Should you use a sauna before or after a shower?

For many sauna users, showering and sauna use are closely linked. But what order should you do them in?

Sauna use directly before or after showering can impact your experience. It’s important to research and choose the routine that is best for you.

Luckily, at Heavenly Heat Saunas, we are experts on all things sauna, and we want you to have the best experience possible. Here is everything you should know about showering before and after using a sauna.

Benefits of Shower Before Sauna Benefits of Shower After Sauna The Verdict FAQs Reference

Benefits of Shower Before Sauna

It helps to remove dirt, oils, and impurities from the skin

It is recommended to shower before a sauna session to ensure that your skin is clean and free of dirt, oils, and impurities, which can negatively affect your experience by hindering the detoxification process, causing skin irritation, and potentially clogging your pores.

After showering, make sure to dry off completely so that you can start sweating quickly once you’re in the sauna.

Should you use a sauna before or after a shower

Basic Sauna Etiquette

Showering before entering the sauna is a basic rule of etiquette in many cultures, including Finnish tradition.

It’s a matter of hygiene and respect for others. This practice ensures that individuals enter the sauna clean, removing any impurities, sweat, or lotions from their bodies.

It’s a straightforward rule followed in most public saunas and gym facilities to maintain cleanliness and uphold the tradition of sauna bathing.

Relax your muscles

Taking a lukewarm shower relaxes your muscles by widening your blood vessels, which boosts blood flow and leads to muscle relaxation. Doing this before the sauna enhances the effect, as the sauna itself also relaxes your muscles.

Benefits of Shower After Sauna

Cleanses

Sweating in the sauna pushes out dirt and toxins: When you're in the sauna, your body starts sweating more, which helps push out toxins, dirt, and bacteria stuck in your skin. It’s your body’s way of naturally cleaning itself from the inside out.

Heat and sweat help clear out blocked pores: The warm environment in the sauna opens up your pores. As you sweat, it helps clean out all the stuff blocking them, like oil, bacteria, and impurities, so your skin can breathe and stay clear.

A shower after sauna removes what sweat leaves behind: Even though sweating does most of the cleaning, a shower right after helps wash off everything that came out, like dirt and oils so it doesn’t sit on your skin and cause more problems.

Using a scrub in the shower makes skin even cleaner: Adding a body scrub, like sugar or salt, during your shower gently removes dead skin and anything left behind. It makes your skin feel smooth, fresh, and more deeply cleaned.

Sauna and shower together clean your skin inside and out: By combining the heat from the sauna with a proper shower and scrub, you give your skin a full reset. It’s a deeper kind of clean that leaves your skin feeling fresh, healthy, and glowing.

Cooling Down

Cooling down helps your body return to normal: After spending time in a sauna, your body heats up a lot. Cooling down properly helps bring your temperature back to normal and makes you feel more relaxed afterward.

Cold showers cool you faster than just resting: A recent study found that people who took a cold shower after exercise cooled down much faster than those who only sat and rested. The cold water helps your body get rid of the heat more effectively.

Steam followed by cold water brings temperature down better: Another study showed that when people took a steam bath and then a cold shower, their body temperature dropped more. The sweating from the steam and the chill of the shower worked together to cool the body.

Cold water after heat helps muscles feel better: The sudden change from hot to cold can also reduce muscle soreness and swelling. This helps your body feel less tired and speeds up recovery after a sauna.

Let your body adjust before the cold shower: Don’t rush into a cold shower right after the sauna. Giving yourself a couple of minutes to cool down slowly helps prevent dizziness and makes the whole experience more comfortable.

Basic Hygiene

After you leave the sauna, you’re usually sweaty. It’s important for hygiene to shower afterward, so you can feel fresh and get rid of that sweaty look.

When showering, opt for lukewarm water instead of cold. Gradually cooling down your body helps restore balance and leaves you feeling refreshed without shocking your system.

The Verdict

When it comes to using a sauna, whether to shower before or after is entirely up to personal preference.

Showering beforehand can cleanse the skin and loosen muscles, enhancing the sauna experience. On the other hand, showering afterward can help remove toxins and cool down the body.

To make the most of both pre- and post-sauna benefits, it’s recommended to shower both before and after your sauna session.

FAQs

How long after the infrared sauna can I shower?

It is not recommended to shower immediately after leaving the sauna. Your body is still sweating and trying to regulate its temperature. A sudden change in temperature from showering can affect your overall health.

What temp shower after sauna?

Taking a cold shower after a sauna can be really helpful. It might boost your lymphatic circulation, keep your skin healthy, aid in weight loss, and cool down your body, which can help prevent high blood pressure.