How to Take a Sauna

 Plan on taking a sauna if you're in good health. Saunas can be relaxing and therapeutic for most people, but you should avoid them if you have unstable angina pectoris, severe aortic stenosis, or recent myocardial infarction. You should also stay out of the sauna if you have kidney disease, liver failure, or are pregnant.

Start drinking water at least 3 hours before saunaing. Since your body sweats a lot in a sauna, you need to hydrate beforehand. You can drink water while you're in the sauna, but it's better to give your body a chance to get ready for the intense heat. Although there's no recommended water intake amount, drink at least 1 to 2 more glasses than you usually drink.

Avoid drinking alcohol immediately before or while you're in the sauna since it can increase your risk for low blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and sudden death.

Bring clean towels and sandals to the sauna. You'll need 1 towel to lay on the sauna bench so you can sit on it and 1 towel to wrap around your body during or after saunaing. If you're using a public sauna, wear sandals or flip flops. You could also bring in a light snack and some water to drink.

Turn on the sauna 30 minutes before using it if you're saunaing at home. It can take a while for home saunas to heat up, so turn it on at least 30 minutes before you go in.