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Sauna and Cold Water Safety

Saunas, steam rooms and cold plunges have never been more popular in the UK. Social saunas have opened on beaches, canal sides and car parks, and almost every spa now has an ice bath. Used sensibly they are safe and very pleasant. The few incidents follow the same patterns, and all of them are avoidable.

Who should check first

Heat and cold put real strain on the heart and circulation. Speak to your GP before using a sauna, steam room, hot tub, cryotherapy or a cold plunge if you:

  • are pregnant;
  • have a heart condition, high or low blood pressure, or have had a stroke;
  • have epilepsy, diabetes or a respiratory condition;
  • have recently had surgery or are unwell with a fever;
  • take medication that affects blood pressure, heart rate or alertness.

Good centres ask about these on a health form. Answer honestly; it is there for you.

In the heat

  • Shower first and sit on a towel.
  • Keep sessions short. 8 to 15 minutes in a traditional sauna, less if it is very hot; 10 to 15 in a steam room; up to 30 in an infrared sauna, which heats the body more gently.
  • Sit lower if it is too much. Heat rises; the top bench can be 20 degrees hotter than the bottom one.
  • Leave at once if you feel dizzy, sick, confused or your heart races. Stand up slowly — the drop in blood pressure on standing is when most people faint.
  • Rest between rounds for at least as long as you were in the heat.

In the cold

  • Never alone. Use cold plunges and ice baths only where someone can see you.
  • Enter slowly and keep your head above water. The gasp reflex in the first few seconds is the dangerous part; breathe out slowly through it.
  • Start short. 30 seconds to a minute is enough for a first time. Two or three minutes is plenty for experienced bathers. Longer is not better.
  • Warm up gently afterwards — a warm room, clothes, a hot drink — rather than going straight back into a very hot sauna.
  • Open water is different. Lakes and the sea carry cold-shock and current risks a plunge pool does not. Swim with an organised group.

Alcohol and hydration

Do not drink alcohol before or during a session. Alcohol and heat together cause most serious sauna incidents, and alcohol before cold water impairs the body’s response to it. Many bathhouses refuse entry to anyone who has been drinking.

Drink water before you start and between every round. A two-hour circuit can cost a litre of fluid.

What a good centre does

  • Clear signage at each facility: temperature, recommended time, who should not use it.
  • Staff on hand who can see the cold plunges and are trained in first aid.
  • Pools, hot tubs and plunges kept clean under a written water-treatment regime and a Legionella risk assessment, as HSE guidance expects. The water should be clear and should not smell strongly of chemicals.
  • A stated age policy. Children’s bodies overheat faster; many saunas set a minimum age or require an adult at all times.
  • Session caps so rooms are not overcrowded.

If a centre falls short — dirty water, broken thermometers, no staff in sight — leave, tell reception, and if it is serious, report the listing. Hygiene concerns can also go to the council’s environmental health team.

Afterwards

Take ten quiet minutes before you drive. Eat something light, keep drinking water and expect to sleep well. Our safety page covers this and more, including guidance for centres, and what to expect on your first spa day walks through a full spa visit. Browse saunas and bathhouses near you.

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