How cold, and for how long? Sauna and cold plunge temperature and time
Cleveland Clinic's limits for a plunge are a minute or two for beginners, never more than five minutes and never below 40°F. Where the other numbers come from, what 18 US venues state on their own sites, and the limits for saunas.
Short answer: For a cold plunge, Cleveland Clinic says beginners should start at 50 to 59°F for a minute or two, and that a session should never go longer than five minutes or below 40°F. For a traditional sauna, typically 150 to 195°F, it says to start with five minutes and keep to around 15 to 20. None of these is a tested dose: Harvard Health reports no consensus on the best temperature, timing or duration of plunges. Of 16 US studios we read on Nov. 3, 2026, 8 advertise water below 40°F, so a studio’s menu is not a safety limit. Warmer water does not remove cold shock, and some people should skip all of this.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you have a heart, lung, blood or circulation condition, or are pregnant, read who should avoid cold plunging first and ask your clinician.
We did not visit or test any venue. The temperatures below are what each venue states on its own site, not measurements of ours, and a listing is not a recommendation.
Cold plunge and sauna limits at a glance
| What | If you are new | Upper limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold plunge, temperature | 50 to 59°F (10 to 15°C) | Not below 40°F (4°C) | Cleveland Clinic |
| Cold plunge, time | A minute or two | Never longer than five minutes | Cleveland Clinic |
| Cold plunge, how often | Once or twice a week | Some people can tolerate a daily plunge | Cleveland Clinic |
| Traditional sauna, heat | Not stated | Typically 150 to 195°F | Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Health |
| Traditional sauna, time | Five minutes, or 5 to 10 at most the first time | Around 15 to 20 minutes, no more than 20 | Cleveland Clinic, American Lung Association |
| Infrared sauna | Something like 110°F for five to 10 minutes | 20 to 30 minutes | Cleveland Clinic |
| Hot tub | Not stated | No higher than 104°F (40°C) | CDC |
These are published limits, not doses. Our guide to hot tub temperature covers the last row.
How long should a beginner stay in a cold plunge?
Short. Every health source and maker we read that gives a start puts it somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes.
| Source | What it is | Where to start | Aim or limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Clinic | Medical center | A minute or two | Never longer than five minutes |
| NewYork-Presbyterian | Hospital | A very short duration, like 30 seconds | In most cases not beyond 15 minutes, because of hypothermia |
| Renu’s manual | Tub maker | 1 to 2 minutes | A maximum of 5 minutes |
| Ice Barrel | Tub maker | 30 to 60 second dips | Aiming for 3 to 5 minutes |
| ROK SPAS | Studio | 30 seconds to 3 minutes a round; beginners often start at 55°F | Not stated |
| Moon Valley Med Spa | Studio | Most people start with 1 to 3 minutes | 5 minutes or more |
| Cryo Body Works | Studio | Beginners start shorter, around 50 to 55°F | Typically 2 to 5 minutes |
The limits disagree, so we use the shortest from a health source: Cleveland Clinic’s. If you are new, stop at a minute or two even if a studio’s timer runs longer.
We found no trial that compared starting times. What changes first is the shock itself: a 2024 review found the cold shock response habituates after about 4 immersions, in healthy volunteers.
Where do the cold plunge numbers come from?
You will see 50 to 59°F for 2 to 5 minutes called the classic range. We found no health body or trial that prints that pairing, and no document that traces where it started.
This is what each source used. Fahrenheit figures for the studies are our conversions.
| Source | Who or what | Water | Time | What it looked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Šrámek, 2000 | Young men, head-out | 14°C (about 57°F) | 1 hour | Noradrenaline up 530% and dopamine up 250% |
| Roberts, 2015 | 21 active men after strength training, legs in water to the waist | 10.1°C (about 50°F) | 10 minutes | Less gain in strength and muscle mass than active recovery |
| Machado, 2016 | 9 trials | 10 to 15°C (50 to 59°F) did best | 10 to 15 minutes did best | Slightly less soreness than passive recovery |
| Batista, 2023 | 44 studies | Temperature did not change the result | Only short and medium times helped | Soreness |
| Wang, 2025 | 55 trials | 5 to 15°C (41 to 59°F) | 10 to 15 minutes | Soreness, jump height, a muscle damage marker |
| Cain, 2025 | 11 studies | 7°C to 15°C (about 45 to 59°F) | 30 seconds to 2 hours | Stress, sleep and quality of life improved; mood did not |
| Tipton, 1998 | 13 healthy men | 10°C and 15°C (50°F and 59°F) | 3 minutes | The cold shock response, and how it fades |
| Cleveland Clinic | Safety advice, not a trial | 50 to 59°F for beginners, not below 40°F | A minute or two, never longer than five | How to plunge safely |
The temperature has a real trail: 50 to 59°F is the 10 to 15°C range in the 2016 soreness review, and the range Cleveland Clinic gives beginners. The time does not. The 2016 and 2025 reviews favor 10 to 15 minutes, longer than Cleveland Clinic’s limit, in volunteers after exercise rather than beginners in a tub.
Among the sources we read, 2 to 5 minutes appears only on a studio’s page. Do not copy a trial’s time, and do not treat a studio’s as a safety limit.
What temperatures do US studios actually run?
These are the temperatures 18 venues state on their own pages, read on Nov. 3, 2026. A range means the venue gives one, often across several plunges or settings; we left out customer reviews, general statements about cold plunging and natural lakes.
| Venue | City | Sauna | Cold plunge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cryo Body Works | Austin | 120 to 150°F (infrared) | 38 to 55°F |
| Lizard Yoga | Austin | not stated | As low as 35°F |
| Sauna House Recovery Studio | Dallas | not stated | 32 to 55°F |
| Urban Sweat | Dallas | 130 to 150°F (infrared) | not stated |
| ROK SPAS | Denver | 194°F (traditional) | 37 to 55°F |
| Therma Haus | Denver | 185 to 200°F (Finnish) | 40 to 60°F |
| Loyly Sauna Lounge | Houston | not stated | 41 to 49°F |
| Sudor Sauna Studio | Houston | 120 to 150°F (infrared) | 50 to 55°F |
| IcePass | Los Angeles | 200°F (Finnish) | 37 to 44°F |
| Russian and Turkish Baths | Miami Beach | not stated | 34°F |
| FoxFire Breathworks | Minneapolis | 180°F (wood-fired) | not stated |
| Framework | Nashville | 190°F (traditional) | 35 to 60°F |
| Bathhouse Flatiron | New York City | 185 to 195°F (banya) | 45°F and 50°F |
| Elahni | New York City | 180°F (Finnish) | 40°F |
| Moon Valley Med Spa | Phoenix | not stated | Down to 40°F, usually 45 to 55°F |
| Kabuki Springs & Spa | San Francisco | 150°F (dry) | 55°F |
| 815 Refresh | Seattle | 170 to 190°F | 45 to 55°F |
| Massage Reimagined | Seattle | Up to 175°F (hybrid) | Down to 37°F |
What the table shows:
- Colder than the limit. 14 of the 16 that state a plunge temperature offer water below 50°F, and 8 of the 16 go below 40°F, the line Cleveland Clinic says not to cross.
- Warmer options. 10 of the 16 offer 50°F or warmer. ROK SPAS says beginners often start at 55°F, and Cryo Body Works around 50 to 55°F. Ask for the warm tub, and ask what it is set to.
- Traditional-style rooms. The nine that state a figure, whether Finnish, banya, dry or wood-fired, run 150 to 200°F, seven of them at 180°F or more. Cleveland Clinic’s typical top is 195°F.
- Infrared rooms. The three that state a range run as high as 150°F, above Cleveland Clinic’s 110 to 135°F. Our first infrared session guide read 19 studios’ own settings and found a median top of 158°F.
- Hot pools. Where listed, at Bathhouse Flatiron, Kabuki and Moon Valley, they sit at or up to 104°F, the CDC’s limit for hot tubs.
Is colder better, and is warmer safer?
Neither, on what we could find. Colder is not shown to be better: the 2023 review found water temperature did not change the effect on soreness, the 2025 review of 55 trials found both its colder and its milder range helped, and Harvard Health reports no consensus on the best temperature. We found no trial of 40°F against 55°F in the general public.
Warmer does not mean free of cold shock. The National Weather Service says it can be just as severe at 50 to 60°F as at 35°F, and that gasping can be triggered by water as warm as 77°F.
The lab work points the same way. The 1998 paper says the largest first responses come at 10°C, with smaller ones at 15°C, so the first response at 59°F is smaller than at 50°F. A 1991 study found 10°C could be as great a threat as 5°C.
Colder does cost you in other ways. A pooled analysis found more core cooling for each degree colder and each minute longer, and Cleveland Clinic says skin damage becomes more likely as the water temperature drops.
So colder means shorter, and the sources back the direction. We found no published table of how many minutes to take off per degree, so do not treat any such formula as tested.
What about sauna temperature and time?
Cleveland Clinic and Harvard Health both give about 150 to 195°F for a traditional sauna. Harvard Health says Finnish saunas are around 175°F, and that Finnish people on average go two or three times a week for up to 20 minutes at a time.
For time, Cleveland Clinic says to try to keep it around 15 to 20 minutes, and to start with five if you are new. The American Lung Association says first time users should spend no more than 5 to 10 minutes, and that no one should spend more than 20 minutes at a time.
The numbers people quote come from habit, not a tested dose. The Finnish cohort published in 2015 followed 2,315 middle-aged men, of whom 201 reported 4 to 7 sessions a week. It found an association with lower mortality, and it grouped session length as under 11, 11 to 19 and over 19 minutes.
Harvard Health also reports a 2023 trial in which 41 people with stable coronary artery disease took 20 to 30 minute saunas four times a week for eight weeks, with no meaningful difference in blood pressure or vascular measures.
Skip the sauna if Cleveland Clinic’s list applies: a recent heart attack or stroke, alcohol, pregnancy or trying to get pregnant, and certain heart or neurologic conditions, among others. ACOG says it is best not to use saunas and hot tubs early in pregnancy. Leave at the first lightheadedness or dizziness, as Harvard Health advises.
Infrared sauna temperature and time
Infrared rooms run cooler air. Cleveland Clinic puts them at 110 to 135°F, and advises starting at something like 110°F for five to 10 minutes and keeping even experienced sessions to about 20 to 30 minutes.
Studios sell longer blocks. Cryo Body Works says sessions typically last 30 to 45 minutes, and Urban Sweat sells 30 or 45 minutes. A longer booking is not a reason to stay longer.
Our infrared vs traditional comparison explains why you cannot compare the two by temperature alone.
How do studios build a contrast round?
These are studio routines, not clinical advice. A 2013 review of 18 trials found no data to determine an optimal method, and we found no trial that sets the order or number of rounds for a sauna and plunge.
| Who | Heat | Cold | Rest | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROK SPAS | 10 to 15 minutes | 30 seconds to 3 minutes | 5 to 10 minutes | Two to four |
| Elahni | 15 minutes | One to three minutes | Not stated | Three |
| Loyly Sauna Lounge | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | 2 to 3 |
| A 2026 trial of 16 healthy adults | 15 minutes at 85°C | 90 seconds at 20°C | 10 minutes in 23°C air, cold water included | Two |
If you are new, keep the cold to a minute or two and the heat to Cleveland Clinic’s five minutes, whatever the circuit says.
The sources disagree about going from a plunge straight into heat. Cleveland Clinic says you may want to try a sauna after a plunge. NewYork-Presbyterian says a safer approach might be to let your body return to normal temperature first, and the American Lung Association warns that switching can raise blood pressure or cause shock.
Our guides to the right order and contrast therapy go further.
Who should not use these numbers
No time or temperature makes a plunge safe for everyone. Harvard Health says it isn’t advisable for anyone who has had cardiovascular disease, and that people with a heart rhythm disorder, peripheral artery disease or Raynaud’s should avoid it.
Cleveland Clinic says to talk to your provider first with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, pregnancy, peripheral neuropathy, poor circulation, venous stasis or cold agglutinin disease. Our cold plunge safety guide has the full table, including sickle cell disease and cold urticaria.
Never plunge alone or after alcohol, and skip the sauna after alcohol. “Never, ever do a cold water swim on your own”, says the scientist American Heart Association News quotes, and Renu says not to leave its tank unattended while in use.
Call 911 for confusion, slurred speech, chest pain, shivering you cannot control or a faint you do not recover from within a couple of minutes. Our guide on what to do after a cold plunge has the full list.
FAQ: cold plunge and sauna temperature and time
What temperature should a cold plunge be for beginners?
Cleveland Clinic says a safe starting range is 50 to 59°F (10 to 15°C), and to avoid going below 40°F. Use a thermometer, as it advises, and ask a studio which tub is the warmest. Water in that range can still cause cold shock.
How long should you stay in a cold plunge?
Cleveland Clinic says beginners should keep to a minute or two, and that a session should never go longer than five minutes. NewYork-Presbyterian suggests starting with something like 30 seconds.
Is 2 to 5 minutes too long for a beginner?
By Cleveland Clinic’s numbers, yes: five minutes is its ceiling, and beginners get a minute or two. Among the sources we read, 2 to 5 minutes appears only on a studio’s page, and that page says beginners start shorter.
Is 39°F too cold for a cold plunge?
It is below the line Cleveland Clinic gives, which is to avoid going below 40°F. Half of the 16 studios we read advertise water colder than that, so check before you book, and do not read the menu as a recommendation.
How long should you stay in a sauna?
Cleveland Clinic says around 15 to 20 minutes, starting with five if you are new. The American Lung Association says no more than 5 to 10 minutes the first time and no more than 20 for anyone.
How hot is an infrared sauna compared with a traditional one?
Cleveland Clinic puts infrared at 110 to 135°F and traditional saunas at 150 to 195°F. The infrared rooms in our table state 120 to 150°F. Check the setting, because many run hotter than Cleveland Clinic’s figure.
Does the exact temperature matter for soreness?
Not much in the 2023 review of 44 studies, which found water temperature did not change the result. The evidence is for soreness after exercise, and it says little about how you should start.
The bottom line on temperature and time
For a plunge, use Cleveland Clinic’s numbers: 50 to 59°F for a minute or two if you are new, never below 40°F, never longer than five minutes. For a traditional sauna, start with five minutes and keep to around 15 to 20.
The other numbers you will read are trial protocols, makers’ suggestions or studio menus. None is a tested dose, and half of the studios we read go colder than the limit. Keep someone with you, and check who should avoid cold plunging first.
Our guides on how often to go and building a habit cover the rest of a routine.
Related reading on temperature and time
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