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—a.k.a. 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.
Read more about how the dueling heat therapies line up to one another here.
