Brickell Spa Pass covering saunas, a steam room, a cold plunge, and a hot tub, with rooftop pool access alongside: a full contrast circuit in one building.
The spa also has a relaxation room, so you can build a full hot-cold-rest cycle: sauna, cold plunge, then a few quiet minutes before the next round. When you’re done, head up to the Altitude Pool Deck for views over downtown Miami and the bay. More in our best spas in Miami.
Löyly Sauna Lounge, Houston, TX
A dedicated sauna and cold plunge studio with private suites that alternate infrared heat and a plunge.
Each suite is private for two, so you set the pace, and it’s a good place to try infrared for the first time since the gentler heat makes a 10 to 15 minute first session comfortable. Groups of up to eight can book a contrast session that adds a saltwater hot tub. Browse more Houston spa passes.
Alchemy Springs & Sauna Garden, San Francisco, CA
A communal outdoor sauna garden with cold plunges, a fire pit, and thermal benches. Appointments are scheduled with the property after booking.
This is the most social pick on the list: sessions are communal, so it suits anyone who’d rather sweat with friends than alone. Weekday hours run into the evening, which makes it an easy after-work stop. Pair it with our things to do in San Francisco.
High Country Motor Lodge, Flagstaff, AZ
A Nordic Spa Experience booked in 50-minute blocks: a private sauna for two, a plunge pool, a cold shower, a soaking tub, and a fire pit.
Billed as Arizona’s first Nordic Spa Experience, the booking also includes your own changing area, a private fire pit, and complimentary electrolytes. Work the outdoor soaking tub and plunge pool into your hot-cold cycles; 50 minutes leaves room for two or three short rounds. It’s one of our picks for things to do in Arizona.
Do Not Disturb Spa, Atlanta, GA
Private 25- and 50-minute sauna and cold plunge sessions. The 25-minute option is the rare pass sized for a true beginner.
Every session takes place in a private suite with a dry sauna, a cold plunge, and a shower, and the 50-minute contrast session gives you time for two or three rounds once you’re comfortable. Groups of up to five can share a contrast suite, and the studio also offers LED red light therapy. See more Atlanta spa passes.
Can’t find your city? Search spa passes near you, and plan the rest of the day with our spa daycation guide or, if it’s cold out, our winter spa day guide.
How long to stay in a sauna: FAQs
How long should you stay in a sauna?
Beginners should stay 5 to 10 minutes in a traditional dry sauna. Experienced users typically stay 15 to 20 minutes per round with cooling breaks between rounds, and most guidance caps a single round at 20 minutes. Infrared saunas run cooler, so 20 to 30 minutes is common; steam rooms are usually limited to 10 to 15.
How long is too long in a sauna?
For most healthy adults, more than 20 minutes in a single round of a traditional sauna is where risk starts to outweigh benefit, and 30 minutes is a hard ceiling. Regardless of the clock, leave immediately if you feel dizzy, nauseated, or get a headache, or if you stop sweating.
How long should you sit in a sauna after a workout?
Keep it to 10 to 15 minutes, since you’re already warm and partly dehydrated. Drink water first and skip the sauna if you feel light-headed after training.
Sources cited
Laukkanen, T., Khan, H., Zaccardi, F., & Laukkanen, J. A. (2015). Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Internal Medicine, 175(4), 542–548. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187
Laukkanen, T., Kunutsor, S. K., Zaccardi, F., Lee, E., Willeit, P., Khan, H., & Laukkanen, J. A. (2018). Acute effects of sauna bathing on cardiovascular function. Journal of Human Hypertension, 32(2), 129–138. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-017-0008-z
Hussain, J., & Cohen, M. (2018). Clinical effects of regular dry sauna bathing: A systematic review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2018, 1857413. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/1857413
