How Often Should You Use a Sauna? What the Science Says

If you've just bought a sauna or you're planning a build, this is probably one of the first questions you'll ask. The answer, according to the research, is more often than most people expect. And the benefits scale significantly with frequency.

Here's what the science says, including specific protocols from two of the most well-known voices in evidence-based health: Dr Rhonda Patrick and Andrew Huberman.

What Does the Research Actually Say?

Most of what we know about sauna frequency comes from large Finnish population studies. Finland is a country where sauna is genuinely woven into daily life, which has given researchers decades of real-world data to work with.

The most cited is the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2015. The study followed over 2,300 middle-aged Finnish men for a median of 20 years. Compared to people using a sauna once a week, those using it 2–3 times per week had a 27% lower risk of fatal cardiovascular events. Those using it 4–7 times per week had a 50% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality and a 40% reduction in all-cause mortality.

A follow-up study published in BMC Medicine in 2018 extended these findings to both men and women, confirming the same pattern. The more often you use a sauna, the more pronounced the benefit.

What Dr Rhonda Patrick Recommends

Dr Rhonda Patrick is a biomedical scientist with a PhD from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She has spent years reviewing and publishing research on sauna use, heat shock proteins, and longevity. Her work is published at FoundMyFitness.com.

Her protocol, based on the Finnish research she references extensively:

Frequency: 4–7 sessions per week Duration: 20–30 minutes per session Temperature: 79–100°C (174–212°F) Timing: Post-workout or evening preferred

In her Ultimate Guide to Saunas and Heat Exposure, Dr Patrick notes that frequent sauna use is associated with lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, sudden cardiac death, stroke, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. She has said: "I think, in the next 10 years, sauna bathing may very well become part of the standard of care for the prevention and treatment of heart disease."

She also highlights heat shock proteins, molecules the body produces in response to heat stress that play a role in cellular repair, protecting against muscle atrophy, and slowing some of the biological processes linked to ageing.

What Andrew Huberman Recommends

Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist at Stanford University and host of the Huberman Lab podcast. His protocols are grounded in the same Finnish research, with additional focus on tailoring use to specific health goals.

His general protocol for health and cardiovascular benefit, outlined in his Deliberate Heat Exposure newsletter at hubermanlab.com:

Frequency: 2–4 sessions per week as a baseline, with 4–7 showing the strongest longevity outcomes Duration: 15–20 minutes per session Temperature: 80–100°C (176–212°F)

He also outlines goal-specific protocols:

For cardiovascular health and longevity: 2–7 sessions per week, 5–20 minutes at 80–100°C For growth hormone release: less frequent use, about once a week, with multiple 30-minute rounds and cooling breaks between. He notes the body adapts to frequent heat exposure which blunts the growth hormone response over time, so less frequent but longer sessions work better for this goal For general health: roughly one hour of total sauna time per week across 2–3 sessions

So How Often Should You Use Your Sauna?

Here's a practical way to think about it.

If you're new to sauna, start with 2–3 sessions per week at 15–20 minutes each. Give your body a few weeks to adapt to the heat before increasing either frequency or duration.

If you're using it for general health and wellbeing, 3–4 sessions per week at around 20 minutes is a solid routine backed by the cardiovascular research.

If you want to maximise longevity benefits, 4–7 sessions per week at 20–30 minutes is where both Dr Patrick and the Finnish studies point. That's the frequency associated with a 40% reduction in all-cause mortality.

The key takeaway from both researchers is the same: a sauna used regularly at moderate frequency delivers far more benefit than one used occasionally for longer sessions. Consistency is the variable that matters most.

What Temperature Should You Use?

Both Huberman and Patrick reference the Finnish studies, which used temperatures of 79–100°C (174–212°F). This is the range associated with the cardiovascular and longevity outcomes in the data. A standard Finnish-style sauna operates comfortably in this range. If you're new to sauna, start at the lower end and build from there.

How Long Should Each Session Be?

20 minutes is consistently the sweet spot in the research for most goals. Shorter sessions of 10–15 minutes still produce benefit and are a good starting point. Beyond 30 minutes the returns diminish for most people. Always listen to your body. If you feel dizzy or overly fatigued, get out.

A Few Practical Tips

Hydrate before and after every session. You lose a significant amount of fluid through sweat and it needs replacing. Huberman recommends at least 500ml of water for every 10–15 minutes in the sauna.

Avoid a large meal immediately beforehand. Both researchers suggest leaving at least an hour or two after eating, particularly if you're targeting growth hormone response.

If you're doing multiple rounds, cool down between each one. A cool shower or stepping outside works well. The contrast between heat and cold has its own benefits and is central to traditional Finnish sauna culture.

Pregnant women and anyone with a heart condition or other health concerns should check with their doctor before using a sauna.

Final Thoughts

The research on sauna frequency is unusually consistent for the wellness space. Whether you're looking at the Finnish population studies, Dr Rhonda Patrick's longevity work, or Andrew Huberman's protocols, the message is the same. Use your sauna regularly, keep sessions around 20 minutes, and aim for at least 3–4 times a week if health outcomes are your goal.

Most people who build a sauna at home find it easy to use regularly. It's right there, it's convenient, and the experience itself makes it something you look forward to rather than a habit you have to force.

If you're planning a build and want to talk through your setup, get in touch with us at Kauri Point Sauna. We're happy to help you get it right.

References

Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA. Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):542–548. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187

Laukkanen T, Kunutsor SK, Khan H, Willeit P, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA. Sauna bathing is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and improves risk prediction in men and women: a prospective cohort study. BMC Med. 2018;16:219. doi:10.1186/s12916-018-1198-0

Dr Rhonda Patrick. The Ultimate Guide to Saunas and Heat Exposure. FoundMyFitness. September 2024. foundmyfitness.com/episodes/ultimate-guide-saunas-heat-exposure

Dr Rhonda Patrick. Sauna research, episodes and studies. FoundMyFitness. foundmyfitness.com/tags/sauna

Andrew Huberman. Deliberate Heat Exposure Protocols for Health and Performance. Huberman Lab. hubermanlab.com/newsletter/deliberate-heat-exposure-protocols-for-health-and-performance

Andrew Huberman. Essentials: Benefits of Sauna and Deliberate Heat Exposure. Huberman Lab. hubermanlab.com/episode/essentials-benefits-of-sauna-and-deliberate-heat-exposure