People talk about using saunas to lose weight all the time, but it needs to be described exactly what kind of spas they mean. Although the deep-penetration moist heat from baths is often credited with supporting muscular recovery, recent research has shown that dry saunas are usually associated with weight loss. As such, comparing their efficacy in weight reduction is still difficult.

Sauna Vs. Steam Room

Saunas and steam rooms are similar in that heat treatment is used in enclosed environments to reduce water weight. But what sets them apart is what type of heat they use: steam rooms use wet heat from boiling water, while spas use dry heat from burning wood, stones, or gas burners.

While steam rooms keep their temperatures between 100° and 120°F with a 100% temperature, steam saunas usually run between 180° and 195°F with low moisture levels. Both techniques are said to improve circulation and make it easier for the body to eliminate toxins, which is said to help with weight reduction.

Benefits of Sauna and Steam room

The following are the advantages of a sauna and steam room, in brief:

• Relaxation: By reducing stress and anxiety, spa and steam room activities help people relax.
• Increased Blood Flow: Heat treatment in spas and steam rooms increases blood flow, improving circulation all over the body.
• Muscle Recovery: Because steam rooms’ deep heat absorption helps muscles recover after exercise, they are especially beneficial.
• Detoxification: Sweating in a steam room or bath aids in the body’s elimination of impurities.
• Skin Health: By opening capillaries and promoting sweating, heat treatment can enhance skin tone, texture, and look overall.
• Benefits for the Respiratory System: Steam rooms can help relieve breathing issues, including discomfort and allergies, by facilitating mucus release and opening the lungs.
• Potential Help for Weight Reduction: Bathrooms and steam spaces can increase the burning of calories, which may support weight reduction efforts, even if water weight loss is the main benefit.

Risks of Sauna and Steam room

The following are the disadvantages of a sauna and steam room, in brief:

• Dehydration: If fluids are not sufficiently supplied, excessive perspiration in baths and steam rooms can result in dehydration.
• Heat exhaustion or heat stroke: Extended exposure to high heat in steam rooms or spas can raise the chance of developing heat-related disorders.
• Dizziness and Fainting: People with allergies to heat or who have deeper health problems might suffer from dizziness or fainting due to extreme heat.
• Skin Irritation: Prolonged contact with heat and humidity can cause skin irritation or worsen certain skin disorders in certain people.
• Issues with the lungs: The hot, humid atmosphere in steam rooms might aggravate asthmatic patients’ respiratory ailments and make breathing harder.
• Risk of illness: Using shared jacuzzi or steam bathroom amenities increases the possibility of contracting a disease, especially if hygienic and cleanliness precautions are not taken.
• Pregnancy Concerns: Because prolonged heat exposure might damage the developing baby, pregnant women should see a doctor before utilizing spas or steam rooms.

See more: How to Use a Sauna Effectively? (For Relaxation, Recovery, and Weight Loss)

Sauna Vs. Steam Room Safety Measures

• Avoid drinking alcohol both before and after taking a steam bath.
• Any heat treatment session should last no more than 20 minutes.
• After a steam or thermal session, ensure a slow-down time.
• After using a steam room or sauna, ensure your body and skin are properly hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Saunas or Steam rooms are better for weight loss

The efficiency of indoor saunas compared to hot tubs for losing weight is still up for debate, mainly since most studies have concentrated on dry saunas. That being said, steam rooms are excellent at accelerating muscle recovery after exercise because moist heat enters muscles more deeply than dry heat does. Portable steam rooms are beneficial for weight reduction because they accelerate muscle growth by using moist heat that reaches more deeply.

This specific feature is really helpful after working out. Because saunas and steam rooms increase metabolism, using them aids in weight reduction. Variables, such as age, gender, body composition, and size, affect how much the metabolism increases. For example, using a steam room can increase metabolism by up to 33%. Baths and steam rooms can aid in burning calories by raising the heart rate, a natural response to elevated temperatures.

Comparing burning calories with water weight

Instead of burning calories, the main way to lose weight in baths and steam rooms is to lose water weight through sweating. These heat treatments cause high sweating, which aids in the elimination of water weight. While this isn’t a long-term weight-loss strategy, it can be beneficial, especially for athletes getting ready for weigh-ins or contests.

How could saunas and steam help burn calories?

A sauna or steam room can help burn calories in the following ways:

• Enhanced Metabolism: The extreme heat found in steam rooms and spas can speed up your metabolism. Your body burns more fat even when at rest as a result of this increase in metabolism.
• Elevated Heart Rate: Your heart rate may rise when you spend time in steam rooms and spas due to their high temperatures. This elevated heart rate replicates the benefits of cardiovascular exercise and results in increased calorie burn.
• Sweating: As your body attempts to regulate its temperature, the heat of steam rooms and baths causes you to perspire heavily. Although sweating mostly causes water reduction, it also burns calories since it requires energy.
• Muscle Activation: While heat from steam rooms and spas can stimulate muscles, it does so less strongly than heat from exercise. Energy is needed for this muscular action, which burns calories.
• Possible Afterburn Effect: Your body can continue to burn fat at a higher rate after departing the sauna or steam room as it attempts to cool down and return to normal temperature. The afterburn effect is another name for this burning of calories that occurs after heat exposure.

All things considered, while sweating is the main way that baths and steam rooms help people lose weight, they also indirectly aid in burning calories by raising heart rates and metabolic rates, causing sweating, engaging muscles, and maybe having post-exposure effects.

How do infrared saunas help with weight loss?

• Increasing Calorie Burn: It’s well known that infrared saunas increase metabolism and heart rate, which speeds up the burning of calories. Even though a 30-minute workout might burn about 40 calories, adding an infrared sauna session could help you burn an extra 60 calories while unwinding without having to use any physical energy.
• Enhanced Lipid Regulation: Thermal heat with deep penetration can increase blood flow to fat cells, which can help lower fat and cholesterol deposits. Research indicates that frequent usage of infrared baths may increase levels of good fat while reducing negative cholesterol buildup, which can have a substantial positive impact on general health.
• Other Benefits: Infrared saunas relieve joint discomfort and enhance sleep quality, two things that might help with weight reduction.

If you’re looking for an infrared hot tub, check out USA Health & Wellness’s wide selection, which includes barrel and low-EMF models.

See more: Crunch Fitness Offers Saunas (Availability & Amenities)

FAQs

The most frequently asked questions are given below:

Do you lose more weight in a sauna or steam room?

Moreover, frequent usage of a steam room after working out might provide you with an additional calorie boost to help you lose weight, similar to bathrooms, where the calorie burn isn’t significantly higher than usual. Adding a hot tub or steam room to the routine will help you lose weight, no matter which one you select.

Is a sauna good for losing belly fat?

Although using a sauna can reduce water weight and burn calories, which can aid in losing weight generally, there isn’t much data to support its ability to reduce belly fat, particularly.

Is a sauna or steam room better for detox?

Spas and steam rooms are thought to be equally effective for detoxification. The main distinction is that steam rooms are wet, whereas baths employ dry heat. Which detox room style you choose will depend on your preferences, although both can be effective.

See more: Are Shapewear, Sweat Belts, and Waist Trainers Allowed in Saunas?