5 Steam Room Benefits Compared to Traditional Saunas: Which is Best for You?
Saunas and steam rooms may share a common purpose, but they have distinct characteristics that make each experience unique and worth learning about. Even more interestingly, there are several steam room benefits unique to either the traditional sauna or the steam room that may suit you better depending on when or why you’re looking to use the sauna. Let’s explore today the significant differences and unique qualities of the sauna and the steam room. Depending on why you’re looking to soak in the heat, or use a sauna for weight loss, we'll guide you on making the right choice for your health needs.
Steam Room vs Traditional Sauna: Key Differences You Need to Know
There are several major differences between the traditional sauna benefits and steam room benefits. Those differences will be even more clear after a brief recap of what exactly steam rooms and saunas truly are.
What is a Traditional Sauna?
The term “sauna” comes from Finland, where it refers not only to the bathing tradition itself but also to the space in which the experience takes place. Saunas have been around in Scandinavia since ancient times and spread throughout the world as cultural mixing became easier and easier in the world. The sauna bathhouse is traditionally built of wood and has two main rooms: one is a room with a wood stove for feeding a fire, and the other is a neighboring room where that heat is piped into.
The hot room is, of course, rather hot and can range from 70 - 95 degrees Celsius.
While this is the most traditional image of the sauna, there are many modern versions of this heating system that are both much more automated and less dangerous. Being that traditional Finnish saunas are built of wood and have a wood-burning fire raging inside; it’s not hard to believe that some poorly built traditional saunas have caught fire in the past.
The heat that goes into the hot room of a traditional sauna has no moisture in it at all. That means that on top of being rather hot, wood-burning saunas are also uniquely dry. Traditional saunas, however, have a classic method of kicking up the humidity when the dryness of the hot room gets a touch too mean. Inside the heated room, you’ll often find a pile of stones resting on the stove and a wooden bucket filled with water and a ladle nearby for creating steam. When someone spreads water on the stones, that water immediately hisses and evaporates. That puts a brief shot of steam into the otherwise dead-dry sauna.
What is a Steam Room?
A steam room can be just about any small contained room piped in with steam making the room powerfully humid. The true origins of the steam room remain uncertain, yet history points to two prominent ancient civilizations whose bathing traditions closely mirror the modern steam rooms we know today. First, consider the Turkish Hammam. Hammam refers to a long bathing process with several steps of scrubbing and massage before and after a good steaming, but the most important step is just that: spending time in a tremendously humid room.
The other example is from Ancient Greece. Unlike the compact steam rooms of today, their ancient counterparts were vast communal spaces designed to accommodate large crowds, sometimes numbering in the dozens or even hundreds. The Greek laconia and Turkish Hammam are unique in their own ways. But for the purposes of comparing a sauna to the benefits to a steam room, the Turkish Hammam and Greek laconia can all be treated the same. As a traditional sauna benefits vs steam room benefits are similar.
Health Benefits Unique to Traditional Saunas
There are several major health benefits that tend to show up more in the sauna. For a full view of the benefits of using a sauna, check out our detailed post dedicated to this topic.
The Sauna Promotes Cognitive Health
Saunas have several benefits that tend to show up more often than in steam rooms. The first of these effects is increased cognitive health. There are multiple studies that show regular use of a sauna can help prevent cognitive diseases like Alzheimer later in life. The studies further showed that the more frequently a person uses the sauna, the stronger those cognitive benefits appear in our lives. Similar to overall cognitive health, saunas have also been proven to help even out a person’s overall mood and attitude, according to a multi-decade Finnish study.
The Sauna Promotes Thermoregulatory Health
Because traditional saunas—especially wood-burning ones—tend to operate at higher temperatures than steam rooms, they provide excellent support for thermoregulatory health. Upon stepping into a sauna, the body immediately works to maintain a stable internal temperature. This process of returning to homeostasis is a powerful exercise for thermoregulatory function. Over time, regular sauna use improves the body's ability to regulate temperature efficiently. Additionally, achieving homeostasis in a hot environment like a sauna can send positive signals to the brain, supporting mental health.
Steam Room Benefits You Can’t Ignore
Because the steam room benefits are so different to the traditional sauna benefits, there are actually several health benefits that are stronger in the steam room.
Steam Rooms Promote Respiratory System Health
Is a steam room good for a cold? When looking at the differences between these two sauna styles, this question comes up frequently. The water vapour in a steam room is incredibly good for our respiratory system. The steam inside steam rooms naturally loosens the mucus and phlegm in our noses and lungs and, as a result, opens up our breathing pathways naturally. Taking a deep breath in a steam room is also a great way to counter dryness in the nose. There are multiple studies that show regular steam room sessions can also reduce your risk of getting colds and other small sicknesses that involve the respiratory system.
Steam Rooms Promote Skin Health
It’s well known to anyone who has spent time in one that the skin feels extra refreshed after a visit to a steam room. Because steam rooms are so humid, the air around you aids your sweating in a way utterly different from traditional wood-burning saunas. Steam helps our pores give off more toxins and oils. While a person will still certainly sweat in a traditional wood-burning sauna, the humid environment of a steam room benefits to rehydrate the skin and give off a fuller glow after you soak in the steam. That glow in our skin comes about from a release of natural oils from our pores which also act as a natural moisturiser.
Steam Room Benefits Shared with Traditional Saunas
Luckily, many of the significant steam room benefits can also be achieved from regular traditional sauna use.
Saunas and Steam Rooms are good for our Circulatory Health
Because both saunas and steam rooms make us sweat, they are both extraordinarily good for our overall circulatory health. While saunas tend to run a bit hotter, there is evidence that shows both saunas and steam rooms are equally good for our circulatory health. When we step into either a sauna or a steam room, our heart rate goes up compared to when we aren’t in the heat.
There is evidence that shows our body is doing the most for our cardiovascular health, anywhere from 50-90 degrees Celsius; this range is possible for both saunas and steam rooms. As we spend more and more time in the sauna, our blood vessels will also help reduce overall inflammation and release endorphins that may make post-work sessions even more beneficial.
Interestingly, the reasons that saunas and steam rooms benefit our circulatory and cardiovascular health are actually slightly different. When we step into a steam room, the body instantly reacts to the humid environment and gives off a hormone called aldosterone. Aldosterone over a long period of time can help lower chronic high blood pressure. So the more frequently a person uses a steam room, the more frequently this certain hormone makes its way into our bloodstream. Aldosterone may also aid our overall ability to relax, hence why steam rooms are so relaxing.
Saunas, particularly wood-burning saunas, support circulatory and cardiovascular health in different ways. The dry heat of a traditional sauna can help reduce systolic blood pressure without the involvement of aldosterone. While the benefits of regular sauna use over time can help manage chronic high blood pressure, this can also be applied to steam room benefits, but through distinct mechanisms.
Saunas and Steam Rooms are Good for Our Muscular Health
For those using saunas for muscle recovery, both saunas and steam rooms provide equally beneficial environments. Individuals seeking to relax their muscles after a workout often turn to these environments for heat therapy. Whether in a sauna or steam room, muscles undergo significant relaxation when exposed to heat over 50 degrees Celsius. Although experts continue to discuss whether sauna heat or steam room humidity is better for muscle recovery, one thing is clear: both provide excellent relaxation and make a valuable part of any post-exercise routine.
As discussed earlier, the circulatory system benefits from saunas and steam rooms contribute to muscle relaxation. Increased blood flow during sauna sessions ensures that oxygen reaches muscles more quickly, aiding in their recovery. This boost in oxygen delivery reduces muscle soreness and promotes overall muscular health, making both steam rooms and saunas valuable tools for post-exercise recovery.
Questions About Saunas and Steam Room Benefits
There are several major questions users ask regarding sauna and steam rooms benefits of either system. Let’s explore those here.
Should You Use a Sauna or Steam Room First?
If you are planning on using both a sauna and a steam room in one day, it’s natural to ask which makes sense first. While there’s no major health benefit lost by choosing one over the other, the sauna wellness community generally agrees on a common order: use the sauna first, followed by the steam room. That said, you should avoid moving straight from one to the other. A good practice is to allow about 15 minutes between any heat session, whether it’s in a traditional sauna or a steam room, to let your body cool down.
After a sauna, it’s customary to jump into a cold lake or even a pile of snow. This contrast between hot and cold is part of the traditional sauna experience. After cooling off, a visit to the steam room can be an excellent way to relax. Alternatively, a cold shower between sauna and steam room visits is a good idea. If you're fortunate enough to have access to both a sauna and steam room, it's worth trying a post-sauna steam room visit for ultimate relaxation!
Is a Steam Room or a Sauna Harder to Use?
Your personal health circumstances can make one option, a sauna or a steam room, more suitable than the other. For example, people with asthma or other respiratory problems have reported increased trouble taking deep breaths in steam rooms because of the high humidity. For beginners, steam rooms can be easier to handle, as their temperatures are generally milder compared to classic wood-fired saunas. The dry air in a wood-burning sauna can be challenging for beginners, but adding water to the hot rocks can help ease the experience.
Both saunas and steam rooms have a learning curve. For first-timers, easing into longer sessions over a few weeks is recommended so your body can adapt to the heat safely.
Should You Use a Steam Room or Sauna After a Workout?
We’ll dive more into this in a second, but let’s talk about steam rooms or saunas after a workout. Many choose saunas as a means to unwind and aid recovery following a workout. Luckily, both saunas and steam rooms are generally safe options for easing post-exercise strain. With adequate hydration, either option can provide the soothing relief your muscles need.
Another reason people take up saunas as a post-workout choice is because of continued sweating. Considering this, some may lean toward traditional wood-fired saunas, as they tend to reach higher temperatures than steam rooms. But even the lowest temperature in a steam room is bound to make you sweat, especially after a workout. Further, there is new research that shows steam rooms benefits soreness in the days after a workout.
Sauna or Steam Room for Weight Loss?
Is a sauna or steam room better for weight loss? Both the sauna and steam room are equally able to help you lose weight … that's because they both equally don’t help you lose weight. This is a long-running myth about saunas and steam rooms, which comes from a misunderstanding about how the body holds weight. While some of our body’s weight is indeed unwanted fat, a substantial amount of it is also water. Sweating in a sauna or steam room can lead to temporary weight loss, but it’s mostly just water your body releases from the surface of your skin, not actual fat loss.
So while a person could conceivably weigh a kg less after taking a sauna, that kg will come right back after you rehydrate. Whenever the topic of saunas or steam rooms for weight loss comes up, remember that real and lasting weight loss relies on a nutritious diet combined with regular exercise — not just sweating it out.
Steam Room Benefits After a Workout
After an intense workout, stepping into a steam room for recovery can do far more than help you relax; it can speed up your body’s healing process, too. The humid warmth of steam rooms promotes improved blood flow, eases muscle tension, and flushes out built-up lactic acid, which often causes soreness after strenuous exercise. Whether you’re an athlete, a weightlifter, or someone following a consistent post workout routine, the steam room benefits after workout sessions are undeniable.
Studies suggest that using a steam room after a workout can enhance flexibility, reduce inflammation, and help the body eliminate toxins more efficiently. The moisture-rich air of a steam room also keeps airways clear, aiding oxygen delivery to tired muscles, which is an essential part of the muscle recovery steam room process. This makes it an excellent complement to stretching, hydration, and cool-down exercises.
Here are just a few benefits of using a steam room after exercise that fitness enthusiasts and wellness experts highlight most often:
- Muscle relaxation and pain relief: The heat helps loosen tight muscle fibers, reducing post-training stiffness.
- Steam room inflammation relief: The moist heat minimizes swelling and supports faster cellular recovery.
- Enhanced circulation: The steam expands blood vessels, promoting better nutrient and oxygen delivery to muscles.
- Lactic acid breakdown: Sweating accelerates the removal of metabolic waste, preventing prolonged soreness.
- Mental recovery: Like steam therapy benefits overall, a session after exercise also helps calm the nervous system and relieve stress.
In short, incorporating a steam room for sore muscles into your post workout routine combines relaxation with tangible physical recovery. If you’ve ever wondered “is a steam room good after a workout?” – the answer is absolutely yes. The warmth, humidity, and circulatory boost make it a powerful tool for steam room benefits after workout recovery.
Reducing Steam Room Muscle Soreness and Lactic Acid
One of the most powerful steam room benefits after a workout is its ability to relieve muscle soreness caused by the buildup of lactic acid. When you exercise intensely, your muscles naturally produce lactic acid as a byproduct of energy use, and while it’s harmless, it’s also responsible for that familiar tight, burning sensation after training. Spending time in a steam room for recovery helps your body process and flush out this excess lactic acid more quickly.
The heat and humidity of steam rooms promote improved blood flow, expanding blood vessels and delivering oxygen-rich blood to tired muscle tissue. This boost in circulation accelerates repair and reduces inflammation, making the steam room for sore muscles a go-to method for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
Here’s how the process works:
- The warm, moist air encourages vasodilation, helping blood carry away lactic acid and metabolic waste.
- Elevated body temperature improves flexibility and range of motion, reducing the chance of lingering stiffness.
- The combination of heat and hydration relaxes the nervous system, aiding both physical and mental recovery.
Incorporating steam therapy benefits into your post workout routine supports quicker muscle regeneration and helps you feel refreshed for your next session. The answer to the question “does a steam room help with sore muscles?” is yes, and it’s one of the most effective natural methods for speeding up recovery while promoting long-term mobility and comfort.
Which is Best for You: Steam Room or a Traditional Sauna?
While both a steam room and a traditional sauna have their unique benefits, the overall advantages are quite similar. Your choice comes down to personal preference. If only one is available to you, rest assured you’re not missing out on the benefits of the other. For instance, while the humidity of a steam room benefits dryness in the sinuses, you can create a similar effect in a traditional wood-burning sauna by pouring water over the heated rocks. While studies suggest saunas might have a slight edge for supporting the body’s temperature regulation, both saunas and steam rooms offer benefits for heart and circulatory health.
Ultimately, whether you choose a sauna or a steam room, know that your body is benefiting from one of the most natural forms of therapy available.
Steam Room vs. Sauna FAQs
What are the main steam room benefits for a serious athlete?
For athletes, the key steam room benefits include enhanced and improved blood flow and faster removal of lactic acid, which helps muscles recover more efficiently. The moist heat provides deep steam room inflammation relief, easing soreness and speeding up muscle recovery steam room results.
Consistent post-training use can reduce downtime between sessions, support joint flexibility, and make it easier to maintain peak performance levels. It’s one of the simplest, most natural ways to optimize recovery without adding physical strain.
Is there a big difference between a sauna and a steam room for muscle recovery?
Yes, the main difference between a sauna and a steam room comes down to heat type and moisture. A sauna vs. steam room benefits comparison shows that saunas use dry heat, which increases circulation and provides a stronger cardiovascular workout.
By contrast, steam rooms rely on moist heat, which penetrates muscles more gently and is often better for direct tension relief. Those seeking steam room for sore muscles recovery may find its humid warmth more soothing, while traditional sauna benefits often appeal to those who enjoy higher heat intensity.
Is a steam room good after a workout or before?
A steam room after a workout is typically the best choice. Using it after training helps flush lactic acid, reduce tightness, and support the body’s natural healing process.
Using a steam room before a workout can also help warm muscles and improve flexibility, but it may slightly sap energy or endurance, so reserve it for light sessions in your post workout routine instead.
How long should you stay in a steam room after a workout?
It’s best to limit each session to 10–15 minutes. That duration maximizes recovery benefits without overtaxing your system.
Always hydrate before and after, as excessive time in the heat can cause dehydration and negate the positive effects of your recovery efforts. Short, consistent sessions deliver the most effective results.
Is a steam room good for a cold?
Yes, steam rooms can temporarily relieve congestion and sinus pressure by hydrating airways and thinning mucus. The moist air promotes easier breathing, making it clear why many recommend them when asking “is a steam room good for a cold?”
However, if you have an active infection, skip public steam rooms to prevent spreading germs. The humidity may soothe symptoms, but your body still needs rest and fluids.
What other specific steam therapy benefits aid recovery?
Steam therapy benefits extend beyond muscle recovery. Here are a few additional perks:
- Joint flexibility: The moist heat improves elasticity in connective tissues.
- Reduced stiffness: Consistent sessions ease tension in overworked muscles. Hydrotherapy / thermotherapy effects promote circulation and reduce inflammation.
- Relaxation and sleep: The warmth activates your parasympathetic nervous system, supporting deep recovery and rest.
- Mental reset: The soothing environment lowers stress hormones after exercise.
In short, the benefits of using a steam room after exercise reach both physical and psychological recovery, creating balance throughout the body.
Does the sauna room heat help with conditions like arthritis?
Yes. As a natural form of thermotherapy, steam rooms provide moisture-rich heat that increases circulation and helps ease joint stiffness.
For those managing arthritis or similar inflammatory conditions, the consistent warmth promotes steam room inflammation relief and enhances mobility in affected joints, helping muscles and tendons move more freely without discomfort.
