Why Summer is the Best Time to Start a Sauna Routine
Many people associate saunas with winter, envisioning cozy, heat-filled escapes from the cold. However, the reality is that summer is an excellent time to start your sauna routine. You don’t need to wait for winter to reap the health benefits of a sauna. In fact, summer sauna benefits can help you boost your wellness routine and improve your health in ways that complement the warmer months.
Keep reading to discover why a sauna routine should be part of your summer wellness plan.
Quick Takeaways
✅ Summer Sauna Benefits: Using a sauna in summer supports detoxification, boosts circulation, and enhances skin health.
🧖 Year-Round Wellness: Saunas offer relaxation and health benefits no matter the season, supporting stress relief and overall well-being.
💪 Sauna for Athletes: Post-workout sauna sessions can help reduce inflammation, enhance recovery, and improve flexibility.
❄️ Contrast Therapy: Combining sauna use with cold plunges in the summer can maximize recovery and performance benefits.
Why Saunas Aren’t Just for Winter
Traditionally, saunas have been seen as a winter escape—a way to warm up during the cold months. However, this perception overlooks the year-round benefits saunas provide. Summer can be an ideal time to start using a sauna regularly for several reasons.
Common Sauna Myths vs. Truths:
❌Myth: Saunas are only effective in cold weather.
✅Truth: Saunas offer year-round benefits, regardless of the season.
❌ Myth: Summer sauna use is uncomfortable because it’s already hot outside.
✅ Truth: The heat in a sauna is controlled and has health benefits that summer heat doesn’t provide. Read this blog to learn more.
❌Myth: Saunas make you feel more exhausted in hot weather.
✅Truth: Regular sauna use can energize your body and improve circulation, even during the warmer months.
By using the sauna in summer, you can sweat out toxins, relieve stress, and even boost your immune system to help fight off seasonal issues like allergies and colds.
Health Benefits of Sauna Use in Summer
💧 Sweat it Out Safely
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Regulate body temperature: Saunas provide a controlled environment to sweat it out, even when the outdoor heat is overwhelming.
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Improved circulation: Regular sauna use during the summer helps maintain energy levels and promotes better blood flow.
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Stay refreshed: Detoxify your body without feeling overwhelmed by the outside heat.
🧖 Detoxification Benefits
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Flush out toxins: Summer often exposes us to a higher concentration of allergens and pollutants. Sauna use helps remove toxins through profuse sweating.
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Support your liver and kidneys: Sauna use helps your body cleanse and supports these vital organs in filtering out harmful substances.
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Perfect for regular outdoor activity: Use a sauna 2–3 times a week to complement your outdoor lifestyle and keep your body toxin-free.
🦠 Immune Support
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Fight summer colds and allergies: Sauna use promotes blood circulation, stimulating the production of white blood cells to help fight infections. Read this blog about using a sauna for allergies to learn more.
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Stay strong through the season: For athletes, saunas aid in muscle recovery and improve performance, helping you stay at your best during summer training.
✨ Improved Skin Health
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Soothe your skin: While the sun provides Vitamin D, excessive exposure can damage your skin. Saunas offer a controlled, beneficial heat that opens pores and helps cleanse the skin.
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Promote collagen production: The heat in a sauna helps boost collagen, reducing fine lines and improving skin tone, unlike the damaging effects of UV rays.
Benefits of Sauna Use: Summer vs. Winter
| Benefits | Sauna Use in Summer | Sauna Use in Winter |
| Detoxification | Sweating helps flush out toxins after outdoor exposure to allergens and pollutants. | Helps the body detoxify while indoors, combating the dry air and environmental stress. |
| Heat Regulation | Supports the body's natural cooling process in high heat and humidity. | Helps the body warm up and recover from the cold, offering immediate relief from the chill. |
| Immune Support | Enhances immune system by promoting circulation and stimulating white blood cell production. | Strengthens immunity by improving circulation and reducing the risk of seasonal illnesses like the flu. |
| Muscle Recovery | Helps relax muscles after summer workouts and outdoor activities. | Ideal for warming up and soothing stiff, cold muscles after winter workouts. |
| Skin Health | Opens pores and cleanses skin, reducing the effects of sun exposure. | Moisturizes skin and reduces dryness caused by cold, dry winter air. |
| Mood and Stress Relief | Helps combat summer stress and fatigue by inducing relaxation. | Reduces winter blues, promoting relaxation and enhancing mood during shorter, colder days. |
Sauna for Athletes: Best After a Workout
If you're an athlete or enjoy working out regularly, using a sauna post-workout can be a game-changer. Using a sauna after a workout helps to relax muscles, reduce soreness, and enhance recovery. The heat increases blood circulation to your muscles, flushing out lactic acid and promoting faster recovery. This is particularly useful in summer, as higher temperatures make your body more susceptible to dehydration and fatigue.
🏃♀️Benefits for Athletes:
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Accelerates muscle recovery
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Reduces post-workout inflammation
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Enhances flexibility and relaxation
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Prevents overtraining and fatigue
If you're looking for a sauna routine in summer, consider using the sauna immediately post-workout for 15–20 minutes to maximize benefits.
Summer Wellness Tips
Here are some summer wellness tips to complement your sauna routine in summer:
🧖♀️ Incorporate Sauna Use into Your Routine
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Boost detoxification: Use the sauna 2–3 times per week to sweat out toxins, especially after being exposed to outdoor allergens, pollutants, and summer heat.
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Sauna and weight loss: Regular sauna use supports calorie burning and boosts metabolism, helping you maintain your summer fitness goals.
🍃 Stay Active Outdoors
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Morning or evening walks: Enjoy outdoor walks during cooler times of the day. This complements your sauna routine, supporting weight loss while promoting circulation.
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Stretching or yoga: Enhance flexibility and muscle relaxation with light yoga or stretching. These activities will make your sauna sessions even more effective for stress relief and recovery.
🍉 Stay Hydrated and Nourished
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Eat water-rich foods: Hydrating fruits like watermelon and cucumbers can help replenish your body after sauna sessions and boost immune support.
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Light meals before sauna use: Opt for light snacks before sauna sessions to avoid discomfort, supporting better circulation and digestion.
🏖️ Take Care of Your Skin
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Sun protection: Safeguard your skin from the sun's harsh rays with sunscreen. Sauna use for skin health can be a perfect complement to skincare, especially after exposure to UV rays.
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Post-sauna skincare: After a sauna session, treat your skin to a moisturizing lotion to replenish hydration, keeping your skin healthy and glowing.
🌿 Mind Your Mental Health
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Stress relief: Summer can be hectic, but incorporating regular sauna sessions into your summer wellness routine can help reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.
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Improved sleep: Sauna use in the evening can help you unwind, promoting better sleep quality and relaxation before bed.
Recommended Saunas for Your Summer Routine
If you're ready to take your wellness journey to the next level, here are a few sauna options from My Sauna World that will perfectly complement your summer sauna benefits:
Almost Heaven Charleston 4-Person Canopy Barrel Sauna
A beautiful outdoor sauna designed for relaxation and detox, perfect for summer use.
Discover more in our Outdoor Sauna Collection.
Auroom Cala Glass Cabin Sauna Kit
A sleek and elegant indoor sauna perfect for year-round use and ideal for hot summer days.
Explore more in our Indoor Sauna Collection.
Golden Designs Nora 2 Person Outdoor-Indoor PureTech™ Hybrid Full Spectrum Sauna
A flexible, energy-efficient hybrid sauna, perfect for hot summer afternoons when you want heat without excess humidity.
Browse our Infrared Sauna Collection.
Final Thoughts
Incorporating a sauna routine into your summer wellness plan can provide multiple health benefits, including detoxification, muscle recovery, and improved skin health. Whether you’re new to saunas or a seasoned user, the summer is the perfect time to start. With the right sauna, you can make the most of the warm months and support your overall well-being year-round.
Ready to start your sauna routine today? Explore our traditional saunas and barrel saunas collections to find the perfect fit for your home.
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About the Author
Adam Fromson
Adam Fromson, co-founder of My Sauna World, loves saunas and their transformative health benefits. With years of experience exploring sauna culture and its impact on health and wellness, Adam is passionate about helping others discover the life-changing benefits of saunas for themselves.
Let customers speak for us
from 392 reviews
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.