Is Sauna for Muscle Recovery Worth It?

It can help, modestly. In a controlled study, a 20-minute infrared sauna after a hard lifting session reduced muscle soreness and helped athletes keep more of their jump performance the next morning. A larger body of research shows heat eases post-workout soreness. But studies are small, and a sauna won't build muscle on its own.

Think of it as a recovery tool that feels good and may take the edge off soreness, not a shortcut to gains. Here's what the research actually measured, how sauna compares with other recovery methods, and how to use one without overdoing the heat.

What Does Research Show About Sauna After a Workout?

One well-designed study found real benefits. Athletes who sat in an infrared sauna for 20 minutes after strength training reported less soreness and felt more recovered the next day, and their jump performance dropped less than when they simply rested. It's encouraging, but it's a single small study.

That 2023 randomized crossover trial in Biology of Sport had 16 male basketball players do a hard strength and plyometric session, followed either by 20 minutes of rest or 20 minutes in an infrared sauna at about 43°C (109°F). Each player did both conditions, a week apart, and was tested 14 hours later.

Measured 14 hours later	Sauna vs passive rest
Muscle soreness	Lower after sauna
Perceived recovery	Higher after sauna
Jump performance	Dropped less after sauna
Night-time heart rate and heart rate variability	No difference

The authors noted the sauna had no harmful effect on the nervous system's recovery overnight, a common worry with heat after hard training.

Does Heat Help Sore Muscles?

Yes, according to a larger body of research. A meta-analysis of 32 randomized trials found heat therapy reduced post-workout soreness both in the first day and beyond it. Hot packs had the strongest effect. Cold therapy also helped in the first 24 hours, and the two weren't significantly different from each other.

That 2021 meta-analysis in Physical Therapy in Sport included 1,098 people. It looked mostly at local heat like hot packs rather than saunas, so the sauna-specific evidence is thinner, but the direction is consistent: warmth seems to ease the ache.

Our guide on whether you should work out while sore explains what causes that soreness and when it's fine to train through it.

Does Sauna Help You Build Muscle?

There's no good evidence that it does on its own. Muscle growth comes from training, protein and sleep. A sauna may help you feel recovered enough to train well again, which indirectly supports progress, but it doesn't replace any of the basics. Be skeptical of claims that sauna builds muscle.

The 2023 trial measured performance and soreness the next day, not muscle growth over weeks. None of the studies above followed people long enough to show sauna changes muscle size.

If muscle is the goal, your time is better spent on the fundamentals. Our guide on how long it takes to build muscle covers what actually drives growth.

How Does Sauna Compare With Other Recovery Methods?

Massage has the strongest evidence for soreness, with cold water immersion, compression and active recovery also helping. Sauna and heat sit alongside them as reasonable options. The best choice is the one you'll actually use and enjoy, since none of them matters as much as sleep, food and sensible training. Light-based devices are another option, covered in red light therapy for muscle recovery.

A 2018 meta-analysis of 99 studies in Frontiers in Physiology ranked recovery methods by their effect on soreness. Massage came out as the most effective, with active recovery, compression garments, water immersion and cryotherapy also producing smaller benefits.

Recovery method	Evidence for reducing soreness
Massage	Strongest in a 99-study meta-analysis
Heat (hot packs, sauna)	Reduced soreness in a 32-trial meta-analysis; one sauna trial
Cold water immersion	Helped within the first 24 hours
Active recovery (light movement)	Small benefit
Stretching	No clear benefit

Is a Sauna Better Than a Cold Plunge After Lifting?

If building muscle is your goal, a sauna may be the safer habit. Cold water immersion helps with soreness, but a 12-week study found that regular cold baths after lifting led to smaller gains in muscle and strength than active recovery. No similar long-term downside has been shown for sauna.

That 2015 study in the Journal of Physiology had 21 active men lift twice a week for 12 weeks, followed by either 10 minutes of cold water immersion or light active recovery. Strength and muscle mass rose more in the active recovery group, and a follow-up experiment found cold water dulled the muscle-building signals in the days after a session.

Cold plunges still have a place, for example between competition days when feeling fresh matters more than long-term growth. For regular training aimed at muscle, save the cold for occasional use.

How Do You Use a Sauna Safely After Training?

Rehydrate first, keep sessions to about 15 to 20 minutes, and get out if you feel dizzy or sick. Avoid alcohol before or during a sauna. If you have a heart condition, high or low blood pressure, or take medication, check with your doctor before using one regularly.

Some practical habits:

1. Drink water before and after; you've already sweated during training.
2. Start short. The 2023 study used 20 minutes; build up from 10 if you're new to it.
3. Cool down gradually afterwards rather than standing up quickly.
4. Skip it if you're unwell, very dehydrated or have been drinking.

A 2018 review in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found regular sauna use has been linked to cardiovascular benefits in mostly observational studies, but it also noted areas of uncertainty. Those findings come largely from Finnish populations, so don't treat sauna as a heart treatment.

When Should You Use a Sauna, Before or After Training?

After is the better choice for recovery. The research on soreness and next-day performance used sauna after exercise. Sitting in a hot sauna before lifting may leave you tired and dehydrated before you start, which won't help your session. A short warm-up does a better job of preparing you to lift.

Some lifters like a sauna on rest days instead, as a relaxing way to ease stiffness. That's fine too. Our guide on how many rest days a week you need has ideas for making rest days useful.