Sweat Now, Suffer Less Later: The Case for Year-Round Sauna
- Emily Brown
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
My Not-So-Hot Start
I have long COVID, and one of its more inconvenient gifts, of which there are many, is heat intolerance. Last summer, walking to my car in July under the summer sun was enough to send me into a full-body rash. So you’d think me deciding to add a sauna to my self-care routine might sound like a terrible idea.
I started at 5 minutes at 130°F. Then 10 minutes at 145°F. Eventually 20 minutes at 145°F. And here's the thing: my body handled it better than I ever expected. Not because I pushed through the discomfort, but because our infrared sauna is genuinely a different experience from the traditional saunas I'd tried before.
What surprised me most was how wiped I felt hours later. Not in a bad way, but in a I-just-got-a-solid-workout way. Which, as it turns out, is not an accident. Sauna mimics several of the cardiovascular responses your body produces during moderate exercise. I'd heard that before but never actually felt it until I stayed in long enough. I'm using it deliberately now, building heat tolerance so this summer doesn't flatten me the way last summer did. And, not only am I gaining resilience, but my body feels loose, limber, and worked, all from sitting still. Pretty cool!
Wait, Why Does Infrared Feel So Different?
A traditional sauna heats the air around you to somewhere between 170°F and 200°F. That superheated air then heats your body from the outside in. It's intense, it's dry, and for a lot of people (myself included) it triggers a stress response more than a relaxation one.
An infrared sauna works the other way around. The infrared light waves pass through the air and are absorbed directly by your body's tissues, heating you from the inside out, at an ambient temperature of around 120–145°F. The air around you never feels suffocating.
Don't let the lower temperature fool you. Because the heat is coming from inside your tissues, your sweat response is often more pronounced than in a traditional sauna, even though the room feels far more tolerable. You will be genuinely, impressively sweaty. Bring a towel. Bring two.
Our sauna also has red light therapy built in, something a growing number of people swear by for skin health and inflammation. The research is still catching up to the enthusiasm, but it's an interesting bonus while you're in there.
So What Is It Actually Doing For You?
Here's where it gets really interesting and exciting for self-care. The research on sauna, particularly on cardiovascular and brain health, has accelerated a lot in the last decade, and some of the findings are hard to ignore.
Your Heart is Getting a Workout
During a single sauna session, your heart rate rises in a way that researchers have compared to a moderate walk. A 2021 study in Complementary Therapies in Medicine measured heart rate increases of 30–50 beats per minute during infrared sessions, while cardiac output (the amount of blood your heart pumps per minute) increased by up to 70%. Your heart is working. It just also happens to feel relaxing.
According to a Finnish Cohort Study in JAMA Internal Medicine, Men who used a sauna 4–7 times per week had a 50% lower risk of fatal cardiovascular disease over a 15-year period compared to those who went once a week. That's a striking number!
The heat stress from the sauna prompts your blood vessels to produce nitric oxide, which relaxes arterial walls, reduces stiffness, and improves circulation. It’s working the same pathways as regular cardiovascular exercise targets, just in recovery mode instead of high-intensity.
Your Brain Notices too
A 2016 study published in JAMA used infrared light to raise participants' core body temperature and found that a single session improved symptoms of major depression which lasted up to six weeks. The mechanism appears to involve heat activating serotonin-producing cells in the midbrain. Basically, getting warm may be one of the most direct routes to feeling better that we have.
Another study showed that after 12 weeks of infrared sauna use three times per week, participants showed a 17% improvement in memory testing and a 22% increase in BDNF — a protein that supports the growth and protection of brain cells. This protein is sometimes called "Miracle-Grow for the brain." Exercise raises it. So does the sauna. If you're looking for a reason to take your session seriously as a wellness practice rather than a luxury, these are some solid choices.
The Rest of Your Body
Beyond the headlines, regular sauna use is associated with a genuinely wide range of benefits. Not all of them are backed by the same quality of evidence, but the list is worth knowing:
Reduced systemic inflammation: Relevant for anyone managing chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, or long-term illness
Meaningful improvement in chronic pain: Scores for arthritis and fibromyalgia after 8–12 weeks of regular use
Better sleep: Post-session core temperature drop signals the brain to wind down
Activation of heat shock proteins: Which repair damaged cellular proteins and are linked to longevity research
Immune support: Evidence suggests regular sessions reduce how often people get sick
Reduced oxidative stress: Which plays a role in cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative conditions
Sauna in Every Season
This is the thing people are most surprised by. Sauna isn't just for January. Used intentionally, it has a different job to do in each season, and regular heat exposure throughout the year is where the cumulative benefits really start to show up.
Spring: Shake off winter stiffness and start building heat tolerance before summer arrives. A good time to establish your routine.
Summer: Regular heat exposure actually improves your tolerance to environmental heat. Early morning or evening sessions work best to avoid compounding the outside temperature.
Fall: Immune support heading into cold and flu season. Heat shock proteins, circulation, stress reduction, all relevant as schedules get busier.
Winter: The classic use case. Warmth, mood support, and serotonin activation during the months when sunlight is scarce and everyone is a little depleted.
How to Actually Use It
The science points to 3–4 sessions per week at 20–45 minutes each for measurable benefits. But if you're starting from zero, that's not the goal on day one. The goal on day one is to not hate it.
A few things that make a real difference:
Start low - 110–130°F - and build over several sessions
Hydrate before you go in, and bring water with you
Don't rush out afterward. Sit quietly, let your heart rate come back down before you stand up
Expect to feel tired later. This is normal, and it's your body doing something real
Consistency matters far more than session length. Showing up regularly is the whole game
The research is pretty clear that consistency is where the benefits actually live. A few sessions here and there is a nice treat, but 3–4 times a month is where your body starts to adapt and respond. So we wanted to make it easy to build that rhythm.
Come Three Times and The Fourth is On Us
Book three sauna sessions within any 30-day window and your fourth session is free. no packages to buy, and no expiration dates to stress about.
Book and complete your first sauna session: your 30-day window opens.
Complete two more sessions within 30 days of that first one.
Your free session is added to your account, valid for 30 days from your most recent visit.
No punch cards, no apps, no tracking on your end, we keep track for you. Just ask at the front desk anytime to check where you are in your window. Sessions must be booked at Jazz Hands Therapeutic Massage. Free session has no cash value and cannot be combined with other offers.
It's a simple way to give yourself something that's actually good for you on a regular basis, and get rewarded for the consistency that makes it work. We'd love to see you in there!
Sources: Laukkanen et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings (2018); JAMA Internal Medicine Finnish cohort study; Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2021); JAMA depression and hyperthermia study (2016); Peak Saunas infrared research review (2025); PMC far-infrared cardiovascular summary (2009). This newsletter is informational — please check with your healthcare provider before starting any new wellness practice, especially if you have cardiovascular conditions or heat sensitivities.
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