How Long Should You Stay In A Steam Room For Optimum Benefits

​Everyone wants to spend some time in a steam room these days and reap health benefits out of it. So much so that there’s almost a competition about who can spend a longer duration. 

But let’s admit it: We are no superhumans and our bodies have a limit to heat and humidity tolerance. And even though steam room benefits are tempting enough to endure more heat, overdoing it will only do more harm than good. 

So how long should you stay in a steam room to do it safely? 

Well, the general rule of thumb suggests you should spend between 15-30 minutes, depending on your endurance. 

Nevertheless, your exact steam shower duration will depend on a lot of factors, starting with how seasoned steam bather you are. 

Read on, as I break down how long to stay in the steam room for optimal health and wellness benefits. 

How long should you stay in a steam room exactly? 

As I just mentioned, a typical steam shower duration is anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes.

And going by this trend, an average steam session for regular bathers should be 20 minutes.

However, it isn’t that simple either as the exact duration will depend on your own experience level as a steam bather. 

All in all, here’s an steam bath time average you can follow based on which category you fall in: 

1. Beginners: 5-10 minutes 

I am often asked by beginner-level steam bathers ‘how long should I stay in steam room?’

And my answer is always this: Never spend more than 5-10 minutes if you’re just starting out. 

As a beginner you might be excited about the idea of experiencing all the incredible benefits that steam bathing offers. But this is the time you should exercise caution and limit your stay in the steam shower. 

Instead, you should focus on slowly and gradually building up your heat tolerance. 

You see, I’ve come across such newbie steam bathers who went all out to test their limits only to end up with a heat exhaustion. 

As such, it is essential to start with shorter sessions and avoid heat-related problems. 

2. Regular bathers: 15-20 minutes

​Alright, we’ve discussed the average beginner steam bath duration. But regular users, how long should you be in a steam room? 

If you’re someone who uses a steam room on a regular basis, i.e., either daily or three to four times a week, 15-20 minute sessions are perfect for you. 

In fact, this duration is considered optimum for most of the steam room advantages like detoxification, stress release, pain relief, and more. 

The best part: Once you’ve built a heat tolerance, a session this long won’t do any harm. For instance, spending 15 minutes in the steam shower will provide you all post-workout steam room benefits without potentially causing any heat stress. 

Simply put, this is a safe duration for most people to steam shower. 

3. Big time enthusiasts: 20-30 minutes 

There’s a large group of steam room enthusiasts who live, eat, and sleep steam bathing. You see, these are the people who love to experiment new things like performing yoga in a steam sauna, and much more. 

Now, if you’re a part of this tribe, you’d sure want to prolong your steam session duration. And there’s nothing wrong with spending slightly longer time in a steam room, especially if you're seasoned enough. 

However, I strongly suggest you cap your duration to not more than 20-30 minutes. In fact, 30 minutes should be your peak time after which you should exit the steam room even if your mind and body allows further heat exposure. 

Why? 

Well, beyond 30 minutes your body starts to dehydrate as you sweat out all fluids. And this makes you prone to heat stress and exhaustion, notwithstanding how strong your metabolism is. 
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Factors that decide how long to stay in steam room

Your experience as a steam bather is the number one factor that decides for how long you should stay in a steam room. And we’ve already seen in detail how people with different experience levels should decide their ideal steam bath duration. 

But is experience the only factor here? 

Certainly not, as there are multiple other factors that come into play, including: 

1. Your health status 

How healthy and fit you are plays an essential role in determining how long can you stay in a steam room. 

For instance, let’s say you’re a healthy individual who uses a steam sauna at least twice every week. In this case, you can safely spend 15-20 minutes in the steam room. 

Nevertheless, I can’t say the same for individuals with pre-existing health conditions like cardiovascular illnesses or respiratory issues like asthma. After all, with health conditions like these you can be susceptible to multiple complications in a hot and humid ambiance.   

So, if you are someone who has a similar health condition, I suggest you consult with your healthcare provider first. And if they give a go-ahead, you should limit your time in the steam room to 5-10 minutes. 

Now, you might point to the role of steam saunas in reducing asthma symptoms, among others, and I can’t agree more. But moderation is equally important to avoid potential downsides. 

2. Steam room temperature 

As you might already be aware, the average steam room temperature ranges between 100 and 120 degrees fahrenheit. And although the humidity levels remain the same at near 100 percent, this temperature difference can significantly impact your heat tolerance. 

For instance, let’s say you’re habitual of spending about 20 minutes in a steam room heated at 100 degrees fahrenheit. 

Now, if you’re sitting in a steam bath with the thermostat set at 120 degrees fahrenheit, you can spend about 15 minutes safely without challenging your body’s tolerance levels.

3. Hydration 

A very underrated player in determining how long can you stay in a steam room, hydration plays a key role here. 

Curious how? 

You see, at 100 percent humidity, your body loses fluids more quickly than it otherwise would. And this means you’ll likely spend more time in the steam room if you’re well hydrated. 

At the same time, entering the steam bath with lack of fluids can cause dizziness and force you to step out early. 

For instance, you’d use a steam sauna for alcohol detox benefits. But this is also when you’re most likely dehydrated, and you might not be able to spend a long time. 

Frequently asked questions 

How long should you stay in a steam room? 

As I mentioned earlier, there’s no one answer to how long should you be in a steam room. That’s because the exact time you spend will depend on factors like your experience and health, among others. 

For instance, if you’re kickstarting your steam bath journey, cap your sessions at 10 minutes. 

Similarly, if you’re a regular bather, a 20-minute session is good enough to reap all heat therapy benefits safely. 

How often should you use a steam room? 

It's a good idea to hit the steam room everyday for optimum benefits as long as you’re sticking to a safe steam bath duration. 

In fact, from early morning steam room to post-workout and pre-bed steam bath, you can choose anytime of the day for your session. 

Also, if you aren’t able to take out time daily, I suggest you aim for steam room sessions 2-3 times in a week. 

Can you stay in the steam room for more than 20 minutes? 

If you’re a steam room enthusiast with an excellent heat tolerance, exceeding 20 minutes in the steam room won’t do harm. 

For instance, back in 2011, Darryl Leariestayed created a record of staying in a public steam room for 25 minutes and 15.03 seconds, the highest at that time. 

However, if you’re a regular bather, you should exit the steam room after 20 minutes to avoid dehydration and overheating.

How to use sauna and steam room properly and safely? 

When it comes to  using a steam room and sauna properly and without endangering yourself, there are a few essential best practices that you should follow, including: 

1. Drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and related problems. 
2. Having a pre-set duration depending on your experience and exiting as soon as you feel uncomfortable. 
3. Showering before and after a steam bath to maintain hygiene and avoid germ infections. 
4. Wearing light clothing to avoid skin burn. 

Conclusion 

By now, I am sure you’d have got an in-depth answer to the question of how long should you stay in a steam room.


You see, there’s no harm in having a steam bath once or even twice daily for detoxification, workout recovery, or simply relaxing. But the amount of time you spend is key. 

And to that end, I suggest you stick to the rule of thumb of not exceeding 20 minutes. 

Got more questions or looking to build a steam room in your home? 

You can get in touch with us!

At Steam and Sauna Experts, we’re South Florida's seasoned steam room installation professionals. And we’ve got a vast inventory of steam room essentials from the likes of Mr Steam, Amerec, Kohler, and more. 

Simply put, we’ve got your steam bath needs covered with top-notch solutions on a budget.

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