Points Capital

You land after a long travel day, stiff from hours in a seat, and your hotel has a spa with a sauna that is easy to walk right past. Is a sweat session worth it, or just a nice way to kill time before dinner? Sauna research has become a big topic in the health world, and one of its best-known explainers is Dr. Rhonda Patrick of FoundMyFitness. Here is what she has discussed, what the studies behind it actually show, and how to use a hotel sauna sensibly on the road.

What Dr. Rhonda Patrick has discussed about sauna

Dr. Patrick has covered sauna in several FoundMyFitness episodes, and the site has a sauna topic page that collects clips and the studies she references. Much of the research she discusses comes from Finland.

A key study she has discussed comes from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). In a 2015 paper in JAMA Internal Medicine, Laukkanen and colleagues followed 2,315 middle-aged Finnish men for a median of about 20.7 years. Compared with men who used a sauna once a week, those who went two to three times a week had about a 24% lower risk of death from any cause during the study, and those who went four to seven times a week had about a 40% lower risk. Fatal cardiovascular disease showed a similar pattern. Longer sessions (more than 19 minutes) were also linked to lower risk of some cardiac outcomes than very short ones.

In a 2015 episode on sauna and longevity, Dr. Patrick explained that the saunas in that research were hot and mostly dry, averaging around 174°F, and that hot tubs, steam rooms and many infrared saunas run cooler, so the results may not carry over to them. She also discussed possible mechanisms, such as heat shock proteins, which cells make under heat stress. Much of that mechanism research comes from animal and cell studies.

In a 2024 episode on sauna and exercise, she described sauna as something that may complement exercise, not replace it, and noted she usually goes in after a workout. She also warned that heat is a stressor and that more is not always better. On very high temperatures, she said: “I don’t know that you have to go to 200 degrees, and I don’t know that you should, to be honest.”

What the evidence can and cannot tell you

The Finnish findings are observational. They show an association between sauna habits and health outcomes, not proof that sauna caused those outcomes. The JAMA authors noted that unmeasured differences between people could play a role, that sauna habits were measured once by questionnaire, and that the study included only men. A 2018 review in Mayo Clinic Proceedings by the same research group described the overall evidence as mixed in quality and said it was not meant to recommend sauna as a routine remedy. In short, the research is interesting, but it is not settled.

A practical travel playbook

Before you book. Check the hotel’s official amenities, fitness or spa page for a sauna or steam room, and look at the hours. Some spas charge a day fee, limit access to spa guests, or set a minimum age. Full-service and luxury hotels are more likely to have a spa, but that is not guaranteed, so confirm with the property instead of assuming. Also note whether it is a traditional dry sauna, a steam room or an infrared room, since Dr. Patrick has pointed out that these run at different temperatures.

After a flight. Long travel days often mean less water, more coffee and maybe a drink in the lounge. Before you sit in the heat, drink water and give yourself time to settle in. The Mayo Clinic Proceedings review notes that alcohol combined with sauna raises the risk of low blood pressure, heart problems and accidents, so skip the sauna if you have been drinking. If you are wiped out, a walk outside in daylight and fresh air, a meal and an early night may serve you better.

During your session. Harvard Health suggests keeping sessions to about 15 to 20 minutes, leaving right away if you feel unwell, cooling down gradually and drinking two to four glasses of cool water afterward. If the hotel gym is next door, Dr. Patrick has described going in after a workout. Just remember you have already been sweating.

Etiquette. Follow the posted rules, shower first, sit on a towel, keep your voice down and leave your phone in the locker. Ask staff before pouring water on the rocks, and stick to the attire rules the hotel posts.

Safety first. Talk to your doctor before using a sauna if you have heart disease, high blood pressure or another medical condition, or take medications.

• The Mayo Clinic Proceedings review lists unstable angina, a recent heart attack, uncontrolled high blood pressure, decompensated heart failure and severe aortic stenosis as reasons to avoid sauna, and it urges caution for people prone to blood pressure drops.
• The same review advises against sauna when you have a fever or acute infection, and says a rapid plunge into cold water afterward is generally not recommended for people with heart disease.
• If you are pregnant, ACOG advises against saunas and hot tubs in early pregnancy because raising your core body temperature can harm the fetus.
• Harvard Health advises avoiding alcohol and medications that can impair sweating before and after a session, and staying out of the sauna when you are sick.

Our take

We see a hotel sauna as one more tool for feeling human on the road, not a cure for anything. Water, real sleep, sunshine, fresh air, clean meals and staying active still do the heavy lifting. Dr. Patrick’s episodes are a useful guide to what the Finnish research found, but that research shows associations in middle-aged Finnish men using very hot, dry saunas, so keep your expectations in check. If your doctor says sauna is fine for you, a short, well-hydrated session after a hotel gym workout is an easy, low-cost way to unwind after a long day of travel.

Sources

• FoundMyFitness: Sauna Benefits, Research & Protocols (topic page)
• FoundMyFitness: How Sauna Use May Boost Longevity (2015)
• FoundMyFitness: How Sauna Complements Exercise and When More Heat Is Not Better (2024)
• Laukkanen T, et al. Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015
• Laukkanen JA, Laukkanen T, Kunutsor SK. Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2018 (author manuscript)
• Harvard Health Publishing: Saunas and your health
• ACOG: Can I use a sauna or hot tub early in pregnancy?

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet, exercise, sleep or supplement routine.