Quick answer
- Drink water through the day, eat something light an hour or two before, and skip alcohol.
- Plan on 10 to 15 minutes in the heat for your first round. Step out, cool off, and go back in only if you want more.
- Leave the heat right away if you feel dizzy, lightheaded or just done. Nobody is timing you.
- Afterwards, cool down slowly, rinse off, drink water and give yourself a few minutes before you drive.
In this article · 10 sections
Your first infrared sauna session is simpler than it sounds. You sit in warm, dry heat, you sweat, and you leave when you've had enough. Most of the prep is about arriving hydrated, comfortable and unhurried. Here's what we tell first-timers at our studios in San Diego and Temecula, where every session happens in a private suite with the sauna, a cold plunge and a shower behind one door.
The day of: water, food and timing
Drink water through the day. Sip steadily from the morning on instead of downing a bottle in the parking lot. You'll sweat, sometimes a lot, and the heat feels easier when you walk in already hydrated.
Eat light. A small meal or a snack an hour or two before is ideal. A big plate right before sitting in the heat tends to feel heavy, and arriving starving is no fun either.
Skip alcohol. Heat and alcohol are a bad pairing. Deaths in saunas are rare, but in a Finnish study of the ones that did happen, about half involved alcohol (Kenttämies and Karkola, Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2008). Save the drink for another day.
Coming from a workout? Give yourself a few minutes to cool down and drink some water before you start. We wrote more about contrast therapy for post-workout recovery.
Leave room after. Book a time when you're not racing to the next thing. The shower and the quiet few minutes after it are part of the session.
What to wear and bring
Your suite is private, so the real question is what you're comfortable sweating in. Most people wear a swimsuit and bring a water bottle and a change of clothes. A few extras help:
- Light layers for the trip home. You may keep sweating for a few minutes after your shower.
- A hair tie if you have long hair.
- No jewelry. Metal gets hot in the heat, so leave it in your bag.
- Clean skin. Heavy lotion or makeup and a sauna don't mix well. A quick rinse first is plenty.
You don't need to pack towels. They're stacked and waiting in your suite, next to your own shower with the basics for rinsing off.
Getting there and checking in
Both studios sit inside Self Made Training Facility gyms. San Diego is at 4030 Sports Arena Blvd. Temecula is at 25389 Madison Ave, technically in Murrieta. Check-in is self-serve: head inside, look for the CBR entrance, and your suite is set and ready at your start time.
Give yourself five spare minutes the first time so you're not hunting for the door. Everyone signs our liability waiver before their first session.
How long to stay in the sauna
You book the whole suite for 25, 55 or 85 minutes, and the sauna is only part of that time. For a first visit, 55 minutes is the easy choice: room for two or three relaxed rounds without watching the clock.
Inside the sauna, start with 10 to 15 minutes. That's a full first round for most people. Our saunas run up to about 170°F, so there's no prize for staying longer. Step out, cool off, sip some water and check in with yourself. Want more? Go back in.
A simple plan for a first 55-minute visit:
- Settle in. Bag down, water out, lights the way you like them.
- Heat, 10 to 15 minutes. Sit back and breathe slowly.
- Cool off. A cool rinse in your shower, or 30 seconds in the cold plunge if you're curious.
- Rest a few minutes. Sit, sip water, let your breathing settle.
- Heat again, around 10 minutes, if you want a second round.
- Shower and take your time. Towel off, get dressed, no rush.
What the heat feels like
Infrared heat comes from panels in the sauna walls, so it feels more like strong sun on your skin than a blast of oven air. It also tends to sit lightly on the body. In one small study, heart rates after a far-infrared session were lower than after a traditional sauna at the same air temperature, and the researchers described infrared bathing as a comfortable, relaxing experience (Mero et al., SpringerPlus, 2015). The sweat usually starts after a few minutes and builds from there.
Put your phone down, sit back and let the room go quiet. You can change the color of the sauna light with the remote, which sounds like a small thing until you try it.
Get out when you've had enough, and right away if you feel dizzy, lightheaded, sick to your stomach or just off. In a private suite there's nobody to impress and nobody waiting for your spot.
Why people love it: what the research says
You don't need a reason beyond "it feels good." But if you're curious, here's what studies suggest:
- Less soreness after training. Basketball players who spent 20 minutes in an infrared sauna after a hard strength session reported less muscle soreness and felt more recovered than when they simply rested (Ahokas et al., Biology of Sport, 2023).
- Relaxation and better sleep. In a global survey of 482 regular sauna users, relaxation and stress relief were among the main reasons people went, and 83.5% said sauna use helped their sleep (Hussain et al., Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019).
- Lower blood pressure, at least for a while. In a study of 102 adults with at least one heart risk factor, average systolic blood pressure fell from 137 to 130 after a single 30-minute session in a traditional sauna (Laukkanen et al., Journal of Human Hypertension, 2018).
Most sauna studies are small, and the long-term research is mostly on traditional Finnish saunas. Think of these as promising, not promised.
Trying the cold plunge (optional)
Every suite has its own cold plunge a few steps from the sauna, kept at 45 to 49°F. You don't have to use it on your first visit. If you're curious, most first-timers start with about 30 seconds. Breathe slowly, keep your hands out of the water if that helps, and get out whenever you want.
Wondering about the order? Here's our guide to whether to do the cold plunge or the sauna first.
After your session
Cool down slowly. A lukewarm or cool rinse in your shower, then a few minutes sitting with your water before you get dressed.
Drink water. Keep sipping on the way home. If you're hungry, eat.
Don't rush to the car. If you feel lightheaded, sit until it passes before you drive.
What to expect: most people walk out warm, calm and in no particular hurry. Some feel sleepy, some feel wide awake. Notice which one you are, then pick the time of day that fits. Here's our take on the best time of day for a session.
When to skip it, or check with your doctor first
- You're sick or running a fever.
- You've been drinking.
- You're pregnant, have a heart condition, or have any medical concern. Talk to your doctor before you book.
Heat is real stress on the body. If you're unsure, ask first. There will be plenty of other sessions.
Ready for your first visit?
Pick a studio, choose 25, 55 or 85 minutes, and pick a time. If you want the full picture first, here's what happens on your first visit, from booking to the last plunge, and what every option costs.
Questions people ask.
What should I wear in an infrared sauna?
Whatever you're comfortable sweating in. Most people wear a swimsuit. Your suite is private, so it's your call.
How long should my first infrared sauna session be?
Book 55 minutes so you never feel rushed. Inside the sauna, start with 10 to 15 minutes, step out, cool off, and go back in only if you want more.
Do I need to bring a towel?
No. Towels are waiting in your suite, along with your own private shower.
Can I drink water in the sauna?
Yes. Bring a water bottle and sip between rounds, then keep sipping after your session.
What if I don't like the heat?
Step out. Sit down, sip water and rinse off with cool water. There's no minimum time, and plenty of first-timers do a few short rounds instead of one long one.
Is an infrared sauna good for you?
Research is promising. Studies link sauna sessions with less muscle soreness after training (Ahokas et al., Biology of Sport, 2023) and lower blood pressure right after a session (Laukkanen et al., Journal of Human Hypertension, 2018), and most regular users in a global survey said it helped their sleep (Hussain et al., Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019). Studies are small, so nobody can promise results. If you have a health condition, ask your doctor first.
Sources
- Kenttämies A, Karkola K. Death in sauna. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2008.
- Mero A, Tornberg J, Mäntykoski M, Puurtinen R. Effects of far-infrared sauna bathing on recovery from strength and endurance training sessions in men. SpringerPlus, 2015.
- Ahokas EK, Ihalainen JK, Hanstock HG, Savolainen E, Kyröläinen H. A post-exercise infrared sauna session improves recovery of neuromuscular performance and muscle soreness after resistance exercise training. Biology of Sport, 2023.
- Hussain JN, Greaves RF, Cohen MM. A hot topic for health: results of the Global Sauna Survey. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019.
- Laukkanen T, Kunutsor SK, Zaccardi F, et al. Acute effects of sauna bathing on cardiovascular function. Journal of Human Hypertension, 2018.
