+971 58 558 1295 ENTR Request a Quote
Compact sauna interior with a backrest, folded towel and a wall-mounted electric heater

[ Blog ]

How Long Should You Stay in the Sauna?

How long should you stay in a sauna? Finnish 8-15 minutes, infrared 20-30, steam 10-15, how many rounds to take, and when to cut a session short.

Sauna Dekor Spa Solutions — designing, manufacturing and installing saunas, steam rooms, hammams and pools since 1987, in our own facility in İkitelli OSB, Istanbul.

TopicHow Long Should You Stay in the Sauna
Reading5 minutes
Sections3
Published16 April 2023

Short answer: How long to stay in a sauna is set by the venue's posted rules and by how you feel; there is no single figure that suits everyone. Hotels, gyms and spas usually post their time limit beside the sauna door, and a home sauna owner sets their own.

Sauna Dekor Spa Solutions engineering team, Istanbul · reviewed 30 September 2026 · project and press enquiries: Alican Aykaç, Managing Partner

How Long Should You Stay in the Sauna?

How Long Should You Stay in the Sauna? Sauna application is a very beneficial application for the human body as long as it is done properly. How long should you stay in the sauna? During a session the body sweats, and that sweat is mostly water and salt. The length of the application is critical during the sauna process. How Long Should You Stay in the Sauna?

Traditional Finnish sauna cabin with timber benches and a stone-filled heater
Delivered by Sauna Dekor: design, manufacture and installation as one scope.

The time spent in the sauna should be properly calculated. The time spent in a sauna is set by the venue's posted rules and by how the user feels. There is no single figure that suits everyone. So you have to determine this time correctly.

  • Average application time is 15 minutes. Extending this interval can cause health problems.
  • If you stay in the sauna more than necessary, the body will lose the water balance and the excess water will be removed from the body.
  • It causes the loss of beneficial vitamins and minerals, as well as the removal of excess water from the body.
  • Excess water in the body causes important health problems such as cerebral hemorrhage and heart attack.
  • Long-term use of sauna increases blood pressure, especially in people with high blood pressure.
  • Sudden fainting may occur in people with excess water removed from their bodies.

For this reason, the duration of stay in the sauna is very important. How Long Should You Stay in the Sauna?

Sauna allows the person to relax and the body to rest. In other words, we can say that it is very beneficial for the human body; as long as you don’t exceed the length of stay in the sauna, of course. How Long Should You Stay in the Sauna?

How Many Days A Week Should You Enter The Sauna?

One of the most important things to remember is to keep the sauna temperature around 100 degrees. Sauna time interval should be adjusted according to this temperature value. The respiratory system is relaxed when the atmosphere is slightly moistened with water at regular intervals. However, it is vital to ensure that the sauna room is ventilated occasionally. The sauna should not be used more than three times a week and for more than 15 minutes. The time spent in the sauna can be started with 3.5 minutes and gradually extended towards the following days, but it should not exceed fifteen minutes.

Sauna; It should not be used by people with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease or asthma. In recent studies, heat has been shown to reduce sperm count in men who regularly use saunas. Men experiencing infertility should avoid using the sauna.

What to Wear When Going to the Sauna?

Customers visiting the sauna for the first time may experience some stress about what to wear. First of all, there is no need to worry at Spa facilities; you experience relief from the moment you enter the door; you can start to relax and unwind with the effect of music and ambiance. Many Spas provide guests with towels, loincloths, bathrobes and slippers. You can join the Hammam or Sauna with a bikini or swimsuit, but it is not recommended to use elastic fabrics that will disrupt the circulation in the body during the massage.

Can You Take a Shower After the Sauna?

It is a kind of hot air bath made of wood, filled with hot and dry air, large enough for people to lie down and sit on comfortably. Showering after the sauna is important for closing the pores. A Finnish sauna typically runs at 80–100 °C, with the hottest air just below the ceiling.

Before entering the sauna, clothing and items such as glasses, contact lenses, jewelry, watches should be removed (they are uncomfortable and may be damaged at high temperatures).
Take a relaxing shower with warm water and soap.
Leave the sauna 5 to 15 minutes after spontaneous sweating starts (follow the time limit posted by the venue).
The body should be cooled by taking another shower or swimming in the pool.
Continue to lower your body temperature by lying down for 10 to 20 minutes.
Then return to the sauna (in this second session, a small amount of water with sauna perfume added to a wooden bucket is taken with a ladle and poured over the hot stove stones to increase the humidity in the sauna and increase the humidity in the sauna. (The body can be massaged with a massage brush or a natural brush made of plant leaves)
After using the sauna, the body is rested for 20 minutes. You should first take a shower after the sauna with soap, then a cold shower (to close the skin pores), and then get dressed after the body has completely cooled down.

Although shared saunas are common in mass housing, individuals prefer home type saunas in terms of health and cleanliness and to increase the value of the house. An area of 1m2 or 1.5m2 is suitable for the construction of a home type sauna. Home saunas are for one or two people. The home sauna construction procedure can be divided into three categories: bespoke, ready-made cabin sauna and bespoke cabin sauna. You can easily make the one suitable for your home from these categories and enjoy the sauna pleasure at home.

Related reading: our saunas · how to use a sauna · sauna rules

Our work

Sauna projects

Alican Aykaç, Managing Partner, Sauna Dekor
[ Author ]

Alican Aykaç · Managing Partner, Sauna Dekor Spa Solutions

Sauna Dekor Spa Solutions has designed, manufactured and installed saunas, steam rooms, hammams and pools since 1987, in its own facility in İkitelli OSB, Istanbul: 5,000+ projects in 41+ countries, including 577+ hotel and resort projects.

About Alican Aykaç

[ Related applications ]

Planning a room like this?

Send us the drawing or the room size. We will work out the heater, ventilation and finishes the room needs.

Ready to learn more?

Book a consultation or speak with our team.

We’d love to cooperate
TO BUILD AMAZING POOLSAUNATURKISH BATH & HAMMAMSNOW ROOMSTEAM ROOMSALT ROOMWHIRLPOOL

Sauna Dekor Spa Solutions

Sauna Dekor Spa Solutions was established in 1987. In order to spread the use of Spa & Wellness, it introduced its products in many international fairs and followed the innovations abroad and examined the Spa & Wellness culture on-site, and made perfect applications with quality materials and correct manufacturing techniques.

Talk to our team

Dubai office · Istanbul factory

WhatsApp+90 532 215 64 78Call Dubai+971 58 558 1295Request a quote