Sauna vs. Hot Tub: Which One Is Better For You?

Saunas have become the hottest thing in the wellness world. Health-minded social clubs like Remedy and Bathhouse tout the square footage of their respective Scandi-cool sweat boxes, while sauna-centric fitness concepts like XPT continue to steam into our social feeds. But what about the humble hot tub? New research shows that we might not be giving it its due.

“I've been doing heat acclimation studies for athletes for 25 years, and one of the questions I always get is, ‘Well, which is better?’” says Christopher T. Minson, PhD, a professor of human physiology at the University of Oregon and lead author of the study that was published this past June in the American Journal of Physiology. “So that was kind of the basis for the study.”

In short, when compared with saunas (both traditional and infrared), hot water immersion—aka hanging out in a hot tub—elicited the biggest increase in key areas like core temperature, heart rate, sweat loss, and immune response.

This isn’t the only recent research to blow the lid off the health and performance-boosting benefits of hot tubs. A 2022 study published in the journal PLOS One found hot tubs to be effective at prepping athletes to perform under high levels of strain. And earlier this year, research published in the The Journal of Physiology found hot tubs to accelerate muscle recovery well beyond cold plunging.

Whether you typically step into a sauna for the heart health benefits or just to get a good sweat on, here are a few reasons why, in the sauna vs. hot tub debate, the hot tub might be a better bet.

Hot tubs are more effective at raising body temperature than saunas

At the end of the day, most of the health and performance benefits we associate with saunas come down to heat. Traditional saunas are usually heated to around 150–175 degrees Fahrenheit, although some can reach temperatures as high as 230. Infrared saunas, meanwhile, can be anywhere from 100 to 165 degrees. But hot tubs top out at just over 100 degrees. (In Dr. Minson’s study, the traditional sauna, infrared sauna, and hot tub were heated to 176, 149, and 105 degrees, respectively.) So why did the hot tub push study participants’ body temperatures considerably higher than both of the saunas?

While this might leave most of us scratching our heads, any scientist will tell you that it’s simple biology. “It certainly wouldn't surprise me that a direct application like warm water immersion would have a greater effect [on raising body temperature] than a sauna," says Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, a professor of exercise science at CUNY Lehman College in the Bronx, New York. “Logically, I would think [a hot tub] would be more effective, because you're getting more direct stimulation of heat directly onto the body, whereas it's more indirect in a sauna.”