What Most People DON'T KNOW About Using a Sauna

Saunas have become so trendy, and as a result: are now much more accessible. From studios and gym spaces in major North American cities - Toronto, Montreal, and New York - like Othership, Bathhouse, and Sweat and Tonic... through to fun travel destinations like Prince Edward County: Our airbnb, Le Bon Vivant (LBV), has an outdoor sauna with a FULL glass wall looking out to 4 acres of lush nature.

But most of us going for the occasional sauna, or maybe even routine sauna, actually don't do our research before using a sauna and just sort of jump right in. Now that I've taken many of my own trips up to LBV, it's prompted me to better educate myself on the do's and do not's of sauna sessions, including what the health benefits are and how to get the most of a sauna session.

Based on what I've learned, here are the top 3 things that you MUST know about using a sauna:

Everything below is evidence-based, so I've included the citations at the bottom of this post.

(1) A series of short bouts broken up by cold / reprieve breaks is MORE beneficial than one longer session. Think: Three 10-minute sessions in the sauna, with a 5 minute break (e.g. step outside of the sauna into the cool / cold air) between each.* (2) 80 - 95 degrees Celsius is the sweet spot. There's actually no further health benefit to going beyond 95 deg Celsisus. And if anything, going beyond that just creates unnecessary discomfort and health risks.** (3) As a woman, the stage in your menstrual cycle MATTERS to your sauna routine***: -When you're pre-ovulation (follicular phase), you may be able to tolerate higher heat (your body's at a lower baseline temperature). -When you're post-ovulation (luteal phase), your body's sitting at a slightly higher baseline temperature because of the progesterone - meaning you might be less able to tolerate high temperatures. ...SO if you know what stage of your cycle you're in, then great - adjust your sauna session (temperature and duration) accordingly. And if you don't know what stage your in, go easy on yourself and listen to your body. Example: If you're in there with your husband, boyfriend, etc and you're finding that you just can't tolerate it as well as he can -- it's probably chalked up to your menstrual cycle. Step out sooner or reduce that temp!

Now that you know what to do and what not to do when it comes to your next sauna session, you're all set to reap the benefits: better mood, stress regulation, better circulation, sleep support, and so much more. Check out winter availability at our airbnb in Prince Edward County - where you'll have 24/7 access to your own private outdoor sauna nestled in 4 acres of nature.

Want to hear the actual benefits of repeated sauna sessions? What other questions do you have? Drop a comment below, or DM us on Instagram.

*Su, Martinkova, O’Donnell et al. (2025). “The acute effects of continuous versus intermittent whole-body passive heating on cardiovascular disease risk indicators in healthy and young males and females”

**Laukkanen, J. A., Kunutsor, S. K., Zaccardi, F., Lee, E., & Willeit, P. (2018). “Sauna bathing is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and improves risk prediction in men and women: a prospective cohort study.” BMC Medicine, 16, 1‑12.

***Giersch, G. E., Morrissey, M. C., Katch, R. K., Colburn, A. T., Sims, S. T., Stachenfeld, N. S., & Casa, D. J. (2020). Menstrual cycle and thermoregulation during exercise in the heat: A systematic review and meta‑analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(12), 1134–1140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2020.05.014