Sauna Library · Protocols

How to sauna.

Three protocols, beginner, intermediate, advanced. Plus when to cold, when to heat, and how to hydrate properly.

~ 8 min read

← Back to the Sauna Library

The protocols

Pick the one that fits your current capacity

Beginner protocol

First 4–8 weeks of regular sauna use

Round 1: 8–10 minutes at the lower end of the cabin (cooler shelf or infrared 50°C).
Cool down: 5 minutes, water, cold towel, or a cool shower.
Round 2 (optional): 8–10 minutes if you feel composed and not light-headed.
Hydrate aggressively. 500 ml water before, 500 ml after, ideally with a pinch of salt.

Frequency. 2–3 sessions per week

Goal. Build heat tolerance, establish a habit, learn how your body signals enough.

Intermediate protocol

Months 2–6 of regular sauna use

Round 1: 15–20 minutes at 75–85°C Finnish or 55–60°C infrared.
Cool: 3–5 minutes. Cold plunge optional, see contrast section below.
Round 2: 12–15 minutes. Add löyly (a controlled water-on-rocks burst) in the Finnish cabin if you want a sharper heat spike.
Cool again. Optional round 3.
Replenish: 500 ml water + electrolytes after.

Frequency. 3–4 sessions per week

Goal. Hit the dose-response sweet spot from the Laukkanen evidence: ≥19 minutes per session, ≥3 sessions per week.

Advanced / longevity protocol

Members with 6+ months of regular sauna and clear cardiovascular fitness

Round 1: 20–25 minutes at 80–95°C Finnish or 55–60°C full-spectrum infrared.
Brief cool with cold immersion (10–30 seconds at 3–7°C) or a cold shower.
Round 2: 15–20 minutes with löyly to push heat-shock-protein expression.
Cool, longer this time, 3–5 minutes.
Round 3 (optional): a final 10–15 minute round if total time hasn't exceeded 60 minutes.
Recovery: 750 ml water + electrolytes; protein within 60 minutes if you've trained.

Frequency. 4–7 sessions per week (the JAMA-evidenced longevity band)

Goal. Sustained heat-shock-protein elevation, plasma volume expansion, cardiovascular conditioning, and the full mortality-data band from Laukkanen.

Sequencing

When to heat, when to cold, when to combine

Order matters. The Soeberg principle and the rest of the contrast-therapy literature give clear, applicable rules.

Heat at the end of a hard training day

The Soeberg principle, popularised by Susanna Søberg's lab and Andrew Huberman, is that cold blunts the muscle adaptation pathway (mTOR) when used in the first 4–6 hours after resistance training, while heat does not. If you've lifted, run hard, or done a high-intensity studio class, put the sauna after the session and the cold a few hours later or the next morning.

Cold first if you want adrenaline and alertness

On non-training mornings, or as a wake-up tool, cold first works well, it spikes norepinephrine and dopamine and primes alertness. Add a short sauna to settle the nervous system at the end of a contrast block.

Contrast: heat → cold → heat → cold

The R1SE Fire & Ice protocol. 3–4 cycles of 8–12 minutes heat / 30–90 seconds cold. End on cold for the alertness rebound, end on heat for the parasympathetic settle. Choose based on what's coming next in your day.

Sauna timing relative to sleep

Sauna 60–90 minutes before bed supports the natural pre-sleep core temperature drop and is associated with improved deep-sleep duration. Sauna within 30 minutes of bed can actually be alerting, leave a cool-down window.

Hydration & recovery

How to hydrate around a sauna

You can lose 0.5–2 litres of sweat per session. Volume replacement alone (plain water) thins your electrolytes, replace minerals too.

Aim for 500 ml of water in the hour before your session.
Sauna sweat carries sodium, potassium, magnesium and small amounts of calcium. Plain water replaces volume but not electrolytes, add a pinch of salt, an electrolyte tablet, or coconut water.
After a long session (>30 minutes) replace ≈1.5× the weight you lost. Weighing yourself before and after is the simplest way to dial this in.
Avoid alcohol within several hours of sauna. The combination significantly increases arrhythmia risk and accelerates dehydration.

Listen to your body

When to step out

Heat tolerance is trainable, but it is not a discipline test. If you experience any of the following, leave the cabin, sit down, drink, and rest.

Feeling dizzy or light-headed when standing.
Nausea, persistent headache, or sudden chills inside the cabin.
Heart rate that fails to return toward baseline within 5 minutes of leaving.
Any chest pain or palpitations.
Tingling fingers, blurred vision, or significant fatigue beyond the normal sauna calm.

For full contraindications and medication interactions, see the Sauna Risks guide.

How to sauna.

Three protocols, beginner, intermediate, advanced. Plus when to cold, when to heat, and how to hydrate properly.

~ 8 min read

← Back to the Sauna Library

The protocols

Pick the one that fits your current capacity

Beginner protocol

First 4–8 weeks of regular sauna use

Round 1: 8–10 minutes at the lower end of the cabin (cooler shelf or infrared 50°C).
Cool down: 5 minutes, water, cold towel, or a cool shower.
Round 2 (optional): 8–10 minutes if you feel composed and not light-headed.
Hydrate aggressively. 500 ml water before, 500 ml after, ideally with a pinch of salt.

Frequency. 2–3 sessions per week

Goal. Build heat tolerance, establish a habit, learn how your body signals enough.

Intermediate protocol

Months 2–6 of regular sauna use

Round 1: 15–20 minutes at 75–85°C Finnish or 55–60°C infrared.
Cool: 3–5 minutes. Cold plunge optional, see contrast section below.
Round 2: 12–15 minutes. Add löyly (a controlled water-on-rocks burst) in the Finnish cabin if you want a sharper heat spike.
Cool again. Optional round 3.
Replenish: 500 ml water + electrolytes after.

Frequency. 3–4 sessions per week

Goal. Hit the dose-response sweet spot from the Laukkanen evidence: ≥19 minutes per session, ≥3 sessions per week.

Advanced / longevity protocol

Members with 6+ months of regular sauna and clear cardiovascular fitness

Round 1: 20–25 minutes at 80–95°C Finnish or 55–60°C full-spectrum infrared.
Brief cool with cold immersion (10–30 seconds at 3–7°C) or a cold shower.
Round 2: 15–20 minutes with löyly to push heat-shock-protein expression.
Cool, longer this time, 3–5 minutes.
Round 3 (optional): a final 10–15 minute round if total time hasn't exceeded 60 minutes.
Recovery: 750 ml water + electrolytes; protein within 60 minutes if you've trained.

Frequency. 4–7 sessions per week (the JAMA-evidenced longevity band)

Goal. Sustained heat-shock-protein elevation, plasma volume expansion, cardiovascular conditioning, and the full mortality-data band from Laukkanen.

Sequencing

When to heat, when to cold, when to combine

Order matters. The Soeberg principle and the rest of the contrast-therapy literature give clear, applicable rules.

Heat at the end of a hard training day

Cold first if you want adrenaline and alertness

Contrast: heat → cold → heat → cold

Sauna timing relative to sleep

Hydration & recovery

How to hydrate around a sauna

You can lose 0.5–2 litres of sweat per session. Volume replacement alone (plain water) thins your electrolytes, replace minerals too.

Aim for 500 ml of water in the hour before your session.
Sauna sweat carries sodium, potassium, magnesium and small amounts of calcium. Plain water replaces volume but not electrolytes, add a pinch of salt, an electrolyte tablet, or coconut water.
After a long session (>30 minutes) replace ≈1.5× the weight you lost. Weighing yourself before and after is the simplest way to dial this in.
Avoid alcohol within several hours of sauna. The combination significantly increases arrhythmia risk and accelerates dehydration.

Listen to your body

When to step out

Heat tolerance is trainable, but it is not a discipline test. If you experience any of the following, leave the cabin, sit down, drink, and rest.

Feeling dizzy or light-headed when standing.
Nausea, persistent headache, or sudden chills inside the cabin.
Heart rate that fails to return toward baseline within 5 minutes of leaving.
Any chest pain or palpitations.
Tingling fingers, blurred vision, or significant fatigue beyond the normal sauna calm.

For full contraindications and medication interactions, see the Sauna Risks guide.

How to sauna.

Pick the one that fits your current capacity

Beginner protocol

Intermediate protocol

Advanced / longevity protocol

When to heat, when to cold, when to combine

Heat at the end of a hard training day

Cold first if you want adrenaline and alertness

Contrast: heat → cold → heat → cold

Sauna timing relative to sleep

How to hydrate around a sauna

When to step out

More from the R1SE Sauna Library

Sauna Knowledge Hub

The Science of Sauna

Types of Sauna

History of Sauna

Sauna Safety

Who Saunas and Why

Try sauna at R1SE

How to sauna.

Pick the one that fits your current capacity

Beginner protocol

Intermediate protocol

Advanced / longevity protocol

When to heat, when to cold, when to combine

Heat at the end of a hard training day

Cold first if you want adrenaline and alertness

Contrast: heat → cold → heat → cold

Sauna timing relative to sleep

How to hydrate around a sauna

When to step out

More from the R1SE Sauna Library

Sauna Knowledge Hub

The Science of Sauna

Types of Sauna

History of Sauna

Sauna Safety

Who Saunas and Why

Try sauna at R1SE