HOW HOT SHOULD A SAUNA BE FOR HEALTH BENEFITS?
We've all heard of the insurmountable health benefits a sauna treatment can offer. By now, it's probably common knowledge that most of those claims are true and not just a marketing gimmick. However, the human body is a curious specimen – we can't just assume any sauna treatment works wonders on our bodies. Saunas have an ideal temperature for a reason, which is maximizing that euphoric feeling of relaxation and stimulating a healthy physical response.
How hot should a sauna be for health benefits? This guide aims to give a comprehensive answer to that question. We'll look at reputable peer-reviewed research, statistics, and the latest trends in physical health to find the ideal sauna temperature for health benefits.
Ideal Sauna Temperature For Health Benefits
To ensure your investment doesn't go to waste, it's essential to research the optimal methods for achieving the benefits we discussed. There's an ideal range of sauna temperatures for health benefits, as our body responds in a very specific way to a warm yet not excessively hot environment.
The first thing to note is prolonged exposure in saunas hotter than 210 F (100 C) can be dangerous, as essential proteins in our body begin to denature and degrade. That's also why you won't see many sauna companies recommend turning the temperature beyond the 210 mark.
However, the lower bound is much more flexible and is mostly based on the goal you want to achieve. Most studies recommend you keep the sauna between 155–195 F (70–90 C) for a traditional sauna. Infrared saunas can be a little cooler as they depend on light waves rather than dry air. A temperature range of 104–140 F (or 40–60 C) would suffice — although it won't replicate the same health benefits as a traditional sauna.
The table below can give you a good idea of how different kinds of saunas and heat therapy modes differ:
Health Benefits of Sauna Treatment
Now that we know how hot a sauna should be for health benefits let's discuss a few of the physical advantages you can yield through proper sauna exposure.
Reducing the Risk of Stress-Related Diseases
Sauna treatment has proven to significantly lower the risk of stress-induced diseases — notably, cardio-metabolic diseases (CMD). These ailments affect an individual's cardiovascular and metabolic health and are often a direct precursor to more debilitating conditions — such as cardiac arrest, obesity, vascular conditions, and more.
Studies showed that heat exposure, and sauna treatment, in particular, greatly decreased (~%50) the risk of CMD development in people in High-Stress Occupations (HSO). Similarly, sauna treatment also mitigated the general negative effect of stress factors.
Sauna as a Treatment For Chronic Pain
Several interview-based studies have reported that people prefer sauna thermal therapy to treat their pain. Around 40% to 70% of people with rheumatoid disease — an ailment causing inflammation near the joints, leading to frequent pain — reported that they felt much less bothered after going through sauna treatment.
Improved Blood Circulation
Sauna exposure induces an increase in heart rate, consequently increasing a person's blood flow. As such, this also changes stress levels – lowering them in a way similar to moderate exercise.
Sauna treatment is the perfect workout for your skin and blood vessels, and people with heart diseases, low blood circulation, or low blood pressure can greatly benefit from regular thermal exposure.
The Best Examples of Saunas to Achieve Health Benefits
Best For Small Groups: ALMOST HEAVEN PINNACLE 4-PERSON STANDARD BARREL SAUNA
Immerse yourself in nature's relaxing aura while enjoying the therapeutic effects of this outdoor sauna. Designed to offer a blend of spaciousness, durability, and elegance, this outdoor sauna promises an exceptional experience for small groups of people – perfect for families, groups of friends, or as a means to entertain your guests.
The Almost Heaven Pinnacle features two opposite-facing benches on the inside, letting you indulge in casual conversation in serenity. Its rustic cedar frame makes it the perfect companion to an outdoor patio or by the poolside, and you can even choose between a tempered glass door and a fully wooden door, in case you'd like to drown out your outdoor surroundings completely.
Features:
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Assembled using 1-3/8" thick ball and socket lumber, guaranteeing durability and sustainability.
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The tempered glass door with a stainless steel handle on the outside and a wooden handle on the inside for a touch of sophistication.
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Equipped with stainless steel bands, hinges, and fasteners, ensuring lasting quality.
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Built-in LED lights create a serene atmosphere for relaxation.
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The 6.0kw, 220v stainless steel heater from Harvia heats the room to 190 – 195°F in under an hour, easily reaching the ideal sauna temperature for health benefits.
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Choose the 8KW Virta Heater with Digital Control for enhanced performance.
Enjoy peace of mind with a limited lifetime warranty on the sauna room and five years on the heater.
Best For Indoors: ALMOST HEAVEN SALEM 2-PERSON STANDARD BARREL SAUNA
Rejuvenate yourself without compromising on space with the Salem Sauna by Almost Heaven. This 6'x4' traditional sauna effortlessly accommodates two, offering a relaxing space in your backyard or home gym, and is tailored for individuals with a more modernistic preference. Its compact design and top-tier features promise an efficient yet immersive sauna experience.
The Salem boasts one of the best heaters in its class, maximizing efficiency and comfort with its digital controls. If that doesn't do the trick for you, upgrade to 6kW instead for an even more relaxing sauna experience.
Features:
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The included Harvia 4.5kW electric heater ensures you reach a soothing 180ºF in just an hour.
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Enjoy delayed sauna sessions by adjusting the start time dial for up to eight hours.
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Choose between the standard 4.5kW heater or upgrade to a 6kW for a personalized heat experience.
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Assembled with 1-3/8" thick ball and socket lumber, it earns a lifetime warranty from Almost Heaven.
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The tempered glass door with stainless steel handle on the outside and a wooden handle on the inside enhances the sauna's elegance.
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Opposite-facing benches foster heartwarming conversations, while stainless steel bands, hinges, and fasteners ensure durability.
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Built-in LED lights create a serene atmosphere, perfect for relaxation.
FAQ: How Hot Should A Sauna Be For Health Benefits?
How should I prepare for sauna exposure?
Remember to hydrate yourself properly before stepping into the sauna. People tend to release a lot of toxins and water through sweating during thermal therapy, so drinking a pint of water before your sauna session is recommended.
What is a safe time period to stay in the sauna?
Try not to extend your sauna session beyond 45–60 minutes. Your heart rate and water loss increase while in the sauna, and staying inside for prolonged periods could lead to dehydration or other acute health issues.
What's the difference between a sauna and a steam room?
Steam rooms are far more humid compared to a sauna, which only uses dry air to raise your body temperature. Consequently, steam rooms operate at a much lower temperature range as you're able to retain heat through the water.
Conclusion: How Hot Should A Sauna Be For Health Benefits?
In essence, understanding the ideal sauna temperature for health benefits is vital. Adhering to suggested ranges ensures relaxation and positive physiological effects — reducing stress, alleviating pain, and enhancing circulation. Stay hydrated and limit sessions for safety. Review our guidance to find products that optimize temperature for health benefits.
You can also head over to MySaunaWorld to check out our collection of indoor, outdoor, and traditional saunas. We host a variety of home-use and commercial saunas to meet all your sauna requirements. If you have any queries, please contact us, and our team will reach back as soon as possible!
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I haven't even built this sauna yet (Rainelle), but I have to give an ENORMOUS shoutout to Adora and especially KELLY for their help on this one. This was a big purchase for us, and these ladies went way out of their way to make it work out for us. The first sauna that showed up was badly damaged in shipping, and from what it sounds like - that is not typical. At all. So Kelly helped us to get it squared away, and it took what could have been a horrible customer experience into a fantastic one. Give this woman a raise!
We really like our sauna! Quality of the sauna seems decent. The quality of the accessories was not! The back recliner was all busted up out of the box.
My wife and I would occasionally sit in the sauna at our gym after a workout. It was hot but a little gross. I can't tell you how many times we bailed on the gym sauna session because someone else was playing their phone too loud, someone was breathing like they were gasping for air, someone decided to be shirtless in public, someone is weird or any number of other reasons. Loved the sauna feeling but HATED the gym sauna.
We bought a sauna for our home and installed it in our basement to escape the gym sauna experience. We absolutely love it! We sauna daily. Without the angst and frustration of hoping to avoid an awkward gross experience at the gym sauna.
If you are considering a sauna purchase, spend a little extra and get the WIFI enabled heater. This is the best way to make sure you get the benefit of owning a sauna. The app on our phone is easy to use. Just click the on/off button on the app and set your temperature to your desire. I like 171. My wife likes 153. Once it hits the temperature, the app will let you know. You can even turn on your sauna while you are on the way home from the gym. The WIFI version and the app make all the difference in usability and enjoyment of your investment. If we did not have the app and the WIFI version, we probably would probably skip 2/3 of the sessions we currently take.
The sauna is well made. Wood quality is excellent. Very few knots and blemishes. Hillsboro Almost Heaven saunas are a great choice for quality components, solid electronics, easy to use controls and an enjoyable sauna experience.
This is a standard kit sauna. I made several modifications but I am very satisfied with it so far. I have a few shingles left to install tomorrow and then will move onto to interior. MSW has been easy to work with and I recommend them.
I really love this sauna. I use it about four times a week to help me wind down before bed and calm my ego. Customer service at MySaunaWorld was great.
Assembly took me roughly 8–10 hours total over two days, and I’m not a particularly handy person. The step by step instructions video was straightforward and easy to follow.
I paired the sauna with the HUUM Drop 9 heater (the largest HUUM Drop), and it performs very well. I hired an electrician to install it (about $900 extra). It easily heats the sauna to 190°F plus. I personally like it around 180°F, which it reaches in about an hour. Also, you can pour water over the hot rocks to make the air hotter and steamier. Make sure to mount it low so that it can heat everything above it. (I mounted mine 6” from the ground to the base of the heater.) I love that I can start heating the sauna from my iPhone, even when I’m not on my home Wi-Fi.
I got the double-bench configuration going across the back of the sauna which lets two people lay down. The area around the lower bench is cooler which is nice to have different temperature seating options.
The sauna looks fantastic, smells great, and feels solid. I would recommend this sauna to a friend.
We love our new Almost Heaven Pinnacle barrel sauna!
Delivery was perfect, the assembly was a breeze, and the sauna fits perfectly in our space.
The only regret we have is not to have made this purchase 10 years ago!
I had been thinking about installing a sauna for quite some time. I kept going back and forth between framing one in or a prefab that I assemble. I spent several weeks going over the various websites looking at designs for both and writing out the pros/cons for each. After much deliberation, I reached out to My Sauna World to purchase an Almost Heaven Greyson.
It came way sooner than expected which was a good thing, so I had to arrange for my electrician. I assembled it very easily, with my wife holding just one panel, and then I ran into a problem. The last wall was short. It took a lot of head scratching and measuring and remeasuring as well as back and forth communication with both My Sauna World and Almost Heaven. It turned out that I had been sent 2 glass panels that were the same dimension when the 2 glass panels are actually designed with different dimensions. The new panel was sent out without question, and the rest of the assembly went easy.
I will say that the folks at My Sauna World were extremely responsive and did a great job as liaison back to the manufacturer.
Overall, I had a really positive experience, and we are very happy with the Greyson with the Harvia Spirit 8kW stove.
We also have the duckboard flooring (that is a must) sitting on top of the concrete floor. The back and leg rest are also recommended.
Note: this is advertised as a 3-4 person but in reality it is a good 2 person. And lastly, I grew up with sauna my whole life, starting with my grandpa’s wood burning sauna. This non insulated Greyson type will not get up to the same temperatures, but it does get the job done. Very pleased with the product and do recommend (to frame one in my self and buy a pre-cut kit would have cost a few thousand more overall)
Their customer service is refreshing in a world where most companies fail miserably with service. They should teach customer service to other companies and government agencies. We have only tested the actual product to make sure it works, but along the way, we had multiple questions and the replies were quick and helpful. The sauna was easy to assemble.
Frankly, I was stunned at the quality of this product. Equally stunning is how easily everything fits together. It’s well and I’m looking to an improved lifestyle.
Back rests are a nice size and fit perfectly in my Lugano 3-person sauna. They are very comfortable (especially considering they are wood) and make sitting in the sauna an even more pleasant experience. To think that they were added in free to my purchase of the sauna is hard to believe. Very pleased with customer service from My Sauna World.com !
Well built, good quality, reliable, and matches my barrel sauna very well
I purchased this since it was significantly more affordable than from the brands website. It arrived quickly and is function perfect. It's easy to install and looks great. I had issues with water leaking into the sauna before that used to annoy me. Now it stays completely dry and the wood also is protected from damage and weathering.
The best Sauna ever, and the quickest delivery, 100% recommend !!!!
Works exactly as advertised. Easy install and perfect coverage. Highly recommend.
Very good customer service. My sauna came as expected.