Saunas and Steam rooms: What do they do? Are they helpful?!

Saunas and Steam rooms: What do they do? Are they helpful?

So, what does sitting in a sauna or steam room after a workout do for you? Does it do anything helpful or beneficial? Why do people sit in them?

I use both the sauna and steam room at my fitness center...I like heat (live in Arizona!) and find it's great for easing muscle aches and joint pain, as well as for just general stress reduction and relaxation.

For enhanced weight loss, I've found that using the sauna is best - sit in the sauna about 10 minutes, then get out and take a quick shower, turning the water from warm to as chilly as I can stand, then returning to the sauna. Do this for a total of 30 minutes in the sauna, then finish with a few laps in the pool - and then hit the steam room, just for the relaxation factor. I sleep better the nights I follow that routine, and I've found it does help manage my weight, and with a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water, helps release toxins (ickies) through perspiration. Ditto for the steam room, but the steam room doesn't leave your skin feeling as parched as the sauna can. If you're going to lie down in the sauna for the full 10 minutes or more, I suggest you take a wet hand towel with you and place it over your face (leave room to breathe) while lying down - faces don't have the sweat glands the rest of the body does, and it's the first place to begin to feel "dried out". Also, use a good lip balm like Burt's Bee's before going into the sauna on your lips, and even on the thin skin under your eyes, to keep from getting chapped and wrinkly.

The steam room is very nice after a workout with weights or whatever. As a woman, I find it very helpful for skin care - I clean my face, apply a face masque or scrub (or just a thick layer of cold cream), and go lie down in the steam room for 10 minutes (plus or minus five minutes, depending on how I feel and what my schedule is). Afterwards, I rinse my face in the shower and have spa quality results.