How Many Calories Do You Burn in a Steam Room?

Most of the time, the advantage that people who use a steam room or sauna look forward to is post-workout recovery. Otherwise, their power to detoxify your skin and senses. Not often you’ll hear gym goers say, “I want a steam room session because I want to lose weight.”

So, let’s set things straight. Does a steam room burn calories and if it does, how many calories do you burn in a steam room? Embark on this discussion to get to the finest details about this matter. 

How Many Calories Do You Burn In a Steam Room?

Studies reveal that the amount of calories burnt in a steam room depends on the duration of the session. Let’s go over this and what researchers say as you read on. 

15 Mins

Under a typical temperature, spending around 15 minutes inside a steam room can burn up to 150 calories. That’s equivalent to about one and a half apples, according to the British Heart Foundation. 

In 15 minutes, it’s usually just water weight, but as your body generates sweat during the session, it works harder, breaking down calories and eliminating toxins

20 Mins

Meanwhile, spending about 20 minutes inside a steam room or sauna burns between approximately 310 to 410 calories. However, the number of calories burned in a steam room or sauna depends on various factors, such as your weight, metabolism, and the temperature of the steam room. For instance, according to Harvard Health, people with slower metabolism tend to burn fewer calories.

30 Mins

What if you stay inside for 30 minutes? How many calories does a steam room burn with a session lasting half an hour? A study published on PubMed found that a 30-minute sauna session can burn between 300 and 500 calories, equivalent to a full breakfast meal. However, remember that this still depends on your weight, metabolism, and the temperature of the steam room or sauna.

Regardless of how much time you spend in the steam room, it’s important that you know these calories are not significantly coming from fat, but rather from carbohydrates, the body’s immediate energy source. So, instead of fat loss being the cause of calorie burning and weight loss, it is sweating. 

Also, remember that you should never overstay inside a steam room or stay beyond 30 minutes, or the benefits will be negated. 

Are steam rooms good for weight loss?

Yes and no. There is, so far, no real scientific evidence that directly correlates the use of steam rooms and weight loss. 

Notice your weight decreased upon regular use of steam rooms or saunas at the right intervals. It must be because of water loss, which should also not stay with you longer since you need to rehydrate to compensate for this loss, as what has been expounded in this research published on PubMed.  

So, are steam rooms good for weight loss? Relatively, yes, but you should not fully rely on them if you want to lose weight significantly. 

Does a sauna or steam room burn more calories?

Both burn the same amount of calories, although the steam room provides a more comfortable experience. However, the calories burnt in saunas and steam rooms are nothing compared to exercise. Still, the best way to lose weight is by exercising. At the end of the day, steam room or sauna use is mainly for recovery. As pointed out, most of the weight you lose from a steam room or sauna is water loss. 

For a more relaxing post-workout experience, choose a steam room over a sauna. Our wide range of steam rooms is fully equipped with features to ensure you get the most out of this post-workout recovery routine. 

How to calculate the calories you burn in a steam room or sauna?

The widely accepted rule for calculating the calories burned in a steam room or sauna is 1.5 times more than the base rate.

For example, a person weighing around 150 pounds and spending 30 minutes in the sauna or steam room for 30 minutes can burn about 60 calories. In the sauna, it is between 100 to as high as 500 calories. 

To figure out and calculate the calories a sauna or steam room can burn, you can use online sauna and steam room calorie calculators, or estimate using your BMR or basal metabolic rate. The sauna or steam room calories calculator takes into account not just your weight and the duration of your sauna bath, but also the sauna and steam room’s temperature. 

On the other hand, your BMR refers to the number of calories you burn while resting. As its name implies, it can be used as your baseline to estimate the number of calories you burn during a sauna or steam room session.

Choosing a Perfect Steam Room For Your Weight Loss Journey

Are you ready to introduce the use of the steam room into your weight loss regimen? While steam rooms alone cannot guarantee weight loss as much as regular working out and proper diet adjustment can, you cannot underestimate its contributory factors to weight loss.

Nothing beats the steam rooms from our brand, GeyserSteam. Proudly headquartered in Miami, Florida, we have a catalog of state-of-the-art steam rooms you can install in your gym business or at home. Relax and achieve the figure you want with the best steam rooms from GeyserSteam.