Is it OK to use a sauna every day?
By the Find My Sauna team·
Updated ·
7 min read
Some people treat the sauna like brushing their teeth: every evening, no question. If you've caught the habit and wonder whether it's too much, the research is mostly reassuring. There are a few things to get right, and a few times to skip it.
The short answer
For most healthy adults, yes. In the long-running Finnish studies, people who used a sauna 4–7 times a week had the lowest rates of heart disease, stroke and dementia, and fewer deaths overall. Keep daily sessions moderate, drink water to replace what you sweat, and skip it when you're ill or have been drinking. If you're pregnant, have a heart condition or take regular medicine, ask your doctor first. Men trying for a baby may want to cut back.
Who uses a sauna every day
Finland is the obvious place to look. It has around 3.2 million saunas for 5.5 million people, many of them in private homes and apartment blocks, so a daily sauna takes no more planning than a daily shower. Even so, daily users are a minority. A 2018 review in Mayo Clinic Proceedings put the average Finnish habit at 2–3 times a week. In the big Kuopio study of 2,315 middle-aged men, 201 went 4–7 times a week, under one in ten.
Outside Finland, daily users tend to be people with a sauna at home, gym members who finish every workout in the heat, and regulars at public saunas with long opening hours.
What the research says about daily use
The best evidence is the Kuopio study, which followed Finnish men for about 20 years. Compared with men who went once a week, the 4–7 times a week group had:
- a 63% lower risk of sudden cardiac death
- a 40% lower risk of dying from any cause during the study
- a 46% lower risk of developing high blood pressure
- a 66% lower risk of dementia
Two things to keep in mind. First, these are links, not proof: frequent sauna users may have been healthier in other ways. Second, the study grouped 4 and 7 sessions together, so it can't tell us whether every day beats four times a week. What it does show is that frequent use wasn't linked to worse health. For the wider picture on frequency, see how often should you use a sauna.
Daily heat is also used as a treatment. In Japanese hospitals, heart failure patients have been given Waon therapy, a 15-minute far-infrared sauna at 60 °C (140 °F) followed by 30 minutes under a blanket, once a day for a week or two. That's under medical supervision, not a home routine, but it shows regular gentle heat can be well tolerated.
Drinking enough
This is the main practical issue with daily use. In a 1976 study of 60 volunteers, 20 minutes in a Finnish sauna at 80–90 °C (176–194 °F) cost about 0.46 kg of sweat on average, and some people lost far more. Do that every day without making it up and you'll feel it.
- Drink a glass or two of water after each session, more if you sweat heavily.
- Check your urine. Pale yellow is fine. Dark yellow means drink more.
- Eat normally. Ordinary meals replace the salt you lose. If you also train hard and sweat a lot, a drink with electrolytes can help.
The weight you lose in a session is water, not fat. More in does a sauna help you lose weight.
Keeping daily sessions moderate
A daily sauna doesn't need to be a two-hour spa visit. One or two rounds of 10–15 minutes is plenty. Save longer sessions, extra rounds and the hottest benches for days you have time to rest afterwards. If you miss a day, nothing is lost: the studies measured habits over years, not streaks.
Daily sauna and training
A sauna after exercise is one of the most common daily habits, and it fits well with endurance training:
- In a small 2007 study, six runners who sat in a sauna for about 30 minutes after training for three weeks ran 32% longer before exhaustion, and their blood plasma volume rose by about 7%.
- A 2015 Finnish study of 10 men found a far-infrared sauna helped recovery after endurance training but made no difference after strength training.
The thing to watch if you lift weights is the cold, not the heat. A 2015 study found that regular cold water straight after strength training reduced muscle and strength gains over 12 weeks. If your daily routine includes a cold plunge, keep it a few hours away from strength sessions. And after a long run on a hot day, rehydrate before you get in the sauna. Our guide on sauna before or after a workout covers timing.
When to skip a day
- You have a fever, a stomach bug or feel properly unwell.
- You've had alcohol. Drinking is a factor in many sauna deaths.
- You're already dehydrated, for example after a long session in the heat.
- You felt dizzy, sick or got a headache in the sauna the day before.
- You simply don't feel like it. A habit should help you relax, not become a chore.
Who should be careful
- Pregnancy. Ask your midwife or doctor before using a sauna regularly.
- Heart conditions, blood pressure problems or recent heart attack or stroke. Ask your doctor first.
- Medicines that affect blood pressure, heart rate or sweating.
- Men trying for a baby. In a small 2013 Italian study, two 15-minute sessions a week for three months lowered sperm count and movement. Both recovered within six months of stopping.
- Children. Short sessions on a lower bench, with an adult.
This guide is general information, not medical advice.
Saunas that suit a daily habit
A daily habit is easiest with a sauna near home or work with long opening hours. A few examples:
Pust Kadettangen
Oslo · Communal sauna by the sea
Bislet Bad & Trening
Oslo · Historic city bath
Sickla Bastun
Stockholm · Self-service, open daily
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to use a sauna every day?
For most healthy adults, yes. In Finnish studies, people who went 4 to 7 times a week had the best heart health. Drink water and skip it when you are ill or have been drinking.
How long should you stay in a sauna if you go every day?
One or two rounds of 10 to 15 minutes is plenty for a daily session. Keep longer visits for days when you have time to rest.
Can daily sauna use cause dehydration?
It can if you do not drink enough. A 20-minute session can cost around half a kilo of sweat, so drink water afterwards and check your urine is pale.
Is it OK to use a sauna every day after the gym?
Yes, as long as you rehydrate. Heat after endurance training seems helpful. If you also cold plunge, keep that away from strength sessions.
Does daily sauna use affect fertility?
Heat can lower sperm count for a while. In one small study it recovered within six months of stopping, so men trying for a baby may want to cut back.
