First, remember that a sauna by itself is not a replacement for exercise. You do burn some calories due to increased heartrate,etc, but not enough to counter any increased food intake.

1) A sauna is best taken after a bout of exercise, when you have already broken a sweat. Take a brief cool down period, maybe 10 minutes, then enter the sauna.

2) Leave the sauna if you start getting light headed. 10 minutes is ok for beginners, but try to get your time up to 15-20 minutes. I’ve been doing these for years and spend considerable longer.

3) Water on the rocks significantly shoots the temp up and is good – it also gives your lungs some humidy, which feels good.

4) Take a cool shower, not a cold shower, about 5 minutes after leaving the sauna. Allow yourself some time to naturally cool down – your body is still processing the heat during that time.

5) The sauna’s main benefit is one of ridding your body of impurities while soothing aching muscles. A little self massage of your calves and arms will do wonders for those after workout stiffness.

I read a study long ago that analyzed the sweat from a sauna after running. All kinds of mean nasty things were been eliminated – all of those chemicals that we are exposed to everyday can be found in sweat. If those chemicals are fat soluable, as many are, the exercise before helps liberate those into the blood stream, and the flow of sweat carries them away.

Also, in a public sauna, always carry a towel to sit on, so the next fellow is not sitting in your sweat. In a gender specific sauna, do not wear anything with elastic – that impairs circulation. If modest, wear your towel around your waist.

Be aware that in a sauna with a temp of 86 at the ceiling, the floor temp can be as low as 36-40. The higher seats are hotter, obviously. I prefer to lay down on a higher bench so my entire body is exposed to the same temp.

Afterwards, don’t forget to drink extra water.

You probably will not need sports drinks – you get enough sodium and potassium in your diet as it is.