What a sauna can and can't do for you this flu season.
51 million Americans got the flu last season. Here is what the research on saunas and colds actually found, what it didn’t, and where twenty minutes of heat fits in a winter routine.
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Twenty minutes
A household outlet
Free shippingFlu season starts before you think it does, and peaks in February.
Last season was the worst in years. The CDC estimates 51 million flu illnesses, 23 million medical visits and 710,000 hospitalizations in 2024 to 2025, and classed it high severity for the first time since 2017 to 2018.
Flu most often peaks in February. And the average adult still catches two to three colds a year on top of it.
It doesn’t need to put you in hospital to take a week off your life.
Sources: CDC, 2024-2025 Influenza Season Burden Estimates, 2026. CDC, Flu Season timing, February is the peak month in 17 of the last 40 seasons. CDC, About the Common Cold.
A week with the flu is mostly a week you lose.
In a CDC network study of workers who got sick, people with confirmed flu lost about 69% of their expected work hours that week, between staying home and working while barely functioning. That is roughly three and a half of five workdays.
And nearly half of workers say they have gone in sick because they couldn’t afford the lost pay. Nobody plans for the week they lose. They just lose it.
And nearly half of workers say they have gone in sick because they couldn’t afford the lost pay. Nobody plans for the week they lose. They just lose it.
Two studies found something. Both are worth knowing about.
In 1990, researchers in Austria followed 50 people for six months. Half used a sauna regularly, half didn’t. The sauna group caught fewer colds, roughly half as many in the last three months. Their colds lasted just as long and were just as bad.
In Finland, a study followed 2,210 middle-aged men for about 25 years. The men who used a sauna two to three times a week had about 28% lower risk of pneumonia diagnosed in hospital than men who used one once a week or less.
Interesting, small, and not the whole story. Here is the rest.
Both studies used traditional Finnish saunas, not infrared, so we do not apply their results to an infrared cabin.
A sauna won’t cure a cold, and nobody has proven it prevents one.
The 1990 study was small and never repeated. The Finnish study only shows that men who used saunas more often got pneumonia less often, not that the sauna was the reason, and it only included men.
Both used traditional Finnish saunas, not infrared. And once you are already sick, heat does not help. A Cochrane review of six trials found breathing heated air during a cold showed no benefit, and a trial of 157 people breathing hot sauna air with a cold found no difference in symptoms.
If a sauna brand promises it keeps you from getting sick, they’re selling you something the research doesn’t say.
Source: Ernst et al., Annals of Medicine, 1990, PMID 2248758, 50 volunteers. Kunutsor et al., Respiratory Medicine, 2017, PMID 29229091, 2,210 men aged 42 to 61, observational. Singh et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017, PMID 28849871, 6 trials, 387 people. Pach et al., Medical Journal of Australia, 2010, PMID 21143077, 157 people. Both studies used traditional Finnish saunas. A sauna does not prevent or treat colds, flu or any illness.
Short sleep is one of the clearest links to catching a cold.
In a study where 164 healthy adults had their sleep tracked for a week and were then given a cold virus, people who slept less than six hours a night were about four times as likely to get sick as people who slept more than seven.
Sleep is something a sauna can actually help with. In the Global Sauna Survey, 83.5% of 482 regular sauna users said they slept better afterwards. We are not saying a sauna prevents colds. We are saying sleep matters in winter, and most people who use a sauna say they sleep better.
164 adults, one week tracked
83.5% slept betterof 482 sauna users said they slept better afterwards.
That is a survey of people who already use saunas, not a trial. Winter is when your sleep gets worst and matters most.
Not in the sauna. In the eight hours after it.
Sources: Prather et al., Sleep, 2015, PMID 26118561, 164 adults. Global Sauna Survey, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019, PMID 31126560, a survey of people who already use saunas, not a trial. A sauna supports sleep. It does not prevent or treat colds, flu or any illness.
If you’re already sick, skip the sauna.
Use it to wind down while you’re well. Rest while you’re not.
Harvard Health puts it simply: “Don’t take a sauna when you are ill, and if you feel unwell during your sauna, head for the door.” If you have a fever, extra heat adds strain your body doesn’t need. Wait until you feel better, drink water, and start again slowly.
And a sauna is not a replacement for anything your doctor recommends in flu season, including the flu shot.
Source: Harvard Health Publishing, May 2020, quoted as safety advice only. SaunaBox is not endorsed by or affiliated with Harvard.
Twenty minutes, a few nights a week, all winter.
It takes about fifteen minutes to warm up. Turn it on when you walk in from the cold, and it is ready by the time you have changed. Drink water first, then sit.
The Finnish men in the study who used a sauna two to three times a week are where most owners land too.
Three or four nights a week, every week, from November to March.
A corner of the bedroom is enough.
About thirty minutes to put together. One person. No tools, nothing drilled, a regular household outlet. The Solara fits adults up to 6 foot 8 seated, and at 63 inches tall outside it clears a standard doorway. A corner of the bedroom, the basement or a spare room is all it needs.
If you have a corner of the bedroom, the basement or a spare room.
No tools, about 30 min
Household 110V outlet
Free shipping, mainland USA
Warm in about 15 minFrom Solara owners.
I purchased my sauna before Christmas and was using it religiously through the winter after workouts. It was easy to put together and fits well in my side room.
Packaged extremely well. Very easy to assemble. Assembled product fitment was perfect. All of it works great, Love it.
Love the Solara. Would be nice to have contours on the walls in the back and sides to lean against and not be touching the heating panels. Great size. Heats up quickly.
Black Friday pricing is live.
The Solara is . Free shipping to the mainland USA, and HSA and FSA eligible through TrueMed.
Questions.
The honest answer is that nobody has proven it. One small 1990 study found regular sauna users caught fewer colds, and a Finnish study of men found frequent sauna users had lower pneumonia risk, but neither shows the sauna caused it. What a sauna does do, according to most regular users, is help them sleep better.
No. Harvard Health advises skipping the sauna when you are ill. If you have a fever, wait until you feel better.
No. Trials of breathing hot air during a cold found no benefit, and colds in the 1990 study lasted just as long for sauna users.
Yes. Infrared heats you directly at a lower air temperature. The studies on this page used traditional Finnish saunas, so we don't apply their results to infrared.
Most owners use it three or four times a week for about twenty minutes. Start shorter and drink water first.
No. Follow your doctor and the CDC on flu vaccines.
About fifteen minutes from switching it on.
No. A regular 110V household outlet at 1600W with an 8 foot cord. Give it its own outlet rather than a shared strip, and skip extension leads.
35 by 37 inches of floor and 63 inches tall, so it clears a standard doorway and sits in a corner. Measure the tightest turn on the way in, not the room.
Up to 158°F. It ships set to 149°F; holding TIME + and TIME − together for about six seconds unlocks the full range.
Yes, through TrueMed, subject to their eligibility questions at checkout.
2-Year warranty, with support by phone and text.
SaunaBox saunas are intended for general wellness use only. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, including colds, flu or COVID-19, and nothing here is medical advice. The studies described used traditional Finnish saunas and are observational or small. Do not use a sauna when you are ill or have a fever, do not use it after drinking alcohol, do not fall asleep in it, drink water first, stand up slowly afterwards, and speak to your physician before starting sauna use, especially with a heart condition, if you are pregnant, or if you take blood pressure medication.
What a sauna can and can't do for you this flu season.
51 million Americans got the flu last season. Here is what the research on saunas and colds actually found, what it didn’t, and where twenty minutes of heat fits in a winter routine.
Shop the SolaraTwenty minutesA household outletFlu season starts before you think it does, and peaks in February.
Last season was the worst in years. The CDC estimates 51 million flu illnesses, 23 million medical visits and 710,000 hospitalizations in 2024 to 2025, and classed it high severity for the first time since 2017 to 2018.
Flu most often peaks in February. And the average adult still catches two to three colds a year on top of it.
It doesn’t need to put you in hospital to take a week off your life.
Sources: CDC, 2024-2025 Influenza Season Burden Estimates, 2026. CDC, Flu Season timing, February is the peak month in 17 of the last 40 seasons. CDC, About the Common Cold.
A week with the flu is mostly a week you lose.
In a CDC network study of workers who got sick, people with confirmed flu lost about 69% of their expected work hours that week, between staying home and working while barely functioning. That is roughly three and a half of five workdays.
And nearly half of workers say they have gone in sick because they couldn’t afford the lost pay. Nobody plans for the week they lose. They just lose it.
Nobody plans for the week they lose. They just lose it.
Two studies found something. Both are worth knowing about.
In 1990, researchers in Austria followed 50 people for six months. Half used a sauna regularly, half didn’t. The sauna group caught fewer colds, roughly half as many in the last three months. Their colds lasted just as long and were just as bad.
In Finland, a study followed 2,210 middle-aged men for about 25 years. The men who used a sauna two to three times a week had about 28% lower risk of pneumonia diagnosed in hospital than men who used one once a week or less.
Both studies used traditional Finnish saunas, not infrared, so we do not apply their results to an infrared cabin.
A sauna won’t cure a cold, and nobody has proven it prevents one.
The 1990 study was small and never repeated. The Finnish study only shows that men who used saunas more often got pneumonia less often, not that the sauna was the reason, and it only included men.
Both used traditional Finnish saunas, not infrared. And once you are already sick, heat does not help. A Cochrane review of six trials found breathing heated air during a cold showed no benefit.
If a sauna brand promises it keeps you from getting sick, they’re selling you something the research doesn’t say.
Source: Ernst et al., Annals of Medicine, 1990, PMID 2248758, 50 volunteers. Kunutsor et al., Respiratory Medicine, 2017, PMID 29229091, 2,210 men aged 42 to 61, observational. Singh et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017, PMID 28849871. Both studies used traditional Finnish saunas. A sauna does not prevent or treat colds, flu or any illness.
Short sleep is one of the clearest links to catching a cold.
In a study where 164 healthy adults had their sleep tracked and were then given a cold virus, people sleeping under six hours a night were about four times as likely to get sick as people sleeping over seven.
In the Global Sauna Survey, 83.5% of 482 regular sauna users said they slept better afterwards. A sauna supports sleep. It does not prevent colds.
164 adults, one week tracked83.5% slept betterof 482 sauna users said they slept better afterwards.
That is a survey of people who already use saunas, not a trial. Winter is when your sleep gets worst and matters most.
Not in the sauna. In the eight hours after it.
Source: Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019, PMID 31126560. Self-reported. Heat supports sleep, it does not treat a sleep disorder.
If you’re already sick, skip the sauna.
Use it to wind down while you’re well. Rest while you’re not.
Harvard Health puts it simply: “Don’t take a sauna when you are ill, and if you feel unwell during your sauna, head for the door.” If you have a fever, extra heat adds strain your body doesn’t need. Wait until you feel better, drink water, and start again slowly.
And a sauna is not a replacement for anything your doctor recommends in flu season, including the flu shot.
Source: Harvard Health Publishing, May 2020, quoted as safety advice only. SaunaBox is not endorsed by or affiliated with Harvard.
Twenty minutes, a few nights a week, all winter.
It takes about fifteen minutes to warm up. Turn it on when you walk in from the cold, and it is ready by the time you have changed. Drink water first, then sit.
Three or four nights a week, every week, from November to March.
A corner of the bedroom is enough.
About thirty minutes to put together. One person. No tools, nothing drilled, a regular household outlet.
If you have a corner of the bedroom, the basement or a spare room.
From Solara owners.
I purchased my sauna before Christmas and was using it religiously through the winter after workouts. It was easy to put together and fits well in my side room.
Packaged extremely well. Very easy to assemble. Assembled product fitment was perfect. All of it works great, Love it.
Love the Solara. Would be nice to have contours on the walls in the back and sides to lean against and not be touching the heating panels. Great size. Heats up quickly.
Black Friday pricing is live.
The Solara is . Free shipping to the mainland USA, and HSA and FSA eligible through TrueMed.
Shop the SolaraQuestions.
The honest answer is that nobody has proven it. One small 1990 study found regular sauna users caught fewer colds, and a Finnish study of men found frequent sauna users had lower pneumonia risk, but neither shows the sauna caused it. What a sauna does do, according to most regular users, is help them sleep better.
No. Harvard Health advises skipping the sauna when you are ill. If you have a fever, wait until you feel better.
No. Trials of breathing hot air during a cold found no benefit, and colds in the 1990 study lasted just as long for sauna users.
Yes. Infrared heats you directly at a lower air temperature. The studies on this page used traditional Finnish saunas, so we don't apply their results to infrared.
Most owners use it three or four times a week for about twenty minutes. Start shorter and drink water first.
No. Follow your doctor and the CDC on flu vaccines.
About fifteen minutes from switching it on.
No. A regular 110V household outlet at 1600W with an 8 foot cord. Give it its own outlet rather than a shared strip, and skip extension leads.
35 by 37 inches of floor and 63 inches tall, so it clears a standard doorway and sits in a corner. Measure the tightest turn on the way in, not the room.
Up to 158°F. It ships set to 149°F; holding TIME + and TIME − together for about six seconds unlocks the full range.
Yes, through TrueMed, subject to their eligibility questions at checkout.
2-Year warranty, with support by phone and text.
SaunaBox saunas are intended for general wellness use only. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, including colds, flu or COVID-19. Do not use a sauna when you are ill or have a fever, do not use it after drinking alcohol, drink water first, and speak to your physician before starting sauna use.