The short answer

Most people do well with 5 to 20 minutes at a time in a traditional sauna at around 80°C, repeated two or three times with cool-downs in between. Beginners should start with 5 to 10 minutes. In Finnish men, sessions over 19 minutes were linked with the lowest heart risk, but you should always leave when you feel you need to.

On this page
  1. A quick guide by sauna type
  2. What did the research use?
  3. How do you know when to get out?
  4. How should a beginner start?
  5. Common questions
  6. References

A quick guide by sauna type

Type Usual temperature Time per round
Traditional Finnish sauna 70–100°C 5–20 minutes
Infrared cabin 40–60°C 15–40 minutes
Steam room 40–50°C, very humid 10–15 minutes
Hot tub 37–40°C water 10–20 minutes

These are typical ranges, not targets. How long feels right depends on the heat, the bench you sit on, how used to saunas you are and how you feel on the day.

What did the research use?

In the Kuopio study of 2,315 Finnish men, sessions were grouped into under 11 minutes, 11 to 19 minutes and over 19 minutes. Compared with the shortest group, men whose sessions lasted more than 19 minutes had about half the risk of sudden cardiac death, after adjusting for other risk factors. Sessions of 11 to 19 minutes showed little difference. In a later study of men and women, total minutes of sauna a week went with lower risk in a continuous way.

These are associations, and the men reported their usual habits. They don’t mean you should push yourself past 19 minutes. The experimental studies that measured blood pressure used single sessions of up to 30 minutes at a relatively mild 73°C.

How do you know when to get out?

Leave straight away if you have:

  • dizziness or light-headedness,
  • a headache,
  • nausea,
  • a racing or pounding heart, or
  • confusion or unusual tiredness.

These can be early signs of heat exhaustion. Cool down, drink water and rest. If you don’t feel better within 30 minutes, or someone is confused, unresponsive or has a very high temperature, call 999: that can be heatstroke.

How should a beginner start?

  • Pick a lower bench.
  • Stay in for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Cool down and rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Do one or two rounds.

Over a few weeks, as your body adapts, you can stay longer or do more rounds if you enjoy it.

Keep reading

Common questions

Is 30 minutes in a sauna too long?

In a traditional sauna at 80°C or more, 30 minutes in one go is longer than most people need and raises the risk of overheating and dehydration. Split it into shorter rounds. Infrared cabins run cooler, so 20 to 40 minutes is more typical there.

How long should you stay in a steam room?

Around 10 to 15 minutes. Steam rooms feel cooler on the thermometer but heat you quickly because sweat can't evaporate.

How long should you stay in an infrared sauna?

Usually 15 to 30 minutes at 45°C to 60°C. Japanese heart failure studies used 15 minutes at 60°C followed by rest.

References

  1. Laukkanen T et al. Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Laukkanen T et al. Sauna bathing is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and improves risk prediction in men and women: a prospective cohort study. BMC Medicine, 2018.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. Kihara T et al. Waon therapy improves the prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure. Journal of Cardiology, 2009.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. Laukkanen T et al. Acute effects of sauna bathing on cardiovascular function. Journal of Human Hypertension, 2018.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  5. NHS. Heat exhaustion and heatstroke.nhs.uk

First published 4 November 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we'll correct it. Read our editorial policy.