The Benefits of a Massage and Sauna Combination
Many people discover that enjoying a massage after a sauna creates a powerful relaxation experience, easing tension in the body while promoting inner calm and balance. Whether you're visiting a spa or workout complex, pairing your sauna trip with a massage maximises the benefits of each. The combination of a massage and sauna targets muscles and promotes sauna recovery, enhancing the relaxation process beyond just using one method alone. In fact, you may find it beneficial to alternate between saunas vs hot tubs for optimal results.
Massage and Sauna Combo: Why Combine Them?
There are several key benefits to getting a massage around the same time you use a sauna. When a massage follows a sauna session, the relaxing heat’s effects, such as better blood flow and reduced tension, are intensified, creating an even deeper sense of restoration. For muscle recovery, using a sauna before bed or after a workout with a massage can help reduce muscle tension and increase relaxation.
Sauna for Muscle Recovery: Enhanced Circulation and Tension Relief
Massages are an effective way to smooth out sore muscles post-workout, but when combined with a sauna session, you enhance blood circulation even further. Sauna heat naturally elevates your heart rate and supports muscle recovery, much like the soothing warmth of a hot tub that helps your muscles loosen and unwind. When we work out our body, we put our muscles under strain and displace the mature red blood cells that settle during the times that we aren’t working out. The quick displacement of those mature cells is usually the main cause of soreness.
As the body quickly displaces those cells that would prefer to be rooted, the body has to work harder to fill back in those spaces. If the body doesn’t fill those old spaces quickly enough, this is usually why we feel sore after a hard workout; we’ve displaced mature red blood cells that aren’t used to moving. Therefore, the most effective way to boost circulation after exercising is by actively engaging and revitalizing the muscles you’ve just worked. Naturally, massages are one of the best ways to positively affect an area that may become sore. But an even more effective way to get the blood moving is by taking regular saunas.
The heat of the sauna naturally makes our heart rate go up. As our body temperature rises, our system increases its effort to regulate and maintain a comfortable internal balance. The body does this by increasing blood flow; this is also incredibly good for your muscle health and holding off soreness.
By getting a massage around the same time you take a sauna, you are aiding your body’s ability to move your blood to the areas it is needed most, both holding off soreness and preserving muscle health.
Sauna and Massage Benefits Mental Health
Combining a sauna and massage offers powerful mental health benefits by easing stress, promoting relaxation, and improving mood. The soothing heat of the sauna encourages the release of endorphins, while massage reduces cortisol levels and relieves tension.
Together, they create a calming experience that supports sauna benefits mental health and enhances overall emotional well-being. Regular sessions can help improve sleep quality, reduce symptoms of anxiety, and promote a deeper sense of inner peace. Over time, this routine becomes a natural way to manage stress and maintain mental balance.
Sauna and Massage Best Practices
When combining a sauna session with a massage, it’s helpful to follow certain best practices to ensure maximum benefit and safety.
What Should Go First: How a Sauna Enhances Massage Effects
Fortunately, there’s no wrong choice when deciding whether to start with a sauna or a massage. The benefits of both the massage and sauna are boosted by being done at similar times, but you don’t risk losing out on certain benefits by taking one before the other.
There, however, may be a preferred order if you are planning on taking your sauna and massage after working out.
Several workout experts believe that taking a sauna after a workout, or as close as possible, can tangibly increase the value of your workout. Since your heart rate is already elevated after exercise, a sauna can help maintain that increased circulation. Always remember to hydrate properly and shower before stepping into a sauna after exercising.
After your sauna, moving right along to a relaxing massage can be especially easy if you take saunas at a spa facility. Pairing sauna and massages is increasingly common. If this is the case for you, consider asking experts at your spa what order makes sense for your facility.
But at the root of the decision lies your own comfort. If you like getting your massage before the sauna, that’s fine! And if you prefer the opposite, there is no problem with that either. The biggest benefit of taking a sauna with a massage close in line is your own ultimate relaxation. Part of that relaxation ought to be from following your chosen preference.
Try Getting a Massage in the Sauna
If you have the opportunity to enjoy a massage directly in the sauna, you can skip worrying about which should come first (sauna or massage). Before experiencing a sauna massage, it’s important to consider a few key factors in advance.
The simplest approach is to have a trusted friend serve as your masseuse. In short, don’t ask spa staff to perform actions that may be against their own rules. There are more than a few reasons why spa staff may not offer sauna-based massages. Namely, it is unsafe for a masseuse to stay in the sauna for longer than 20 minutes. With this in mind, only those with private saunas and willing parties will likely be able to try a massage in the sauna.
Be careful, also, if bringing a massage bed into a sauna. Many massage beds are made out of soft oil-proof plastic, which is not necessarily resistant to the heat of a sauna. Consider, then, simply lying on the bench of the sauna if that is comfortable for you.
Be keenly aware, also, of the comfort of the person giving you the massage. Giving a hearty massage is meaningful exercise and can easily lead to overexertion, especially in a hot sauna.
It’s important to keep in mind that a sauna massage isn’t required to enjoy the full benefits of either activity. Even if you space a sauna and a massage an hour apart, you can still fully reap the physical and mental advantages that each provides.
Take a Shower If Your Massage Comes Before the Sauna
If you plan on taking a massage before you get into the sauna, there is a good chance that you’ll need a shower. Even if you took a shower before starting your massage, there are several lotions and oils common to massages that aren’t wise to bring into the sauna. There are some who believe that since most massage oils are bio or organic that this means they are functionally similar to the sweat that our bodies give off in the sauna but this certainly isn't true.
The lotions and oils that we use in massages actually hold bacteria quite well. And further, if that oil residually sits on the bench in a sauna for a number of hours, that surface will become wrought with germs. It may be a chore, but taking these several showers is both key for your health and the baseline of courtesy if you use public sauna facilities. Also, be certain to look into your club’s dress code when it comes to sauna use as well as massage use as the two very likely are a bit different.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pairing a Massage and Sauna
Depending on your plans for using the sauna and getting a massage, it’s more than possible you may still have more questions.
Is It the Same to Use a Sauna or Steam Room with a Massage?
If you plan on taking a massage before the sauna, there is a good chance that you’ll need a shower. Even if you took a shower before starting your massage, there are several lotions and oils common to massages that aren’t wise to bring into the sauna. There are some who believe that since most massage oils are bio or organic that this means they are functionally similar to the sweat that our bodies give off in the sauna, but this certainly isn't true.
The lotions and oils that we use in massages actually hold bacteria quite well. And further, if that oil residually sits on the bench in a sauna for a number of hours, that surface will become wrought with germs. It may be a chore, but taking these several showers is both key for your health and the baseline of courtesy if you use public sauna facilities. Also, be certain to look into your club’s dress code when it comes to sauna use as well as massage use, as the two very likely are a bit different.
Is it Safe to Pair Infrared Sauna & Deep Tissue Massage
Infrared saunas are indeed very good for massages. Being that infrared saunas heat the body in a functionally similar way to traditional Finnish-style wood-burning saunas, you can expect the same huge health benefits that are tied to classic saunas. Infrared saunas, despite technically giving off radiation, are treated by the body in a functionally similar way to old-school wood-burning saunas powered by a stove. So no need to worry about missing out on key sauna and massage benefits.
The question is: is your infrared sauna in a good location to get a professional massage? While massages from friends are great in their own way, it is doubly helpful for muscle health and relaxation to have a real professional knead into you.
Many infrared saunas are built in homes, and this means that unless you’re already buddies with a masseuse making house calls, you may have to get creative about the timing of your infrared sauna visit. Or, maybe you are lucky enough to have access to an infrared sauna at a spa or sports club. More and more sports clubs across North America and Europe are incorporating infrared saunas into their facilities, making it worthwhile to check out what’s available in your area.
What Parts of the Body Benefit Most from a Massage and Sauna Combo?
The easy answer to this question is that the parts of the body that are the sorest are usually the ones that will benefit most from the massage and sauna combo. But there is obviously more to it than that. If you are someone with a lot of foot pain and who regularly seeks out foot massages for that reason, you may find that using saunas won’t make a major gain to your foot massage experience, but rather that the sauna will heighten your overall mood and thus, still make your feet feel better.
The largest muscle groups, including the back, shoulders, neck, and arms, gain the most from combining a sauna with a massage, as their size makes them both highly responsive to heat and easy to target during treatment. Essentially, any place that is prone to soreness has the potential to benefit from pairing your trip to the sauna with a good massage.
Final Thoughts on Massage and Sauna Synergy
The verdict is simple: if you can easily get a massage around the same time you take your saunas, certainly do it. Massages and saunas both get at the root of the body’s ability to relax in a physical and mental way that when combined are truly the ultimate in relaxation. Because saunas are already incredibly healthy for the body and mind, the further muscle-relaxing qualities of massages are a natural match for the body’s ultimate relaxation potential. The most crucial aspect of saunas and massages is to simply enjoy the benefits without overthinking the details.
There truly aren’t strict rules about the order of the two actions or even how far apart they have to be. It’s then up to you to make a regimen that works for you. Your chosen method of pairing a massage and sauna ought to be as stress-free as possible; there are no rules besides relaxing, and you’re the best candidate to find out what works for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best order: sauna before or after massage?
It’s generally best to use the sauna before a massage, as the heat helps loosen muscles and improve circulation, allowing the massage to be more effective. This combination supports muscle recovery and enhances relaxation in a massage and sauna combo. Sauna for muscle recovery also helps reduce soreness and improves post-massage recovery.
What are the key benefits of a massage and sauna combo?
The sauna and massage benefits include deep muscle tension relief, improved circulation, and significant stress reduction. Together, they promote both physical and mental relaxation.
Can I take an infrared sauna before deep tissue massage?
Yes, taking an infrared sauna before a deep tissue massage is beneficial because the gentle heat penetrates muscles, improving flexibility and reducing soreness. This enhances the infrared sauna and massage experience and complements the benefits of sauna after massage as well.
Is sauna or steam better with massage for recovery?
Both are beneficial, but sauna for muscle recovery is a better option, while steam supports skin hydration and detoxification. Choosing between sauna or steam with massage depends on whether you want deeper muscle relief or a more holistic recovery experience.
Does a massage and sauna combo help with sleep?
Yes, a massage and sauna combo (relaxation routine) can significantly improve sleep quality by lowering stress hormones and promoting calmness. Using a sauna before bed enhances this sauna and massage synergy for better rest.
Why do I need to shower if I get a massage before a sauna?
Showering after a massage before sauna removes oils and toxins released during the massage, helping the body detoxify more effectively. It also improves hygiene and enhances sauna and massage benefits.
Does the massage and sauna combo provide mental health benefits?
Yes, the massage and sauna combo supports mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and muscle tension. This relaxation ritual helps calm the mind and boosts overall well-being. Sauna benefits mental health by promoting relaxation and releasing endorphins that improve mood. A regular massage sauna relaxation routine can further enhance these effects and support long-term emotional balance.
