Steam rooms are enclosed spaces that are heated with steam. They may provide benefits, including reducing system-wide inflammation.
The temperatures vary, but steam rooms are typically kept somewhere around 110°F. You’ve probably seen steam rooms before at your gym or inside a spa.
Steam rooms are similar to saunas. You sit in a small heated room, and both are said to benefit your health. The big difference is in the type of heat that they provide.
A sauna uses dry heat, usually from hot rocks or a closed stove. Steam rooms are heated by steam from a generator filled with boiling water.
While a sauna may help you relax and loosen your muscles, a steam room may have even further health benefits. The key to the steam room’s unique health benefits is the humidity.
Steam rooms are wet and tropical-like. They are usually lined with tile, glass, or plastic to make them airtight to hold in the moisture. They are heated to between 114 and 120 degrees and designed to maintain humidity from 95% to 100%.
When you enter a steam room, you’ll probably notice droplets right away on your skin because of the high humidity. The air may even feel thick.
In contrast, saunas are dry and desert-like. They are typically made of wood and heated to between 160 and 200 degrees, with humidity levels near zero.
Heat bathing is an ancient practice practiced throughout history across many cultures, continuing today in the Russian banyas, American Indian sweat lodges, and Finnish saunas.
As heat therapy soars in popularity today, many health claims are made about its benefits. These range from better metabolism, weight loss, and stress reduction to improved cardiovascular function, pain reduction, anti-aging, and skin rejuvenation.
Medical evidence to support these claims is sometimes incomplete and short of scientific proof, heat therapy researcher Joy Hussain points out in her
While there are many studies on the health benefits of saunas, research on the benefits of moist heat, like steam rooms, is much more limited. But what research there is does highlight a number of health benefits to steam heat.
Read on to see why periods of heat immersion, as in steam rooms and saunas, can be valuable to your health. The focus is on steam rooms, but saunas are included too when research suggests a connection.
One thing that researchers generally agree on is that thermal therapy can help reduce systemic inflammation.
This is a big benefit.
If inflammation can be reduced, so can the incidence of disease for millions of people. A recent research update by the Rand Corporation showed that about 60% of Americans had at least one chronic condition, and 42% had more than one. Twelve percent of adults in the United States are living with 5 or more chronic conditions.
Worldwide,
- stroke
- respiratory disease
- heart disorders
- cancer
- obesity
- diabetes
One
Researchers noted that further studies are needed to investigate the exact relationship between sauna bathing and systemic inflammation. Though sauna heating, not steam heating, was the focus of the study, steam might have a similar benefit since it also makes use of heat therapy.
Another study suggested that reduced inflammation may be one of the reasons that frequent sauna bathing is associated with decreased risk of both short-term and long-term disease conditions. The study called for further research and cautioned that long-term effects of saunas are still unknown.
Another study suggested that practices that temporarily elevate body temperature and thereby reduce inflammation may be particularly useful for individuals whose physical or cognitive limitations prevent them from engaging in regular exercise.
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There has been much discussion in medical circles about increasing not only lifespan, but healthspan. This is the number of years you live in reasonably good health without serious acute or chronic illness.
One study concluded that regular sauna bathing has the potential to delay the effects of aging and extend healthspan via heat therapy’s benefits to cardiovascular and cognitive health, physical fitness, and muscle maintenance.
Emerging evidence shows that health benefits of saunas are often dose-related, especially for inflammation and cardiovascular benefits. This means that regular repeated sauna use has more benefit than infrequent use.
One research review suggested that the explanation for heat’s dose-related benefits may be that repeated sauna use could help the body acclimate to heat and enhance its response.
Here are some of research’s most commonly mentioned health benefits of heat therapy. The focus here is on steam rooms, but saunas are also included when benefits overlap between the two forms of heat.
Improves circulation
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Improved circulation can lead to lowered blood pressure and a healthier heart. It can also promote skin tissue healing, which is a common complication for older people.
Clears congestion
Clearing congestion is perhaps the benefit most people associate with steam rooms. Anecdotal claims often credit steam with benefitting:
- stuffy nose
- headache
- throat irritation
- cough
Steam rooms create an environment that warms the mucous membrane and encourages deep breathing. As a result, using one can help break up congestion inside your sinuses and lungs, at least temporarily.
However, results of research about the actual clinical effects of steam inhalation are mixed.
On the positive side, one study found that of hot humid air could help clear mucus, which could be enhanced by inhaling of steam. Another study found that inhalation of essential oils, especially peppermint, in steam vapor may help clear sinus and lung congestion.
Also, this study found that steam inhalation, especially when supplemented with yoga postures, can help improve chronic sinusitis by promoting drainage from the sinuses.
One the other hand, results were not conclusive in one research review of six clinical trials that looked at the effectiveness of steam therapy in adults with the common cold. While participants in some of the studies had reduced symptoms, others didn’t. Some even experienced nose discomfort from inhaling steam.
A clinical trial exploring the effectiveness of steam inhalation in people with chronic sinus symptoms found significant improvement only for headache, not for the majority of other sinus symptoms.
Overall, steam therapy may be effective for temporary relief of congestion symptoms, but it has not been scientifically proved to be an effective treatment.
Promotes cardiovascular health
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When aldosterone is released from sitting in the steam room, it can help lower high blood pressure. This is part of the reason that the steam room makes you feel relaxed.
A 2021 study found that steam baths can potentially improve heart function by reducing blood pressure in healthy people. They noted reductions in heart rate and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in healthy subjects taking a 10–15 minute steam bath once a week for 12 weeks.
Another study echoed these findings, noting that regular sauna use generally decreases systolic and diastolic blood pressure to improve cardiovascular health.
Reduces stress
Everyone knows how sitting in a steamy bath or steam room can help you relax. Researchers are not so sure why. Some of the theories are that the heat of a steam room helps the body produce endorphins, the so-called feel-good hormones that help reduce stress and anxiety.
Another explanation is that a steam room session helps the body decrease its level of cortisol, the hormone produced in response to stress. When cortisol levels drop, people feel more relaxed and rejuvenated.
The researchers found that one to two saunas a week could result in short-lasting improvements in blood pressure and arterial stiffness. Using saunas more often and over a longer period of time led to greater stress tolerance and increased health.
The study cautioned that there was not yet a clear link between heat stress and beneficial cellular mechanisms. They did see the potential of sauna bathing to lesson metabolic risk factors for those in HSOs.
They said future research is needed to examine the effects of both short-term and long-term sauna use on bodily responses and performance.
Promotes mental wellness
Heat-based treatments, including steam rooms, may support mental wellness by directing attention toward relaxation and away from anxiety-producing news and “doomscrolling.”
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Sauna bathing was associated with lowered risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in one involving Finnish men. The researchers called for further studies to identify the specific bodily processes that might connect sauna bathing and memory diseases.
May help fight Covid-19
While no one would suggest you go into a steam room if you have COVID-19, it is interesting to note that
The researchers point out that no clinical protocols exist yet for using heat to treat COVID-19. But heat does have has a
The study concluded that heat has potential for treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Although its effectiveness has yet to be established, heat treatments are widely available and relatively inexpensive. Also, they have wide-ranging mental and physical effects in the body.
All this combines to make varied heat treatments a potential option for use against viral infections.
Promotes skin health
Through environmental exposure, all sorts of toxins can become trapped underneath your skin. Steam rooms help solve that problem by using heat to open up your pores.
The warm condensation rinses away the dirt and dead skin that can lead to breakouts. As a result, you may have clearer and more even-toned skin.
Helps support workout recovery
The pain you feel after working out is called delayed onset muscles soreness (DOMS). Professional athletes have known for decades that heat therapy can help them recover from training workouts.
Heat can penetrate deep into muscle tissue and help relieve DOMS. An older
Loosens stiff joints
Warming up before a workout is critical in avoiding injury. Using a steam room as part of your warm-up could help you reach maximum mobility during activities such as:
- running
- Pilates
- yoga
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Research has shown that heat is especially useful for limbering up stiff joints and relieving achy muscles for people with arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
Here’s why. Warming up a sore joint or tired muscle makes blood vessels bigger, which lets more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to travel to the injured tissue. This promotes relaxation of the stiff muscles and joints.
Burns calories
When you’re in the steam room or sauna, your heart rate increases. If you use a steam room after an aerobic workout, your heart rate is already elevated, and the steam room can prolong that elevation.
Sweating it out in the steam room isn’t a tool to lose weight quickly. Any weight you lose in the steam room is water weight, and you’ll need to replace it by drinking water to avoid dehydration.
But using steam rooms regularly as a way to burn more calories at the gym could help your diet and exercise routine be more effective.
Steam rooms do have many potential health benefits, but steam immersion can be harmful if you overdo it, especially if you’re a newbie. Staying in a steam room for more than 15 minutes can dehydrate you. Experts recommend drinking water while you’re there, and directly afterwards.
Steam rooms can also host other people’s germs. The steam isn’t hot enough to kill some types of bacteria, and the warmth may even increase the number of bacteria.
Steam rooms alone can’t treat serious conditions. And while they can raise your heart rate and make your exercise more effective, steam rooms are not a substitute for exercise.
Avoid the steam room and sauna until you get the all-clear from your medical professional if any of these conditions apply to you:
- pregnancy
- immune-compromised
- recovering from surgery
Other potential risks of a steam room, especially with a long exposure, include:
- burns
- cramps
- dizziness and fainting
- heat exhaustion
- heat stroke
If you have a fever
Medical professionals warn against going into a steam room if you have a fever, especially a high one. The increased heat from the steam could elevate your body temperature to dangerous levels and result in breathing difficulty or even heat stroke.
If you are sick
Also, medical professionals warn not to go into a steam room if you are sick. The heat may encourage further growth of bacteria and viruses. Also, you run the risk of transmitting your illness to others.
Research warns that steam therapy used for treating colds and sinus infections at home is controversial because of the potential to scald yourself if you do it incorrectly.
Do steam rooms increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission?
A research review found no increased transmission risk for COVID-19 in steam rooms, showers, or hot tubs that have high humidity, generally greater than 80%.
In fact, the research suggested just the opposite. The high humidity decreased both the amount of airborne material and the survival rate of the virus in airborne particles and on surfaces.
Researchers cautioned that the results did not eliminate the need to maintain physical distancing, as well as regular and thorough cleaning and disinfecting routines.
Many health benefits have been attributed to heat therapy. The ones best supported by research are reducing inflammation and clearing sinus and bronchial congestion. Also, adding a stop in the steam room to your post-workout routine may decrease your recovery time and help you feel better.
While steam rooms should never replace treatments that your doctor has prescribed, they are a great place to unwind and reap some health benefits while you’re at it.
Always practice good steam room hygiene by wearing flip-flops, sitting on a towel, and rinsing off with a lukewarm shower to get rid of bacteria after time in a steam room.
As an avid enthusiast in the field of thermal therapy and heat-based treatments, I have delved deeply into the extensive literature and research surrounding the benefits of steam rooms and saunas. My expertise is grounded in a comprehensive understanding of the physiological responses to heat immersion, the historical practices across various cultures, and the emerging scientific evidence supporting the positive impact on health.
The article on steam rooms explores the unique advantages offered by these enclosed spaces heated with steam, emphasizing their potential benefits in reducing systemic inflammation. The temperatures in steam rooms typically hover around 110°F, providing a wet and tropical-like environment with high humidity levels. In contrast to saunas, which use dry heat, steam rooms utilize moist heat generated by steam from boiling water.
The focus of the article extends to the health benefits of heat therapy, including claims related to metabolism, weight loss, stress reduction, cardiovascular function improvement, pain reduction, anti-aging, and skin rejuvenation. While the evidence for sauna bathing is more substantial, research on the benefits of moist heat, as in steam rooms, is limited but promising.
Key Concepts Explored in the Article:
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Comparison of Steam Rooms and Saunas:
- Steam rooms use moist heat from steam generators, while saunas use dry heat from hot rocks or closed stoves.
- Steam rooms are wet, tropical, and airtight, with temperatures between 114 and 120 degrees and humidity from 95% to 100%.
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Health Benefits of Steam Rooms:
- Potential reduction of systemic inflammation, a significant factor in chronic diseases.
- Limited research on the benefits of moist heat compared to saunas, but positive indications.
- Heat therapy's effects on circulatory, cardiovascular, and immune system functions.
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Reducing Inflammation:
- Thermal therapy is recognized for its potential in reducing systemic inflammation.
- Chronic inflammatory diseases linked to major causes of death worldwide.
- Sauna bathing associated with reduced C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation.
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Other Health Benefits:
- Sauna bathing may contribute to extending healthspan and delaying aging effects.
- Dose-related benefits of heat therapy, with regular use providing more advantages.
- Improved circulation, congestion relief, cardiovascular health, stress reduction, and mental wellness.
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Potential Impact on COVID-19:
- Research exploring the application of mild heat-stress for triggering immune defenses against viruses, including COVID-19.
- Heat treatments' potential role in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.
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Hygiene and Safety Considerations:
- Steam rooms have limitations and risks, including dehydration, germ exposure, and potential hazards for certain individuals.
- Caution advised for individuals with specific conditions, such as pregnancy, immune compromise, or recovery from surgery.
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Effect on Skin Health and Workout Recovery:
- Steam rooms may promote skin health by opening pores and clearing toxins.
- Heat therapy's role in supporting workout recovery, relieving muscle soreness, and improving joint flexibility.
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Calorie Burning and Weight Loss:
- Increased heart rate in steam rooms may contribute to calorie burning, supporting diet and exercise efforts.
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Risk of COVID-19 Transmission in Steam Rooms:
- Research suggests no increased transmission risk for COVID-19 in steam rooms with high humidity levels.
In conclusion, while acknowledging the potential benefits of steam rooms, it is crucial to approach their use with mindfulness, considering individual health conditions and adhering to safety guidelines. Always consult with medical professionals, especially for individuals with specific health concerns or conditions.
