Can a Sauna Suit Really Boost Your Workout?
If you’re looking to get your sweat on, the sauna suit gym-wear trend may sound like it’s up your street. A sauna suit is an outfit designed to trap body heat and increase sweat production during a workout.
Some gym goers (and companies marketing this type of activewear) claim that wearing the outfit during your workout will help you shed extra pounds, gain muscle, and sweat like never before. But is sweating it out that much really good for your workout or your health overall?
What Is a Sauna Suit?
A sauna suit is a waterproof tracksuit designed to increase the wearer's sweat rate. Manufacturers make the suits from neoprene, and they resemble tracksuits or rain gear. You can buy them as full suits or just a top or bottom.
Sauna suits trap a person’s body heat, causing their core temperature to rise, which leads to increased sweating.
Does the Sauna Suit Provide Workout Benefits?
These clothes replicate heat adaptation, a term that exercise scientists use to describe the process during which the body adjusts to hotter temperatures. This is similar to what happens when we encounter hot, humid outdoor environments, says Lance Dalleck, PhD, a professor of exercise and sport science at Western Colorado University in Gunnison. You’re training your body to perform at a higher level in more extreme conditions.
More diluted sweat means that you lose less sodium. Holding onto more sodium may help you maintain energy during exercise, Dalleck says. He suggests that the suit can help boost the intensity of your workout.
When it comes to the claims about a sauna suit’s potential to boost weight loss, there may indeed be some truth there, Dalleck says.
In addition to sweating out some water weight, the increased core temperature (a result of wearing the suit) subsequently causes a longer-lasting metabolism boost after a workout, Dalleck explains. “This phenomenon is known as excessive postexercise oxygen consumption,” he says. “It can be expected that with chronic exercise with a sauna suit, there will be an overall greater caloric expenditure, which leads to greater weight loss.”
These suits may also help with postworkout recovery.
Dalleck says that sauna suits are typically worn for aerobic exercise, but they may also be useful during resistance training, such as weight lifting.
Who Should Try a Sauna Suit (and Who Should Avoid It)?
Blood glucose levels, resting metabolic rate, fat oxidation, body weight, and body-fat percentage all improved after an eight-week program during which participants performed exercises in sauna attire, compared with regular exercise attire.
There is little research on whether these suits are safe for certain high-risk populations, Dalleck says. In particular, people with heart disease and diabetes have inherent difficulties with thermoregulation, he says. Individuals with these conditions should consult their physicians before using a sauna suit during exercise to determine whether it’s safe.
Additionally, if you have any other health issues that may interfere with your ability to exercise safely or to increase exercise intensity, or if you have difficulty maintaining healthy hydration and blood pressure levels, consult your physician before attempting this trend.
Otherwise, healthy exercisers should be fine to take a suit out for a spin for light or moderate workouts.
However, no one should use a sauna suit for prolonged or high-intensity workouts due to the risk of dehydration.
“If individuals follow good hydration practices, then the risk of dehydration is really nonexistent,” Dalleck says. Before exercising, Dalleck recommends drinking 0.17 to 0.24 ounces of water per 2.2 pounds of body weight.
During exercise, it’s best to drink the amount of liquid you lose. A good estimate is 8 to 16 ounces of water per hour (drinks with electrolytes are also recommended for prolonged, strenuous workouts).
He encourages individuals who try the suits to hydrate before, during, and after exercise to ensure that their bodies have adequate fluid. Good hydration habits and avoiding extreme workouts in the suits make it easier for your body to tolerate the magnitude of sweat loss, he says.
The Takeaway
- Sauna suits are designed to increase sweat production and boost workout intensity by trapping body heat, which may enhance cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolism for some users.
- While some evidence suggests that these suits may support weight loss and postworkout recovery, their long-term benefits remain unclear and warrant further research.
- Individuals with heart disease, diabetes, or other health conditions that affect thermoregulation should consult a healthcare professional before trying sauna suits to ensure their safety during exercise.
- To prevent dehydration and ensure safe use, wearers should stay well hydrated, avoid prolonged or high-intensity workouts while wearing the suits, and follow fluid-intake guidelines based on sweat loss.
- Blood Volume Testing. Cleveland Clinic. July 8, 2022.
- Park JH et al. The impact of sauna suits on body fluid loss, body temperature, and energy expenditure in athletes. Textile Research Journal. February 4, 2025.
- ACE-Sponsored Research: How Post-exercise Heating Strategies Affect Endurance Performance. American Council on Exercise. April 2020.
- ACE-Sponsored Research: The Health-related Benefits of Exercise Training With a Sauna Suit. American Council on Exercise. November 2017.
- Matthews ARD et al. Acute Effects of High-Intensity Interval Exercise While Wearing a Sauna Suit on Energy Expenditure and Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. September 1, 2022.
Justin Laube, MD
Medical Reviewer
Justin Laube, MD, is a board-certified integrative and internal medicine physician, a teacher, and a consultant with extensive expertise in integrative health, medical education, a...
