How Long Should You Stay in a Steam Room?
Our sunasusa team research shows that everyone wants to visit a steam room and enjoy the health benefits that come with it. To the point that it’s practically competitive to see who can spend the longest. Our bodies can only withstand so much heat and humidity. Using the heat to the point of excess will not profit from steam rooms in any way.
To use it safely, how long should you stay in a steam room? Depending on your stamina, the general rule of mind is you should spend 15 to 30 minutes. The length of your steam shower will vary depending on several things, such as your level of experience. Continue reading to learn how long in the steam room is best for you in terms of fitness and health.
Sauna vs. Steam Room

Saunas and steam rooms both have health benefits, but their heating systems are very different. Steam rooms get their heat from steam produced by a boiling water generator, and a sauna uses dry heat, usually from hot rocks or a burning fire. A damp atmosphere with temperatures ranging from 110 to 120°F and a humidity level between 95% and 100% can be found in steam rooms.
The thick, wet air produced by the high humidity feels good against your skin. Saunas, on the other hand, are dry and have a desert-like atmosphere. Typically made of wood, they are heated to between 160 and 200°F and almost completely dry.
What is a Steam Room?
Steam rooms are restricted, heated, and moist environments for healing and relaxation. Even with brief use, humidity and heat can have a substantial positive impact on circulation, assist in relaxing muscles, and lower stress levels. A steam room is usually a tiny, enclosed chamber with seats heated by a steam generator.
While some of these rooms are made of wood, materials without pores that can avoid high humidity levels, such as tile, marble, or stone, are typically used in their construction. Steam rooms typically have temperatures between 40 and 50 °C and up to 100% humidity.
READ ALSO: Benefits of Ice Baths and Saunas: A guide without hype
Steam room types
The materials and designs of steam rooms might be different:
- Solid Surface: Easily cleaned, long-lasting, and simple in style.
- The material: Large, bright, fashionable, and low maintenance.
- Wood: Made of softwoods that absorb steam and endure heat, such as eucalyptus and, cedar, it has a rustic, Swedish charm.
- Stone-Lined: An informal atmosphere with long-term stone finishes, frequently paired with hydrotherapy elements.
- Ceramic Coating: Various colors and textures, including mosaics, can be customized.
Steam Room Benefits

Several health benefits can be obtained from steam rooms:
- Enhances Circulation: Regularly visiting a steam room might improve heart function, especially in elderly people. The moist heat helps in the expansion of small blood vessels, boosting the body’s ability to carry oxygen and blood overall. This treatment can help restore damaged skin tissue, decrease blood pressure, and improve the heart.
- Boosts Skin Health: The heat from steam rooms encourages sweating, which opens pores and purges the skin of dirt and dead cells. In contrast to saunas, this procedure may help remove toxins that are hidden under the skin’s surface and help in the treatment of acne.
- Promotes Post-Workout Recovery: Delayed onset muscle soreness, a type of post-exercise muscle pain, may arise. Using moist heat from a steam room can relax muscles and calm the nervous system, which can lessen discomfort and maintain strength.
- Improves Mental Wellness: By distracting attention from worry and excessive news consumption, heat-based treatments like steam rooms may improve mental wellness. Using heat treatment promotes breath awareness and mindfulness, which can lead to better sleep, less stress, and feeling happier via self-care.
- Relaxes Stiff Joints: Using a steam room before exercise has the same benefits as a pre-workout warm-up in terms of increasing joint mobility and decreasing stiffness. Wet heat may heal just as well as dry heat and even be applied more quickly.
- Reduces Stress: The heat of a steam room causes endorphins to be set free, and endorphins are believed to reduce stress. Moreover, it lessens the stress hormone cortisol, which makes users feel more refreshed and at ease.
- Opens Lungs: The steam can relax the tissues, which in turn helps to facilitate breathing. Treating colds and clearing sinuses may benefit from this.
- Calorie Burn: Steam rooms can raise heart rates and help in calorie burning, they should be used alongside a suitable workout routine. It is important to stay hydrated because the loss of water in a steam room is typically the cause of any weight loss.
- COVID-19: It’s not a good idea to use a steam room if you have COVID-19, but the heat stress that comes from saunas, steam rooms, and hot springs may replicate fever and strengthen the body’s defenses against viruses, including COVID-19. Heat therapy has been used to treat disorders, even though there are no treatment suggestions for COVID-19.
Steam Room Risks
Although steam rooms have many benefits there are also certain issues that users need to be informed of. Because steam rooms’ extreme heat might cause dehydration, it’s advised to keep well-hydrated before entering and to spend no more than 10 minutes there.
The moisture promotes the growth of fungi and bacteria, which raises the risk of illnesses like athlete’s foot. Using a towel and wearing sandals or shower shoes can help reduce this danger. For some people, such as the following, steam rooms are not advised:
- People with extremely high or low blood pressure.
- Individuals affected by epilepsy.
- Pregnant people.
- Individuals suffering from heart diseases.
- Anyone using alcohol, Drugs tranquilizers, or medicines.
When using antibiotics or other drugs, it is usually advisable to stay out of hot places and UV rays.
What are the Common Features of a Steam Room?

Before using a steam room, familiarize yourself with its workings. Following are some of the most basic elements of a steam room to be informed of:
- High temperatures: Steam rooms typically have temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees Celsius (104 and 140 Fahrenheit), which is significantly warmer than saunas.
- Ventilation system: To control humidity levels and guarantee a comfortable experience for all users, the majority of current steam rooms are built with ventilation systems.
- Seating area: To avoid forcing customers to stand in the heat for long periods, many steam rooms provide benches or seating spaces where they may relax while having a session.
- Restrooms with showers: Most steam rooms provide restrooms with showers so that patrons may clean up properly both before and after using the main chamber.
- Moist air: When a steam room is used, the air within gets filled with moisture and releases water vapor, which can help relax and cleanse the lungs.
- Towels, caps, and goggles: Depending on the kind of facility you visit, you might be given certain items like these. These items are made to shield your skin from potential damage brought on by extended exposure to high temperatures or a lot of water vapor inside the chamber.
Are Steam Rooms Good for You?
Yes, of course! Steam rooms have high temperatures (between 55°C and 90°C) and nearly 100% humidity. Your body goes through an order of physiological adjustments in such situations to prevent your core temperature from rising (at 37.5°C). These adjustments, which also take place when you are in a cold environment, are collectively referred to as balance.
What happens to your body while you’re inside a steam room?
You will sweat a lot due to the hot conditions. It should not be surprising that your sweating won’t evaporate to keep you cool because the air is already 100% humid. Regular sweating allows for the natural sweating out and removal of oil, which is a mixture of dead skin cells and skin oils.
This helps prevent acne and other inflammatory skin diseases. It will clear pores on your entire body, enabling a thorough skin cleansing that serves as an excellent before applying treatments designed to remove blackheads and whiteheads.
READ ALSO: Sauna vs Hot tub: Which is better for you?
How Long Should You Stay in a Steam Room?

As previously said, a standard steam shower takes for 15 to 30 minutes. It is advised that regular visitors try for a 20-minute steam session based on this trend. Still, it’s not that easy, since how long it takes will also depend on how experienced you are with steam bathing. The typical steam bath time that you can keep to depends on your category:
For beginners
How long should I stay in the steam room? is a question that beginner steam bathers often ask. If you’re just getting started, don’t spend more than 5 to 10 minutes.
Regular bathers
Now that we have covered the usual length of a beginner’s steam bath, let’s move on. How long should regular users spend in a steam room? 15-20 minute sessions are ideal for you if you use a steam room regularly, such as once a day or 3 to 4 times a week. This time is ideal for obtaining the majority of the benefits of steam rooms, including pain reduction, stress relaxation, and detoxification.
The nice aspect is that a workout this lengthy won’t hurt you after you’ve acquired a heat tolerance. For example, taking a 15-minute steam shower will provide you with all the advantages of a post-workout steam room without putting you at risk of heat stress.
Large-scale fans
Steam room lovers make their homes in steam rooms, where they sleep, eat, and live. This is the type of person who enjoys trying out new activities, such as doing yoga in a steam room, among many other things. If you are a member of this group, you should extend your Steam session. If you have had enough experience, there’s nothing wrong with staying in a steam room for a little longer.
It is extremely advised that you limit the time to no more than 20 to 30 minutes. You should leave the steam chamber after 30 minutes, even if your body and mind handle more heat absorption. After thirty minutes your body begins to lose all of its water due to sweating. And no matter how strong your metabolism is, this puts you at risk for heat exhaustion and stress.
How to Use a Steam Room? (Tips)

Check that you are capable before entering the steam chamber for the first time. Here are some of the most important tips for you to keep in mind:
- Wear casual clothing: It is advised to dress comfortably, especially in shorts since this will help your body absorb sweat and cool down as required.
- Start easy and slowly: Start in the steam room for a short period to allow yourself to get used to the temperature before expanding your stay.
- Keep yourself hydrated: You should drink lots of water during your time in the steam room since you will be sweating a lot. This will help your body maintain a proper temperature and avoid dehydration or other health problems caused by too much water loss.
- Stop right away if you’re feeling sick: If you have any nausea or dizziness during your steam session, exit the sauna right once. Wait until the symptoms subside before re-entering the sauna gradually after a 10-minute or longer gap between sessions.
- Limit how often you use it: As excessive exposure to high temperatures might have negative health effects, usage frequency should be limited to one or two times per week.
Cleaning and maintenance
If a steam room is used regularly, daily cleaning is advised to maintain its lifetime and cleanliness. Key actions consist of:
- Vacuum and wipe off any dirt.
- Remove sweat stains with a brush.
- Clean the places used for ventilation.
- Treat any smells.
- Make regular maintenance inspections.
For surfaces made of wood:
- To protect against filth and moisture, use breathable wood preservers (wax or oil-based).
- Because they can harm the wood, stay away from pressure washers and cleaners.
- Line the wood grain with dirt-repellent materials.
- When cleaning is finished, leave heaters on dry surfaces.
- To keep benches free of wet swimwear, recommend covering the seats with coverings.
Conclusion
You should consider your comfort level, tolerance, and health concerns when deciding how long to spend in a steam room. Concentrate on your health and safety above all else by beginning slowly, building up to longer periods, and paying attention to your body. Remain hydrated, Recognize your limits, efficiently cool down, and responsibly repeat exercises.
It is often advised by specialists that you spend no more than 15 to 20 minutes in a steam room. You should be able to use a steam room for an extended period without having any negative effects, depending on how much heat you can handle.
It is advisable to see a doctor to see whether using a steam room is safe for you before using one. It is usually advised to avoid using steam rooms for pregnant women and older persons because of the potential health risks.
READ ALSO: What to Wear in a Steam Room?