If you’ve ever hit the gym, smashed a session, and then eyed the sauna wondering whether it’s worth stepping in — science now has an answer.
A new study from Finland has revealed exactly what happens to your body if you go in the sauna straight after working out, and the results are seriously impressive – and will probably have you packing your bathing suit in your gym bag.
A team of researchers from the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Manitoba found that combining sauna sessions with regular exercise doesn’t just help you relax — it could significantly boost your heart health, lower blood pressure, and even improve fitness levels.
The research, published in a paper titled ‘Effects of regular sauna bathing in conjunction with exercise on cardiovascular function: a multi-arm, randomized controlled trial‘, explored how pairing the two activities affects the body.
While the benefits of exercise and sauna bathing are individually well-documented, the study was one of the first to examine how the combination might work together.
Setor Kunutsor, a cardiovascular epidemiologist at the University of Manitoba and one of the researchers involved, told the BBC: “When you go to the sauna, the temperature inside the body goes up slowly from 37C (99F) to as high as 39C (102F). Blood vessels dilate, you start sweating and that reduces blood pressure.”
And when that’s done after a workout, the impact appears to multiply. According to the study, “When combined with exercise, sauna bathing demonstrated a substantially supplementary effect on cardiorespiratory fitness, systolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol levels.”
In other words, using the sauna post-exercise could make your training even more effective.
The researchers wrote that sauna bathing “is a valuable lifestyle tool that complements exercise for improving cardiorespiratory fitness and decreasing systolic blood pressure,” adding that further studies should explore how duration and frequency might fine-tune those benefits.
Kunutsor and his colleagues carried out a randomized controlled trial — the gold standard for scientific experiments — involving 47 participants. One group did both exercise and sauna sessions three times per week for eight weeks, while another group only exercised. The difference between the two groups was striking.
“We found that sauna sessions combined with exercise produced a mean reduction of eight millimetres of mercury,” Kunutsor explained, referring to blood pressure measurements. “This is a very substantial reduction.”
The results were backed by a related study from the University of Jyväskylä, which also showed that eight weeks of regular sauna bathing combined with exercise outperformed exercise alone in improving three key cardiovascular risk factors: cardiorespiratory fitness, systolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol.
“The results of this study lend support for the regular use of sauna bathing with regular exercise, and shows promise as a therapeutic adjunct, particularly for those with lower exercise capacities,” said Earric Lee, a Doctoral Researcher in the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences.
Participants in the study followed an exercise routine that met international health guidelines — 50 minutes of training, three times a week. Each session included 20 minutes of resistance exercise followed by 30 minutes of aerobic work, and those in the combined group finished off with 15 minutes in a traditional Finnish sauna.
The outcome suggested that sauna bathing could become an important part of a well-rounded health and fitness plan, particularly for improving cardiovascular health. Lee pointed out that cardiovascular disease remains a major health issue globally, costing public healthcare systems enormous amounts every year. “Any approach that has the potential to alleviate the burden, and work alongside other preventative strategies such as exercise is really worth further consideration,” he said.
Of course, there are different types of saunas – here is a breakdown to help you determine what may be available to you:
- Infrared sauna: Instead of heating the air, infrared saunas use light waves to warm your body directly. The temperature is lower than in traditional saunas, but it’s still enough to make you sweat and experience the same detoxifying effects.
- Electrically heated sauna: These saunas rely on an electric heater, usually mounted on the floor or wall, to warm the room and sometimes the sauna rocks. They offer high temperatures with low humidity, creating a classic dry-heat experience.
- Wood-burning sauna: Heated by burning wood beneath a pile of sauna rocks, this traditional setup produces a strong, steady heat. The air is dry, but water can be poured onto the rocks to create bursts of steam and raise humidity levels.
- Steam sauna: Popular in places like Finland, steam saunas are designed for higher humidity. Water poured over hot rocks produces thick steam, filling the room with moist heat that feels more intense than dry saunas.
Even without a workout, saunas have been proven to help relieve pain, improve relaxation and reduce stress, and improve blood circulation, per Healthline.
So, if you’re lucky enough to have access to a sauna at your gym, it might be more than just a way to unwind. The science suggests that stepping in for a short heat session after a workout could help your heart, your blood pressure, and your overall fitness — making it one of the simplest post-training habits you can build for long-term benefits.
Featured image credit: SportManual
