Does Using A Sauna Help When You Have A Cold?

You have a blocked nose, a scratchy throat and that familiar feeling that a cold is settling in. You might wonder whether a sauna could ease your symptoms or even help you recover sooner. But what does the science actually tell us?

The short answer: sauna is not a proven treatment for a cold.

There is no convincing evidence that using one during a common cold shortens the illness or meaningfully reduces overall symptoms. If you have a fever, feel dehydrated, dizzy or significantly unwell, the cautious choice is to skip the sauna, consult your healthcare professional and prioritise rest instead.^2,4

And what about using a sauna device at home? Best to check with your healthcare professional.

The BON CHARGE Infrared Sauna Blanket User Manual recommends that you consult your healthcare professional before use if you have a headache or feel nauseous, among other listed circumstances. The Infrared PEMF Sauna Dome also requires medical clearance for certain conditions and potentially photosensitising medications, including some cold and allergy medicines.^6,7

Can you really “sweat out” a cold?

When a cold interrupts a busy week, it is natural to look for something that might help you recover sooner. Warmth can feel comforting but feeling better in the moment is not the same as helping your body clear an infection.

A common cold is caused by a virus. Sauna heat triggers your body’s temperature-regulating response: heart rate rises, more blood flows towards the skin, and you sweat to help release heat. These changes are well documented, but they do not demonstrate that sauna use clears the virus or speeds recovery.^4,5

Heat also places demands on the body; sweating increases fluid loss, and sauna exposure can cause light-headedness or temporarily lower blood pressure - important considerations when you already feel unwell.⁴

The question is not how much you can sweat, but whether the exposure improves your symptoms or recovery. To answer that, we need to look at what researchers actually tested.

Read More: Red Light Therapy vs Infrared Sauna: What are the differences?

Does the type of sauna make a difference?

Before looking at the research, it helps to distinguish the technologies. A traditional sauna, an infrared sauna and a device combining heat, light and PEMF do not deliver the same exposure.

1. Traditional sauna cabins

A traditional sauna cabin, commonly found at a spa, heats the surrounding air, which then warms your body. Humidity varies, particularly when water is poured onto heated stones. A steam room is different: it uses a much more humid environment.⁴

2. Infrared sauna cabins and blankets

Infrared saunas use infrared radiation to deliver heat to the body. The BON CHARGE Infrared Sauna Blanket uses far-infrared heat, with your head remaining outside the blanket. It is a heat-based product, not a red-light therapy device.^4,6,8

3. Devices combining heat, light and PEMF

The BON CHARGE Infrared PEMF Sauna Dome combines three distinct modalities:

• Far-infrared heat: provides the sauna’s heating exposure.
• Red and near-infrared light: delivers light at 660 nm and 850 nm.
• PEMF: delivers pulsed electromagnetic fields.

The manual instructs users to keep their head outside the dome.⁷ Why does this distinction matter? Heating the air you breathe is not the same as heating your body while your head remains outside a device. Research on one exposure cannot automatically establish the benefits or suitability of another.

Likewise, adding light or PEMF does not establish a cold-treatment benefit. Wavelengths and frequencies describe a device’s output; they are not, by themselves, evidence that it helps you recover from an infection.

Read More: 7 Science-Backed Infrared Sauna Benefits And Why “Head Out” May Be Better

What does the research say about sauna and colds?

There are two different questions here: could regular sauna use reduce how often you catch a cold, and could a sauna help once you already have one?

Evidence for the first does not necessarily apply to the second.

Regular sauna use: fewer colds in one small study

A 1990 controlled study followed 50 volunteers for six months. Twenty-five used a sauna regularly, while the other 25 avoided sauna and comparable procedures.

The sauna group experienced significantly fewer cold episodes, particularly during the final three months. However, the average duration and severity of the colds did not differ significantly between groups.¹

This small, older study offers a preliminary finding about cold frequency. It does not establish sauna as a reliable way to prevent colds or show that getting into one when symptoms begin will help you recover sooner.

During a cold: no significant overall symptom benefit

A 2010 randomised controlled trial studied 157 adults aged 18–60 with newly developed cold symptoms.

Participants sat in a 90°C dry sauna for approximately three minutes on three consecutive days. Both groups wore winter coats to minimise whole-body heating and sweating. One group inhaled hot sauna air through a mask; the other inhaled room-temperature air supplied from outside.²

The main result was no statistically significant difference in overall symptom severity over the follow-up period. Some secondary measures favoured hot air, including symptom scores on day two and medication use on day one, but these isolated findings did not establish a sustained benefit.²

There is an important limitation: both groups sat in the sauna. The study tested the added effect of inhaling hot air, not ordinary sauna bathing versus resting at home.

Participants were also screened, and blood pressure, heart rate and fever symptoms were checked before treatment. The findings therefore do not establish the safety of longer, unsupervised sessions while ill.²

(Photo by iStock of a woman in a traditional sauna) 

What about steam and congestion?

A 2017 Cochrane review examined six randomised trials involving 387 participants with naturally acquired or experimentally induced colds. These studies used a device delivering heated, humidified air to the airways, not a sauna cabin, blanket or dome.³

The results were inconsistent, and the evidence was rated low quality. Some analyses suggested symptom relief; others did not show a significant benefit. The one study examining viral shedding - the release of virus in nasal secretions - found no significant difference between treatment and placebo.³

Taken together, these findings do not support a reliable claim that sauna or heated-air treatments shorten a cold or consistently reduce its symptoms. Warmth may feel comforting, but exposure to heat should not be presented as evidence of faster recovery.

What does this mean for your sauna session?

These studies do not provide an evidence-based temperature or session length for treating a cold. They also do not establish that a traditional spa sauna, an infrared cabin, the BON CHARGE Infrared Sauna Blanket or the Infrared PEMF Sauna Dome will help you recover sooner.^1–3

The differences are important:

• Where the heat is delivered: breathing heated air is different from heating the body with your head outside a blanket or dome.
• How much heat you receive: temperature, humidity and duration affect the exposure.
• When you use it: a regular routine before illness is not the same as starting a session after symptoms appear.
• Who is using it: findings from screened adults cannot automatically apply to children or people with underlying conditions.
• How use is supervised: checks performed during a clinical study are not equivalent to using a device alone at home.^1–3,6,7

Keeping your head outside a device does not remove the physiological demands of heating the rest of your body. Nor does choosing a lower temperature establish that a session is suitable while you are ill.⁴

The practical distinction is between a wellness routine and a treatment for an infection. Both BON CHARGE product pages state that the products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. Their instructions and restrictions still apply, even if your symptoms seem mild.^8,9

Read More: 5 Secrets To Sauna Success

Check the instructions, not just how you feel

Feeling well enough to use a sauna does not necessarily mean a particular device is suitable.

A contraindication is a circumstance in which a device or treatment should not be used. Some manual instructions prohibit use outright; others require a clinician’s assessment first. Even in these circumstances, healthcare professionals should not override contraindications.

BON CHARGE Infrared Sauna Blanket

Under “IMPORTANT – READ BEFORE USE”, the manual states:

“Before using the Infrared Sauna Blanket, please consult your medical practitioner if you have any of the medical conditions listed below. Do not use the Infrared Sauna Blanket without your doctor’s approval if you have any of the below.”

The list includes:

• “Have a headache or feel nauseous”⁶
• If either symptom accompanies your cold, the manual requires your doctor’s approval before use - not a trial session to see how you respond.
• Other listed circumstances include abnormal blood pressure, diabetes, post-surgery, and metal or other body implants. These are examples, not the complete list: always read the full manual supplied with your device.⁶

BON CHARGE Infrared PEMF Sauna Dome

Under “Contraindications”, the manual instructs readers to consult their physician before use if they: “Are under the care of a physician for a pre-existing health condition.”

It also requires consultation if they: “Take a medication that may make you sensitive to light or sunlight, including some antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, cold and allergy medications, pain medications, and diuretics.”⁷

This means your specific medication needs checking. The manual contains additional contraindications and warnings. The absence of a specific restriction mentioning “common cold” does not establish that using the device during illness is beneficial or appropriate.

For a spa sauna, follow the facility’s health restrictions and seek medical advice where your symptoms or medical history raise concerns.

What should you ask your clinician?

Bring the device manual and a list of your medicines, including over-the-counter cold/flu remedies.

Useful questions include:

• Do my current symptoms make heat exposure inappropriate?
• Could my medicines affect hydration, blood pressure, heat tolerance or light sensitivity?
• Does my underlying condition, treatment stage or recovery from a recent procedure change the advice?
• For the Sauna Dome, do the light and PEMF functions need separate assessment?
• When would it be appropriate to resume my usual routine?

The aim is advice about your health and the specific device, rather than a general assurance that sauna is safe.

The takeaway: you do not need to push through

Sauna is not an established treatment for a common cold. Even with mild symptoms, there is no proven recovery benefit that makes a session necessary. If you have a fever, feel dehydrated, dizzy or significantly unwell, avoid additional heat, consult your healthcare professional and prioritise rest. This is a precaution based on the physiological demands of sauna.⁴

For a shared spa sauna, postpone your visit while you have symptoms. Colds spread readily, and sauna heat should not be treated as protection for other guests.⁵ Instead, focus on rest, fluids and appropriate symptom relief. Qualified healthcare professionals and pharmacists can help you choose suitable medicines. Seek medical advice if symptoms worsen. Shortness of breath or chest pain also warrants prompt medical assessment; severe symptoms need urgent help.⁵

Waiting until you feel well again to resume your wellness routine is a reasonable choice. Recovery does not have to involve doing more.

Important

Do not use sauna to try to “sweat out” a fever or replace medical care. Follow the spa’s rules or your device’s user manual. Consult a healthcare professional and prioritize contraindications. BON CHARGE’s sauna products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This article is for general education purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional for guidance tailored to your symptoms, medications and medical history.

References

1. Ernst, E., Pecho, E., Wirz, P. & Saradeth, T. Regular sauna bathing and the incidence of common colds. Ann. Med. 22, 225–227 (1990).

2. Pach, D. et al. Visiting a sauna: does inhaling hot dry air reduce common cold symptoms? A randomised controlled trial. Med. J. Aust. 193, 730–734 (2010).

3. Singh, M., Singh, M., Jaiswal, N. & Chauhan, A. Heated, humidified air for the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2017, CD001728 (2017).

4. Hussain, J. & Cohen, M. Clinical effects of regular dry sauna bathing: a systematic review. Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med. 2018, 1857413 (2018).

5. NHS. Common cold. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/common-cold/ (2024; accessed 13 October 2026).

6. BON CHARGE. Infrared Sauna Blanket User Manual.(n.d.; accessed 13 October 2026).

7. BON CHARGE. Infrared PEMF Sauna Dome User Manual.(n.d.; accessed 13 October 2026).

8. BON CHARGE. Infrared Sauna Blanket.(n.d.; accessed 13 October 2026).

9. BON CHARGE. Infrared PEMF Sauna Dome.(n.d.; accessed 13 October 2026).

BON CHARGE: This content is for general education and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always follow product instructions and consult a qualified healthcare professional for guidance tailored to you. Individual results may vary.