Steam rooms and saunas boast a huge number of benefits, but are they good for the skin? Which one is better?
Short answer
For most skin types the steam room is the gentler, more moisturizing choice; the sauna is better for circulation and a deep sweat. A steam room runs about 110 to 115 °F at close to 100 % humidity, so the outer skin layer softens and does not dry out. A dry sauna at 170 to 195 °F pushes blood to the skin and makes you sweat harder, but the dry air can leave dry or eczema-prone skin feeling tight, so rinse and moisturize right after. Neither one treats acne, eczema, psoriasis or rosacea, and heat often makes rosacea flush. If you have a diagnosed skin condition, check with a dermatologist before using either.
Saunas and steam rooms each provide skin benefits, although steam rooms are less likely to irritate dry skin. The humidity of steam rooms can actually infuse moisture into the skin, adding hydration. Saunas, however, encourage intense sweating in a hot, dry environment which can lead to irritation, especially if you have existing skin conditions.
Continue reading to learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of using steam rooms and saunas on your skin.
Which is better for your skin – a sauna or a steam room?
Both steam rooms and saunas have a great list of benefits. Which is better for your skin?
Steam rooms are better for your skin than saunas because they hydrate your skin rather than dry it out. The wet heat from steam rooms hydrates your skin, cleansing your body as you sweat.
Steam rooms and saunas can both moisturize your skin because of the sweat, but steam rooms are more likely to provide moisture for your skin.
If you have a medical condition or skin problem, you should consult your dermatologist before using a sauna or steam room. While these can be great for your skin, people with skin conditions like eczema may suffer issues when using saunas and steam rooms.
Potential benefits of steam rooms for skin
Steam rooms are beneficial for the skin because they can cleanse the skin and remove harmful toxins from the body through sweating. In addition, using steam rooms can improve circulation, which decreases the chance of breakouts, giving you a fresher appearance overall.
Potential skin benefits of steam rooms include:
- Improved appearance
- Cleansing
- Immune health
Let’s look at each of these benefits in detail.
Improved appearance
If your skin is looking rough, a few steam room sessions may go a long way.
Using steam rooms is a great way to improve your skin’s circulation improving your skin’s appearance.
By improving circulation, you can freshen the appearance of your skin and decrease your chances of breakouts, reduce redness, and improve shininess. Improved circulation contributes to increased collagen, which promotes a more youthful appearance.
Furthermore, regularly using steam rooms can help open and shrink pores. Smaller pores are attributed to a more flawless appearance and smoother skin.
Cleansing
Even though you should take a shower before entering a steam room or sauna, the steam room can actually help cleanse your skin further.
The wet heat of steam rooms cleanses the surface of your skin, washing away dead skin and removing toxins as you sweat.
The cleansing effects of steam rooms can give your face a more rejuvenated appearance, allowing you to look and feel younger.
Immune health
The humidity of steam rooms fills your lungs with moist heat, decongesting and alleviating symptoms of congestion and other respiratory issues.
When you alleviate the symptoms of respiratory issues, you are more likely to reduce pressure, redness, and swelling of the skin. Reducing swelling can give you a more flattering appearance, which people claim makes you appear thinner.
Does steam room improve skin?
Using steam rooms can improve the appearance of your skin by opening your pores and cleansing the surface of your skin.
The wet heat of steam rooms improves circulation, likely reducing redness and decreasing your chance of breakouts.
Many people like to use steam rooms after working out to improve circulation and relax their muscles. Steam rooms are good for relaxing the muscles and reducing swelling, which can benefit the appearance of your skin.
Do steam rooms age your skin?
Steam rooms do not age your skin.
Instead of making you look older, steam rooms can actually improve your appearance and make you look more youthful by reducing wrinkles and giving you smoother skin.
Using steam rooms can help the collagen in your skin, increasing elasticity and making your skin smoother.
Potential benefits of sauna for skin
Saunas are great for the skin because they hydrate and moisturize the skin while sweating harmful toxins from the body. Using saunas regularly can improve the skin’s appearance, giving you a more youthful and attractive glow.
Potential skin benefits of using the sauna include:
- Anti-aging
- Improved appearance
- Healthier skin
- Immune benefits
Let’s look at each of these benefits in detail.
Anti-aging
Regular sauna sessions can actually make you look younger!
Some people claim after roughly two weeks of using saunas, you will begin to see anti-aging effects like smoothness and increased elasticity.
Improved appearance
Saunas can create a better skin appearance by improving circulation.
Saunas can help decrease redness, improve shininess, and encourage your body to produce more collagen.
The warmth of the sauna can open your pores and dislodge impurities stuck inside them.
Healthier skin
One of the potential benefits of using saunas is how healthy they can make your skin appear. People claim that using a sauna can reduce your chances of breakouts because how it removes dead skin from your body as you sweat.
Immune benefits
Some people with psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune skin condition (it is not contagious), report that regular sauna or steam sessions make their plaques feel softer and less itchy. This is anecdotal: there is no clinical evidence that heat treats psoriasis, and sweating and dry heat can also irritate inflamed skin.
If you have psoriasis, eczema or rosacea, treat the sauna as a comfort measure, not a therapy: keep sessions short, rinse off promptly, moisturize, and ask your dermatologist whether heat and sweating fit your treatment plan.
Are saunas good for the skin every day?
If saunas can offer this many skin benefits when used regularly, is it just as good if you visit the sauna every day?
Using a sauna regularly can improve your skin’s appearance, but you should not visit a sauna more than 3 times a week in order to avoid other health and safety concerns.
Depending on your comfort level with the heat and intensity of the sauna, you should limit your visits to no more than 20 to 30 minutes each day.
Why does my skin look better after using a sauna?
After you finish your sauna session, you look glowy and refreshed, right? Part of this is probably because of the relaxation benefits, but your skin probably does look better than usual.
Your skin can look better after the sauna because it improves circulation, opens pores, and increases elasticity.
People with pre-existing skin conditions like rosacea and eczema may not reap the same benefits as people who do not have skin conditions. If you have one of these skin conditions, you should talk to your dermatologist before using a sauna, so you do not endure skin irritation.
Does sauna slow aging?
If saunas are so good for your skin, can they make you look younger? Or at least keep you from looking older?
While saunas cannot reverse existing signs of aging, they can slow them. The increased blood flow and improved circulation caused by the heat of the sauna can cause your skin to appear more plump and healthy. Additionally, sweating out any impurities and the overall detoxification can improve the skin’s appearance and texture, causing you to look younger.
Regular infrared sauna use has been shown to improve collagen and elastin production, resulting in younger-looking skin.
Does sauna cause aging?
We all know that exposure to the sun’s UV rays is a major contributor to the appearance of older-looking skin. Does this apply to infrared saunas as well – or any kind of sauna?
Not only do saunas not cause aging, but they can also actually help prevent early signs of aging. They can give you a more youthful appearance by opening your pores as you sweat and removing dead skin. Sweating is good for the body because it eliminates toxins and rehydrates the skin.
Gentle sweating can be good for people with some skin conditions because it hydrates the skin.
Should you moisturize after the sauna or steam room?
Steam rooms do not require moisturizer after use since the wet heat hydrates your skin.
Unlike steam rooms, you should moisturize your skin immediately after exiting a sauna. Saunas use dry heat, which can have lasting effects on your skin.
Moisturizer will restore any hydration to your skin.
Should you shower after the sauna or steam room?
You probably already know that you should shower before entering a sauna or steam room – especially if you’re in a public spa – but what about after? You’ve been sweating pretty intensely, but it’s a clean sweat…right?
It is best to rinse off in the shower after using a sauna or steam room because it can remove sweat and dead skin from your body. The goal of your sauna session was to detoxify, and you don’t want to keep that on your body once you exit the sauna.
After taking a gentle shower, immediately moisturize your body.
Steam room vs. sauna for skin: side by side
| Steam room | Traditional sauna | Infrared sauna | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature / humidity | 110 to 115 °F, ~100 % | 170 to 195 °F, 5 to 15 % | 120 to 140 °F, room humidity |
| Effect on skin surface | Softens and hydrates the outer layer | Dries the surface, heavy sweat | Mild dryness, moderate sweat |
| Best for | Dry, dull or flaky skin | Circulation, post-workout glow | People who find steam or high heat uncomfortable |
| Watch out | Shared wet surfaces; rinse after | Tight, itchy skin if you skip moisturizer | Long sessions can still dehydrate skin |
| Session length | 10 to 15 minutes | 10 to 15 minutes per round | 20 to 30 minutes |
FAQ: steam room vs. sauna for your skin
Can a steam room help with acne?
It may help a little, but it is not a treatment. Warm, humid air softens the oil and dead cells sitting in pores, so a gentle cleanse right after the steam room clears them more easily. The flip side: sweat left on the skin, touching your face and sitting on shared damp benches can all trigger new breakouts. Rinse within a few minutes, use a mild cleanser, do not pick, and keep using whatever acne treatment your dermatologist prescribed; heat does not replace it. See our guide to skin products to use before, during and after the sauna.
Is a sauna or steam room better for dry skin?
The steam room. Near-100 % humidity means your skin loses no moisture to the air while you sit, and the outer layer softens. A dry sauna pulls moisture from the skin surface, so if you prefer the sauna, keep rounds to 10 to 15 minutes, rinse with lukewarm water and apply moisturizer within three minutes while the skin is still damp.
Does a sauna dry out your skin?
Temporarily, yes. Hot, dry air and heavy sweating strip surface moisture and some natural oils, which is why skin can feel tight afterwards. The effect reverses with a rinse and moisturizer; it becomes a problem only with daily long sessions and no aftercare. The same dry heat is also why saunas can dry out your hair.
Which is better for eczema, psoriasis or rosacea?
Neither is a therapy, and both can backfire. Heat and flushing are classic rosacea triggers, so many people with rosacea tolerate neither room well. Eczema often dislikes dry heat and salty sweat; a short steam session followed by a rinse and emollient is usually the gentler option. Some people with psoriasis find humidity soothing, but there is no clinical evidence that heat treats it. Ask your dermatologist before making either a habit.
Can sauna or steam room heat cause a rash?
Yes, heavy sweating can block sweat ducts and cause heat rash (small red bumps, usually where skin folds or clothing rubs). It clears on its own within a day or two if you cool down and keep the area dry. We cover prevention in can a sauna cause heat rash.
Should you moisturize after a steam room or sauna?
After both. Rinse off sweat with lukewarm water, pat dry and apply moisturizer within about three minutes, while the skin is still slightly damp; that locks in the water the steam room added and replaces what the sauna removed. Fragrance-free creams or lotions with glycerin, ceramides or hyaluronic acid are the easiest to tolerate on freshly heated skin.