Infrared sauna before or after a workout? What actually makes sense

If you've put an infrared cabin in the same garage or garden room as your weights — increasingly the classic UK setup — the practical question writes itself: sauna before training, or after? Short answer: after, for almost everyone. Here's the reasoning, plus the cases where before makes sense.

Why after wins

Recovery is the more sensible slot — though the evidence is thin. What research exists on infrared sauna and exercise looks at post-training use, and some small studies in athletes report lower perceived soreness in the days after. Small studies, mostly without strong control groups, so treat it as promising rather than proven (more in our benefits guide). A randomised trial published in 2021 found the immediate cardiovascular response to an infrared session — raised heart rate, dilated blood vessels — was broadly comparable to a bout of moderate exercise (Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2021). That's a session-by-session effect, not a training adaptation and not a substitute for exercise — but it does mean a sauna after training reads more like an extended cool-down than a second workout.

It's also just the better ritual. Training, then thirty warm quiet minutes, then a shower — the sauna becomes the reward that gets you to the garage on the days motivation is thin. Habit design matters more than physiology for most of us, and "lift, then glow" is a habit that sticks.

The one rule for after: rehydrate between the workout and the sauna, not just after both. You're stacking two sweat sources back-to-back — a pint of water in between is the whole discipline. If the session was genuinely brutal (max-effort intervals, long run in heat), give it 15–20 minutes and let your heart rate come down first; the sauna will still be warm.

When before makes sense

As a warm-up assist, briefly. Ten minutes of infrared warmth before training will leave you warm, and some people find early mobility work feels easier for it — think stiff mornings, cold garages in January, older joints. We're not aware of good evidence either way, so file it under comfort rather than performance. The key word is brief: it supplements a warm-up, it doesn't replace one (it elevates temperature, not movement patterns), and a long pre-training session works against you — see below.

Rest days. Arguably the best slot of all: a full session on non-training days keeps the habit going without any sequencing questions, and holds the regular-use rhythm that most of the research happens to use.

The one real mistake

A full-length sauna immediately before hard training. You start the workout pre-dehydrated, pre-fatigued and with an elevated heart rate — most people find their lifts feel heavier and their intervals slower, for nothing gained. If you sauna before, keep it to ten easy minutes. Everything longer belongs after.

The garage-gym practicalities

This setup is exactly what compact infrared cabins are built for: a Kajo 1 takes a 90cm corner next to the rack, a Kajo 2 fits where a second rack won't, and both run off the same 13A socket as the rest of the garage — no rewiring around your equipment. Warm-up is 10–15 minutes, so switching it on when you start your last exercise times it perfectly. And at 16p–25p a session, a post-training sauna habit costs less per month than one tub of protein.

Building the recovery corner? Message us on WhatsApp with your space and training style and we'll size it honestly — the full range is here, from £1,395 with 0% finance over 12 months.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, are pregnant, or take medication that affects blood pressure or sweating, speak to your GP before starting regular sauna use.