A regular steam can take your recovery and performance to the next level.
Steam rooms may be considered “old-school” compared to other high-tech recovery tools, like infrared saunas, but they shouldn’t be discounted.
Heated to 104 to 122°F and boasting 95 to 100 percent humidity, the steam room can reduce muscle soreness, improve cardiovascular health, and potentially enhance longevity, just like saunas. Thanks to the high humidity, though, you won’t have to suffer through desert-like temperatures to see the impact.
That’s just the start. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of a steam room and how to add it to your routine.
What Happens to Your Body in a Steam Room?
A steam room generally feels hot and muggy, and there’s a good reason for these conditions: “Even though the ambient temperature in a steam room is lower than in a sauna, a steam room will cause your core temperature to rise faster than it would in a sauna,” James Gu, Equinox’s senior director of Spa, previously told EQX+.
To assist with cooling in this hot environment, your heart rate will increase, your blood vessels in your skin will dilate, and you’ll start to sweat. The problem? Your sweat won’t be able to evaporate in these humid conditions. In turn, your body temperature stays elevated, leading to some of the main steam room benefits.
How Steam Rooms Support Recovery and Performance
Using a steam room after your workout can support your recovery, contributing to better performance. Regular sessions can support long-term mental and physical health, too.
Reduces Soreness and Pain
“After a hard workout, a steam or sauna can help reduce soreness from the increased systemic circulation and relaxation of tense or hypertonic muscles,” Gu previously mentioned. High-humidity air transfers heat faster than dry air. So if you take a steam instead of a sauna, you might experience reductions in post-exercise pain and muscle damage in less time, research suggests.
Sauna therapy has also been shown to relieve pain, minimize stiffness, and improve mobility in people with different forms of arthritis. While more research is needed, you might reap similar benefits in a steam room, as heat exposure itself contributes to this effect.
Promotes Relaxation and Stress Relief
“The relaxing nature of the experience [of both steam rooms or saunas] helps transition you from a sympathetic or ‘fight-or-flight’ state to a parasympathetic or ‘rest-and-digest’ state,” Gu stated.
While steam room-specific studies are needed, research shows that regular sauna sessions may reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improve sleep quality. These mental health benefits are linked to the endorphin release and improved cerebral blood flow that are triggered by the heat.
Supports Longevity
Heat stress — experienced when sitting in a steam room, for instance — increases the expression of heat shock proteins. This family of proteins lives in all cells and plays a role in immune function and cell signaling. Importantly, heat shock proteins have the potential to protect against neurodegenerative diseases and to slow muscle atrophy, promoting longevity.
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Steam Room vs. Sauna: What's the Difference?
Compared to a steam room, saunas run hotter (158 to 230°F) and drier (just 10 to 20 percent humidity). Both therapies are different from infrared saunas, which use far infrared light to heat the body directly. The infrared sauna temperature at Equinox is only 140 to 175°F.
Despite the temperature and humidity differences, the steam room benefits and sauna perks are similar. “There’s a lot of overlap between the two,” Gu explained. “Steam rooms seem to be more effective at reducing muscle soreness while saunas are more effective at improving cardiovascular health — however, both will provide those benefits.”
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How to Incorporate Steam Sessions Into Your Routine
Ready to try the steam room? Gradually build sessions into your post-workout routine. Try it one to two times a week and increase your frequency as your body adapts. Start with 10-minute sessions and build up to 20 minutes.
You might also consider a cold plunge session post-steam to get the benefits of contrast therapy. The combination of blood vessel dilation and constriction can improve your recovery even further.
No matter which recovery methods you want to try, you can find them at Equinox Clubs. With a wide mix of fitness coaching and wellness amenities, Equinox is the place for all your needs.