Wellness & Healthy Living

Hot tubs vs saunas: Study finds which offers greater health benefits

Hot tubs vs saunas: Study finds which offers greater health benefits
The study compared hot baths, traditional saunas, and fancy far-infrared saunas to see what triggered the greatest health benefits
The study compared hot baths, traditional saunas, and fancy far-infrared saunas to see what triggered the greatest health benefits
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The study compared hot baths, traditional saunas, and fancy far-infrared saunas to see what triggered the greatest health benefits
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The study compared hot baths, traditional saunas, and fancy far-infrared saunas to see what triggered the greatest health benefits

From ancient Roman baths to modern infrared saunas, passive heat therapy has become an increasingly popular therapeutic tool for improving health and reducing the risk and/or severity of disease. As the heat seeps in, your core temperature rises. The result? Your cardiovascular system kicks into gear, your blood vessels expand, your heart rate elevates – like a brisk jog without leaving the bench.

Call it a spa day with benefits; it’s this thermal tug-of-war that prompts powerful physiological responses.

But not all heat is created equal. In a new study from the University of Oregon, scientists turned up the temperature to see which type of passive heat therapy packs the most health punch: hot baths, traditional saunas, or those fancy far-infrared saunas.

The winner? Hot water immersion.

Among young, healthy adults, soaking in hot water triggered the strongest responses across the board, helping the body regulate temperature, boost circulation, and even enhance the immune system more effectively than either sauna style.

A group of 20 fit, health-conscious young adults (ages 20 to 28, non-smokers, and without medication) signed up for the study.

Guided by human physiology expert Christopher Minson, the researchers tracked a range of body signals – core temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, the heart's workload, and even the immune system’s activity.

Each person visited the lab 10 times; taking turns soaking in a hot tub (45 min at 40.5 °C/105 °F), sweating it out in a traditional sauna (3 × 10 min at 80 °C/176 °F), and basking in the warmth of a far-infrared sauna (45 min at 45–65 °C/113–149 °F). The team collected data before, during, and after each heat session to see what gets the body fired up – literally.

Among all methods, the change in temperature from baseline was greater in hot water immersion. Increased body temperature means increased blood flow and a greater inflammatory response. The team was not surprised by the study results.

"Hot water immersion gives you the most robust changes in core temperature because you can’t effectively dissipate heat as you can if you have contact with the air and you’re sweating to cool the body," explained lead author Jessica Atencio. "When you’re submerged in water, the sweat mechanisms aren’t efficient."

Minson does note regular physical activity can offer similar or in fact better results than heat therapies. But, for those who are unable to exercise, heat therapy can be a great alternative.

The study is published in in the American Journal of Physiology.

Source: University of Oregon via Science Daily

4 comments
4 comments
TechGazer
Soaking in a tub with other people, with all their microbes, might not be healthy.
Karmudjun
Thanks Pranjal, but the comparisons yielding "more robust" response to the hot tub versus saunas and such doesn't really mean much. We have known that Saunas and Hot Tubs helped with inflammation and arthritis symptoms already, as do physical therapy exercises specifically targeting such pains. So this only confirms what we have thought all along. So my friends who endorse Saunas are not hurting themselves by using them for inflammation. Okay, what we knew has been documented in a paper now. Fine, thanks.
André F
Their conclusion is super flawed. They confirm soaking doesnt allow sweating. So, how can it be more healthy than sauna if you can release toxins from your body like sweating does? They even say running is more healthy, exactly because it allows you to sweat. So, does running increase your core temperature? How does it compare to sauna? And did hey use hot cold sequences in the sauna test? Here it just says 10min x3. Doing hot cold turns, i.e. going to cold water after leaving sauna and repeat the sequence, gives way better results. And they didnt even do a questionmaire to evaluate how people feel after the session? More less relaxed, sensation, focus, etc..
Louis Vaughn
In massage therapy many modalities are used and beneficial. It is necessary to understand the desired result. Heat/Cold can be harnessed with raps, clay bags, special soak equipment (e.g. knee, elbow, neck, etc.). Sweat lodges/Saunas, both hot & cold, wet/dry, all have their place and benefit. There is also the medicine wheel tubs, fed by hot springs and running snow melt (e.g. Breitenbush hot springs, Oregon, Mammoths Hot Springs & Ojai, California). With all of these, intoxicants should be avoided, and a physician should be consulted, if you are elderly, have high/low blood pressure, or cardio issues.
The use of Essential Oil & Aroma Therapy are also common. Here again, the method of extraction should be understood (e.g. steam, solvent, CO2, maceration, tinctures, tea infusion). Understanding which part of the plant contains the active component is important. Even more so, whether the component is oil ore water soluble. This does not even get into the mystical or metaphysical aspects.
I find some studies fail to cover these issues. Understandably, the layperson does not have the experience or perspective of someone whos spent a career practicing it.