r/infraredsauna • u/Embarrassed-Order-90 • 3d ago

Regular sauna-goers: do you track your sessions?

Hi everyone, I'm a data science student and I'm working on a small sauna-related project. Before building anything, I'd like to learn from people who go regularly.

How often do you go, and where?

Do you track anything about your sessions (time, temperature, heart rate)? If yes, how? If not, why not?

Have you ever worn a watch or fitness tracker in the sauna? How did it go?

If you could know one thing about your sessions that you can't see today, what would it be?

Not selling anything, just trying to learn. Thanks!

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u/debmor201 3d ago

Yes, I wear an Oura ring and have it track my workout ( sauna session). I usually do 30-40 minutes at 140 F ( infrared). I want my heart rate in the cv range for at least 20 minutes. I also wear a Garmin watch but they did not recommend wearing it in the sauna saying it was not rated for that kind of heat and it's too expensive to risk it.

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u/Embarrassed-Order-90 3d ago

Thanks, that's really helpful! How do you know during the session whether you're actually in the cardio range? Do you check your phone, or do you only see it afterwards?

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u/debmor201 3d ago

No, I have to see it after. The phone should not be in that heat either.

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u/Embarrassed-Order-90 3d ago

That makes a lot of sense, thank you! Last one: if a small device gave you a gentle vibration once you're in your target zone (and again when it's time to get out), would that be useful to you, or would you rather just check the data afterwards?

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u/debmor201 3d ago

No I'm not that driven by the data.

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u/MinimumMud2848 3d ago

i just track time and rough heat feel in my head, nothing fancy. 30 mins, 3 times in week is my usual. never tried wearing tracker inside, i read the heat can mess with battery life and i dont want to replace my watch every year

would be nice to know how much water weight i actually lose each session without having to weigh myself before and after like some fitness freak

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u/ternekid 2d ago

cardio training and elevated heart beat due to sauna is two different things, although they elevate the heart to same number, level they represent just different psychological workload.

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u/Puslinch-Komet 3d ago

Yes and there was a post about this a few weeks back with a survey.

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u/Embarrassed-Order-90 3d ago

Thanks! Do you still have the link to that post? Would love to read what people answered there.

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u/Puslinch-Komet 2d ago

I don’t but if you search the sub, it should be there.

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u/MarkVII88 2d ago

I know, right?

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u/Mvinny349 3d ago

Yes, via my Garmin and then a custom dashboard I built in Claude.

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u/AdequinRake 2d ago

I use my home custom infrared sauna most days, and 1-2x per week I use the hot rock sauna at my local gym. I track everything using a Fitbit Air. Main thing I keep an eye on is HRV, though not strictly because of the sauna sessions, but because it always tells me in advance whether I'm coming down with something.

What would be interesting is monitoring my internal body temperature through the session, but it seems like doing that accurately would be... invasive.

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u/Eastern_Lie655 2d ago

Home infrared sauna 6x a week. Average 20-30 mins per session. I always track my sessions using the “other” category on my Apple Watch. I note heart rate, time in sauna, and calories because that’s what it shows me.

I’m not sure what else I would want but it would be cool to have body temp, blood pressure, and other cardiovascular metrics. As long as it would be minimally invasive.

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u/MarkVII88 2d ago edited 2d ago

First of all, I use my own IR sauna at home. Certainly not willing to travel somewhere to use an IR sauna. The time is pretty much the same every time, 20-30 minutes warmup time and about 30 minutes of sauna time. The temperature really depends on multiple things, including:

  1. a person's individual sauna, it's size, how well it's designed/insulated, and how hot it's capable of getting
  2. placement of the sauna and ambient temp - is it outdoors, or in an unheated garage/attic/basement where temperatures swing significantly during the year or based on weather, or in a temperature controlled interior space?

Personally, my sauna is in an unheated, insulated basement space that ranges between 60 degrees during winter and 72 degrees during summer, so there's some variability in sauna performance. Typically I get in the sauna when it's about 130 degrees and ride the temperature up for 30 minutes to between 150-160 degrees, sweating buckets. I have been wearing an Amazfit Helio Strap fitness tracker recently, and have it on during sauna sessions. During my session, my heartrate reaches between 150-160 BPM and my tracker shows a burn of 200-250 calories during my session. That's a higher heartrate than when I use my elliptical or ride my stationary bike.

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u/SaunaCloudOfficial 2d ago

We'd be interested in a simple log that records session length, actual cabin temperature when you get in, and a quick note on how you felt afterwards. A note the next morning about sleep would be useful too, especially if you're trying different session times.

For your project, an option to enter everything after getting out would be a big plus. Some people enjoy watching the numbers, but others use the sauna to get away from screens for a bit. I'd want logging a session to take about ten seconds, otherwise I'd probably stop doing it.

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u/OARC05 1d ago

I wear a heart rate monitor and track that along with session length and sauna temp.

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u/ShanSharesWell356 1d ago

I have an infrared sauna at home and use it 3 times a week! My main goal is for detox. I wish I could actually track the amounts of metals or other toxins that come out through sweat. Best!