Sauna or cold plunge first? What the studies tested, and how to do it
Sauna first is the usual order, not a tested rule. What each study of the two together measured and in whom, where the end on cold rule came from, why the switch from hot to cold carries the warnings, and who should skip it.
Short answer: Sauna first, if you have no preference, because that is the order nearly every study and most studios used, not because anyone showed it is better. We found no trial that compared sauna first with plunge first, or ending on heat with ending on cold, so pick the finish you like. Cleveland Clinic’s starting points are five minutes in a sauna and a minute or two in the cold. Harvard Health says plunges are not advisable for anyone who has had cardiovascular disease, and that people with a heart rhythm disorder, peripheral artery disease or Raynaud’s should avoid them. Never go alone or after alcohol. Call 911 for chest pain, confusion, slurred speech, shivering you cannot control or a faint you do not recover from within a couple of minutes.
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 your own clinician’s advice comes first.
We did not visit or test any venue, tub or sauna. Everything here comes from the health bodies, makers, studios and studies named, read between Oct. 24 and Nov. 4, 2026.
When to call 911 during a sauna and plunge session
Being cold and shivering with a clear head is what the 2024 American Heart Association and American Red Cross first aid guidelines call simple cold stress. Stop, warm up and keep someone with you. The signs below are different.
| Sign | Who says so | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Goes under, stops breathing or cannot be woken | MedlinePlus on non-fatal drowning | Call 911. If breathing has stopped, start rescue breaths as soon as you can, and CPR once on land if needed |
| Crushing or squeezing pressure in the chest, pain spreading to the jaw or left arm, or chest pain with a racing heart or shortness of breath | MedlinePlus on chest pain | Call 911 |
| A faint with no recovery within a couple of minutes, or with chest pain or a pounding or irregular heartbeat | MedlinePlus on fainting | Call 911 |
| Confusion, mumbling speech, unable to stay awake or stumbling after the cold | The 2024 first aid guidelines, as potential signs of life-threatening hypothermia | Call 911 and keep warming the person |
| Shivering that cannot be controlled, or shivering that stops while the person is still cold | MedlinePlus on hypothermia | Call 911 |
| Slurred speech, fumbling hands or memory loss | CDC’s warning signs of hypothermia | Call 911 |
| Hot skin that is not sweating, with confusion, after the heat | The NHS on heatstroke and MedlinePlus on heat emergencies | Call 911 |
CDC warns that low body temperature affects the brain, so a person may not know it is happening. That is why someone else needs to be watching.
Do not wait for those signs to end a round. Cleveland Clinic says to get out of the water if you feel lightheaded or have discomfort beyond the cold, and to leave a sauna and seek medical help if you feel unwell, dizzy, weak or short of breath. Our guide to feeling faint in a sauna or plunge covers what to do next.
What the studies of sauna and cold order tested
We found no trial that put one group through sauna then plunge and another through plunge then sauna, and none that compared ending on heat with ending on cold. That rests on searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on Nov. 4, 2026, so a trial we missed could exist.
A 2018 review says the combination of sauna and cold remains poorly investigated. A 2026 systematic review of 21 studies of contrast therapy calls the evidence base limited.
This table holds what has been tested with a sauna and cold water. Every row goes hot to cold except the winter swimmers, and no row compares the orders.
Studies print Celsius. By our conversions, 85°C is 185°F, 20°C is 68°F and 12°C is about 54°F.
| Study | Who | Order tested | What it measured | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen, 2026 | 16 healthy adults, 8 of them women, average age 31 | 2 rounds of 15 minutes at 85°C, each followed by 10 minutes in 23°C air, with or without 90 seconds to the neck in water at 20°C straight after the sauna | Core temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, tolerance | With the water, core temperature was 37.55°C against 38.03°C and heart rate 108 against 125 at the end of round two, and people felt more able to tolerate that round. The comparison is air, not cold first |
| Kauppinen, 1989 | 9 men | Sauna then ice water; sauna then a 15°C shower; sauna then room air; ice water then room air, each repeated | Heart rate, blood pressure, heart workload | Alternating heat with cold or cool put the most intensive strain on the heart |
| Kauppinen and colleagues, 1989 | 9 winter swimmer men | The same four routines | Hormones | Norepinephrine rose after exposure, and epinephrine nearly doubled after sauna then ice water |
| Radtke, 2016 | 37 men averaging about 61: 12 with heart failure, 13 with coronary artery disease, 12 controls | 2 sauna rounds at 80°C, then a final head-out immersion at 12°C | Cardiac output, blood pressure, heart rate variability | Well tolerated by all. Systolic pressure fell in the sauna and rose in the cold water in every group, with no complex arrhythmias. A measured study, not clearance |
| Szafraniec, 2025 | 28 healthy women | 3 rounds of 10 minutes at about 90°C; 6 minutes in 20°C air, a 15°C shower, then 2 minutes to the neck at 15°C | Blood pressure, heart rate | Systolic pressure was above baseline after the first round and trended down across rounds. A physiotherapist supervised |
| Podstawski, 2021 | 30 men aged 19 to 26 | 4 rounds of 12 minutes at 90 to 91°C, each followed by a 6-minute break with 1 minute at 10 to 11°C | Hormones | Cortisol fell from 13.61 to 9.67 µg/ml, other hormones did not change significantly. The abstract reports no group without cold |
| Chang, 2023 | 20 healthy adults, 10 in the sauna group | 3 sets of 10 minutes at 85 to 90°C, 1 to 2 minutes at 16°C and 7 minutes of rest | Brain activity, response time, questionnaires | More theta and alpha brain activity, faster responses, changes in physical relaxation scores. The authors work for a company with patents tied to this research |
| Søberg, 2021 | 8 winter-swimming men and 8 controls, not randomized | The swimmers’ own habit, which the lead author describes as three dips and two sauna sessions, starting and ending in cold | Brown fat, heat production, core temperature | Swimmers raised heat production more in response to cold. No one in the study ended on heat, and the authors say they cannot conclude winter swimming caused the difference |
| Buijze, 2016 | 3,018 working adults aged 18 to 65, no serious illness | A warm shower ending in 30, 60 or 90 seconds at the coldest setting for 30 days, against no cold | Illness days, sickness absence | 29% less self-reported sickness absence, no difference in illness days. A shower, not a plunge, with no cold-first group |
We found no published data on the hardest version. A registered Montreal Heart Institute study planned 10 minutes at 85°C and then, immediately, about a minute at 5°C, in healthy people aged 40 and older. The record lists it as completed with no results posted, and we found no paper from it.
So the studies follow what people already do. Owen’s 2026 trial describes Finnish-style sauna as repeated heat with breaks of air, a shower, a swim or cold water. That is a description of a habit, not evidence that it beats the reverse.
Contrast water trials: hot and cold tubs, not a sauna and a plunge
The recovery evidence people quote mostly comes from a different dose: hot and cold water, about a minute each, after hard exercise. The 2013 review reports a mean of 11.1°C for the cold and 39.3 for the warm, far from a 185°F room.
None of these trials compared the orders. The review says finishing in cold water was common practice, and one trial says it started in hot, but the choice was a protocol detail, not the thing tested.
| Study | Who | What they did | What it measured | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bieuzen, 2013 | 18 trials, 356 healthy participants | Hot and cold water after hard exercise | Soreness, strength, power | Less soreness and strength loss than rest, no difference in soreness from cold water alone. All 18 had a high risk of bias |
| Bleakley, 2012 (Cochrane) | 17 small trials, 366 participants | Cold water after exercise, 5 trials against contrast water | Soreness, recovery | Some evidence that cold water eases soreness compared with rest, no evidence of a difference from contrast water. Low study quality |
| Versey, 2013 | Review of water immersion for athletes | Protocols in the literature | Performance recovery | Contrast most likely helps with equal time hot and cold, about 1 minute each, up to about 15 minutes in all |
| Higgins, 2017 | 23 articles, 606 people, team sport | Cold or contrast water | Performance, fatigue, soreness | Contrast helped perceived fatigue at 24 hours, not perceived soreness |
| Versey, 2011 | 11 trained male cyclists | Started hot at 38.4°C, switched with 14.6°C every minute, for 6, 12 or 18 minutes | Cycling 2 hours later | Up to 12 minutes helped; no dose response |
| Versey, 2012 | 10 trained male runners | 1 minute at 38°C and 1 minute at 15°C, for 6, 12 or 18 minutes | 3,000 m time trial 2 hours later | Only 6 minutes beat rest; no substantial difference in thigh or calf girth |
| Vaile, 2008 | 38 strength-trained men | 14 minutes of cold, hot or contrast water after leg press | Jump, force, pain, girth for 72 hours | Contrast and cold water helped. Hot water helped force only |
| Argus, 2017 | 13 men | 14 minutes of cold or contrast water after full-body weights | Force, jumps, fatigue, soreness for 4 hours | No effect from either |
| Ahokas, 2019 | Physically active men | 10 minutes of cold water or contrast at 10°C and 38°C | Sprint, jump, blood markers, feelings for 96 hours | Felt more relaxed at 60 minutes after cold and contrast water; no difference between methods in other markers |
| Juliff, 2014 | 10 elite female netball players | Contrast water or contrast showers, 1 minute each for 14 minutes | Agility, temperature, perceptions | No physical gain, but felt more recovered |
| Hagner-Derengowska, 2026 | 60 combat sport athletes | 4 weeks of 10-minute alternating showers after training, against lukewarm showers | Heart rate variability, perceived recovery, cortisol | Better at 4 weeks, gone 2 weeks after stopping; cortisol no different |
| Ménétrier, 2015 | 10 athletes | 16 minutes of legs in water, 2 minutes at about 12°C and 2 at about 35°C | Blood flow in the thigh artery | No change during contrast, and none between the hot and cold switches |
Read these as soreness and fatigue after hard exercise, mostly in young men. The last row is one small study in fairly mild water, but it is a caution about the vascular pump idea Moon Valley Med Spa advertises: the switches did not change blood flow in that artery. The 2013 review cites an older study that did see limb blood flow rise and fall.
Where the end on cold rule came from
The best known named rule is the Søberg Principle. Andrew Huberman, a Stanford professor with a podcast, named it after reading a paper and noticing that its participants ended on cold, as he says in his interview with its lead author. That episode’s first sponsor is Plunge, a tub maker.
His newsletter states it as forcing your body to reheat on its own, or “End With Cold”. The reason given is metabolic, not alertness or safety.
The paper is the 2021 study in the table. Nobody in it ended on heat, so it cannot show that ending on cold is better.
Where the 11 minutes came from, and other named protocols
The 11 minutes has the same source as the end on cold rule. The paper’s first table lists the swimmers’ total time as 11 minutes of cold water and 57 minutes of sauna a week: a logged habit, not a tested dose. Cryo Body Works says research suggests 11 minutes, and Framework advertises 60 minutes of hot and 10 of cold.
The newsletter also says not to towel off, so that you shiver more. Cleveland Clinic says the opposite: dry off quickly and put on warm clothes. Follow the clinic, and our guide on what to do after a cold plunge.
Other names describe habits too. Totonou is a Japanese word for how people feel after the sauna, cold water and rest routine in the 2023 study above. We found no trial behind any named protocol for the order.
What studios print about order
These are read from each venue’s own page on Nov. 3, 2026. They are routines, not clinical advice, and a listing here is not a recommendation.
| Venue | Starts with | Heat | Cold | Rest | Rounds and finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROK SPAS, Denver | Heat | 10 to 15 minutes | 30 seconds to 3 minutes | 5 to 10 minutes, after the cold | Two to four |
| Elahni, New York City | Heat | 15 minutes | One to three minutes | Not stated | Three |
| FoxFire Breathworks, Minneapolis | Heat | 15 to 20 minutes | 3 to 7 minutes in the water or cool air | Not stated | Several |
| Cryo Body Works, Austin | Heat | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Says it recommends sauna first, then cold plunge |
| Moon Valley Med Spa, Phoenix | Hot tub | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Several cycles, ending with cold |
| Loyly Sauna Lounge, Houston | Cold, after breathwork | 5 minutes in a hot plunge, then 10 to 15 of infrared | 30 seconds to 3 minutes | Not stated | 2 to 3 circuits, finishing with cold |
| Framework, Nashville | Not stated | 60 minutes a week | 10 minutes a week | Not stated | Not stated |
Of the seven, five start with heat, one with cold and one prints no order. None cites a trial of the order.
Moon Valley says ending with cold gives maximum energy and alertness, and Loyly credits Søberg’s research, which we covered above. Loyly also says “the more you plunge, the more powerful the shift”. The trials above do not show that more is better.
Does it matter which you finish on?
We found no trial that compared the two finishes, so pick the one you prefer. The usual story, that cold switches you on and heat switches you off, is tidier than the evidence.
Ending on cold. Cleveland Clinic says studies point to less stress and more alertness and focus from ice baths. But a 2025 review of 11 studies found improvements in sleep quality and quality of life, “but not mood”, and Harvard Health reports little evidence for mood.
Cold is not simply a switch for fight or flight. Harvard Health says the first shock triggers that response while the aftermath may feel relaxing. In 10 cyclists, 5 minutes at 14°C sped up parasympathetic recovery after hard exercise.
Ending on heat. A 1988 review says the effects of both heat and cold run through the sympathetic nervous system. In 93 adults with heart risk factors, a 30-minute sauna at 73°C lowered the rest-and-recover signal, and it rose during the cool-down. So the calm comes after the heat, not from sitting in it.
Does the finish change your sleep?
Warm baths and showers at 40 to 42.5°C helped people fall asleep in a 2019 meta-analysis, and 11 male cyclists slept no differently after evening cold water in a lab. A 2026 narrative review suggests cold within 2 hours of bed may disrupt sleep.
We found no study of sleep after a sauna and plunge cycle. Our sleep guide has the details, and the practical point is the gap before bed, not the last room you were in.
Moving straight from sauna to plunge: what can go wrong
This step is what most of the warnings are about. The sources describe four risks: a jump in blood pressure, rhythm problems, fainting and cold shock.
- Blood pressure and heart strain. The 1988 review says cooling causes rapid narrowing of skin vessels and a rise in arterial pressure, and that sudden cooling, such as diving into cold water, puts a severe short load on the heart. The American Lung Association says switching can raise blood pressure or cause you to go into shock.
- Rhythm. The same review says sudden cooling increases the possibility of arrhythmias. A 2026 emergency medicine review says repeated sauna and cold water cycles may impose substantial stress on the circulation.
- Fainting. Heat can leave you lightheaded when you stand. Cleveland Clinic warns that the fast breathing of cold shock can lead to dizziness or fainting, especially in the water, and the Lung Association says fainting while unsupervised puts you at risk of drowning.
- Cold shock. American Heart Association News describes a sudden rise in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, and says it can cause a person to drown within seconds if they gasp with their head under water.
What the small studies and one case report show about the switch
One published case describes a heart attack the authors attribute to alternating sauna heat with rapid cooling in cold water. They warn about patients with coronary risk factors, but one case cannot tell you how often this happens.
The small studies are more reassuring, and that is their limit. In Owen’s 2026 trial a 90-second dip at 20°C lowered strain in the next round, and the 37 men tolerated 12°C, but both were run by researchers, in water warmer than most studio tubs we read.
The 1988 review also says the risk in correctly practiced sauna bathing is very small, and confined to people predisposed by cardiovascular problems, known or not. So the question is whether you are one of them, and you may not know.
How to make the switch from heat to cold
No trial sets this, so these are precautions from the sources, not proven steps.
- Cool down first. Harvard Health advises cooling down gradually after a sauna. NewYork-Presbyterian says a safer approach might be to let your body return to normal temperature before moving to the next, and to avoid extremes if you alternate quickly.
- How long is untested. We found no tested time. One study above waited 6 minutes in 20°C air before the cold, and Owen’s 2026 trial went straight into water at 20°C, far warmer than most plunges.
- Stand up slowly. The 2026 emergency medicine review advises caution with rapid standing. If you feel dizzy, sit or lie down instead of heading for the tub.
- Lower yourself in. Plunge warns that jumping or diving may cause serious or life threatening injury, and Renu says to lower yourself gradually.
- Keep your head above water, and do not hold your breath. Our cold plunge safety guide explains why.
- Have someone with you. “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.
Does a sauna first prevent cold shock?
We found no evidence that it does, and no study that tested it. The idea that heat makes the cold easier is how many people describe it, but Owen’s 2026 trial measured the reverse: cold water made the sauna more tolerable.
What does shrink the shock is repetition. A 2024 systematic review found it habituates after about 4 immersions in healthy volunteers, and the scientist quoted by American Heart Association News says acclimating to colder water over time lessens it. That is not protection for anyone in the skip list below.
Warmer water does not remove it either. The National Weather Service says cold shock can be just as severe at 50 to 60°F as at 35°F.
Starting with the plunge instead
Some people do. Loyly’s circuit starts cold, and so did Søberg’s swimmers. We found no trial of it, and no evidence for the usual reasons.
More adrenaline up front? Harvard Health says the shock sends adrenaline and norepinephrine into the bloodstream, and nothing we read ties that to going first. In the 1989 study of 9 winter swimmers, the clear rise in epinephrine came after sauna then ice water.
Less swelling? We found no trial of plunging before heat for swelling. For contrast baths a 2009 systematic review calls the evidence on swelling conflicting, and a randomized trial in carpal tunnel patients found no significant effect on hand volume.
Warming up first? The Wim Hof Method suggests light movement before you get in, as a way to ease the change. That is a brand’s tip, not a tested safety step.
Going from cold into a hot room is where the sources disagree. Cleveland Clinic says you may even want to try a sauna after a plunge, while NewYork-Presbyterian and the Lung Association are cautious. Wait until you are dry and steady, and leave at the first dizziness.
Rounds, minutes and rest: what the sources print
No health source we read sets a number of rounds, and no trial sets a dose. Harvard Health reports no consensus on the best temperature, timing or duration of cold plunges.
Cleveland Clinic’s numbers are the plainest. For a sauna, start with five minutes if you are new and try to keep it around 15 to 20. For a plunge, beginners should keep to a minute or two at 50 to 59°F, never longer than five minutes and never below 40°F.
The American Lung Association says first time users should spend no more than 5 to 10 minutes in a sauna, and no one more than 20. The studies above ran 2 to 4 rounds, and those that print the time used 1 to 2 minutes of cold.
More is not shown to be better. In both dose trials above, a longer contrast session did not help more. If you are new, our cautious reading is one round, and we found no source that sets this.
Watch the clock as well as your body. Cleveland Clinic says to listen to your body, but CDC warns that a person may not notice low body temperature, so use a timer and a companion. Our temperature and time guide has the wider tables.
Alcohol and sauna and plunge sessions
No alcohol before or during. Cleveland Clinic says to avoid a sauna if you have been drinking, and the Lung Association says that risks dehydration, hypotension, arrhythmia and even death. Plunge says alcohol or drugs can greatly increase the risk of fatal hypothermia, unconsciousness or drowning.
The death counts point the same way:
- Sweden, 1992 to 2003. 77 sauna deaths. Of 69 tested for alcohol, 49 were positive, and all but 2 of those found dead in a sauna were alone.
- Finland, 1990 to 2002. 50% of deaths in saunas involved alcohol, at a rate of less than 2 per 100,000 inhabitants a year.
- Korea, 2008 to 2015. Of 103 sauna deaths, 76 had a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher.
- Water. CDC says alcohol is involved in up to 70% of deaths associated with water recreation among adolescents and adults.
These count deaths in saunas and in open water. We found no study of alcohol and a sauna then plunge sequence. Our guide on alcohol and saunas has more.
Who should skip the sauna, the plunge or both
A session asks your body to pass both lists, so check both.
- Skip the plunge. Harvard Health says it isn’t advisable for anyone who has had cardiovascular disease, and that people with a heart rhythm disorder such as atrial fibrillation, peripheral artery disease or Raynaud’s should avoid it. Our safety guide adds cold urticaria and sickle cell disease.
- Skip the sauna. Cleveland Clinic says to avoid one after a recent heart attack or stroke, or if you have been drinking. A 2001 review names unstable angina, recent heart attack and severe aortic stenosis.
- Pregnant. ACOG says it is best not to use saunas and hot tubs early in pregnancy, because the rise in core temperature can be harmful for the fetus. Cleveland Clinic lists pregnancy among the reasons to ask before a plunge.
- Children and anyone sick. Renu says its tank is not designed for children under 18, or for use if you are sick, vomiting or have diarrhea. Plunge says use by anyone under 18 must be approved by a medical professional and supervised at all times.
Our guides go further on blood pressure, pregnancy and medications.
Who should ask a clinician before a sauna and plunge
For these groups the sources say to ask first.
- Heart, circulation, lungs and nerves. For plunges, Cleveland Clinic names heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, poor circulation, venous stasis and cold agglutinin disease. For saunas it adds being older than 65 or under 16, heart failure, low blood pressure, epilepsy and taking medication. The Lung Association names chronic lung disease.
- Medicines. American Heart Association News says beta blockers could make it harder to adapt to the shock. Plunge says to consult a physician about medicine that causes drowsiness or affects heart rate, blood pressure or circulation.
Heat or cold after strength training
This is the one place where timing has been tested, and even here nobody tested a sauna and a plunge together.
| Study | Who | After lifting | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts, 2015 | 21 active men, 12 weeks | 10 minutes in cold water, against active recovery | Strength and muscle mass rose more with active recovery |
| Fyfe, 2019 | 16 men, 7 weeks | 15 minutes at 10°C, against 23°C | Less type II fiber growth, similar gain in leg press |
| Fuchs, 2020 | 12 men, one leg each | 20 minutes at 8°C, against 30°C | Lower muscle protein synthesis |
| Malta, 2021 | 8 articles | Regular cold water at 15°C or below | Harm to strength gains, no effect on endurance |
| Grgic, 2023 | 10 studies, 170 people, 92% men | Cold water | Smaller strength gains overall; no significant difference with whole-body immersion |
| Piñero, 2024 | 8 studies | Cold water right after lifting | May attenuate muscle growth; fair to poor study quality |
| Horgan, 2023 | 18 academy rugby players, 4 weeks of each | Whole-body cold or hot water, against none | No change in lean mass between them |
| Fuchs, 2020 | 12 men, one leg each | 20 minutes at 46°C, against 30°C | No increase in muscle protein synthesis |
| Ahokas, 2025 | 40 female team sport athletes, 6 weeks | 10 minutes of infrared at 50°C, three times a week | No effect on muscle growth |
| Takeda, 2026 | 43 young men, 2 weeks | Hot bath at 40°C, against a shower | Larger gains in knee extension strength |
| Ahokas, 2023 | 16 male basketball players, one session | 20 minutes of infrared at 43°C, against rest | Less soreness, smaller drop in jump height |
Cold right after lifting has the evidence against it, mostly in men. These trials used 10 to 20 minutes, longer than Cleveland Clinic’s five-minute ceiling, and we found none that tested a minute or two.
Heat has not shown the same cost, and it has not been shown to build muscle either. Cleveland Clinic warns about plunging within four hours of a muscle-building workout, and we found no trial that set a waiting time.
If muscle is the goal, do the plunge on a day you do not lift. Our guides on plunging after a workout and a sauna after training go further.
What if you can only do one?
You do not need both, and skipping the cold also skips cold shock. We found no trial that compared a sauna with a plunge for general health, so pick by what has been measured and what you can tolerate.
The sauna. The long-term data is here, but it is association: a Finnish cohort of 2,315 middle-aged men linked more sessions with lower mortality. Harvard Health reports a 2025 review of randomized trials of passive heating which found no improvement in most common measures of heart health. Our heart guide covers the limits, and our sauna benefits explainer the rest.
The plunge. The clearest measured effect is less soreness after hard exercise, in small trials of low quality. The 530% rise in noradrenaline you may see quoted comes from an hour at 14°C, not a short dip, and we found no study showing a plunge keeps you alert for hours. Our ice bath and cold plunge guide has more.
Cost, habit and safety if you pick one
Cost. In our index, read in September 2026, a cold plunge on its own is a median $27.50 at 12 venues and a sauna without a plunge, mostly private infrared, a median $40 at 37 venues. So the plunge is cheaper per visit, and fewer venues sell it on its own.
The habit. We found no study that compared how long people keep up either one. In the cold shower trial above, 64% continued on a regular basis. Our habit guide covers making it stick.
Safety. The risks differ. A 30-minute sauna lowered average systolic pressure from 137 to 130, so standing up is the risky moment, while cold raises pressure within seconds. To find a cold plunge or sauna studio near you, start with our city wellness maps.
Sauna and cold plunge order at a glance
| Question | What the sources say | Who says so |
|---|---|---|
| Which comes first? | No trial compared them. Hot first is the common habit | Our searches; the studies above |
| Which comes last? | No trial compared them. Finishing in cold was common in water trials | Our searches; the 2013 review |
| How long if you are new? | Five minutes of sauna, a minute or two of cold | Cleveland Clinic |
| Upper limits? | Sauna around 15 to 20 minutes; plunge never longer than five minutes, never below 40°F | Cleveland Clinic |
| How many rounds? | No health source sets it. Studies ran 2 to 4 | The studies above |
| Wait between hot and cold? | No tested time. One study waited 6 minutes, another went straight into 20°C water | The studies above |
| Straight from hot to cold? | Cool down first, and avoid extremes if you alternate | Harvard Health, NewYork-Presbyterian, American Lung Association |
| Does a sauna prevent cold shock? | We found no evidence that it does | Our searches |
| Alcohol? | Never before or during | Cleveland Clinic, Plunge, Renu |
| Alone? | Never | American Heart Association News, Renu |
| After lifting? | Plunge on another day if muscle is the goal | Roberts 2015, Fyfe 2019, Cleveland Clinic |
| When to call 911? | Chest pain, confusion, slurred speech, shivering you cannot control, a faint you do not recover from, going under | MedlinePlus, 2024 first aid guidelines, CDC |
FAQ: sauna and cold plunge order
Should you do the sauna or cold plunge first?
Sauna first if you have no preference, because nearly every study we read and most studios go that way. That is a habit, not a finding: we found no trial that compared the two orders.
Should you end on hot or cold?
We found no trial that compared the two finishes, so pick the one you prefer. If you end on cold, Cleveland Clinic says to dry off quickly and put on warm clothes, and our guide to the first minutes after a plunge covers the afterdrop.
Does a sauna first make the cold safer?
We found no evidence that it does. The sources warn about the switch itself, and the American Lung Association says it can raise blood pressure or cause you to go into shock. Repeated exposure is what has been shown to shrink the cold shock response.
How long should you wait between the sauna and the plunge?
We found no tested time. One study waited 6 minutes in 20°C air, another went straight into water at 20°C, and NewYork-Presbyterian says a safer approach might be to let your body return to normal temperature first.
How many rounds of sauna and cold plunge should you do?
No health source we read sets a number. The studies ran 2 to 4 rounds, and the two dose trials of hot and cold water found that more minutes did not help more. If you are new, our cautious reading is one.
Can you go from a sauna to a cold plunge with high blood pressure?
Ask your clinician first. Cleveland Clinic lists high blood pressure as a reason to ask before a plunge and high or low blood pressure before a sauna, and our blood pressure guide covers both.
Should you sauna or cold plunge after lifting weights?
If muscle is the goal, keep the plunge for another day: in two training trials, cold water after lifting meant less muscle growth. In the post-lifting heat studies we read, heat did not show that cost.
What is the Søberg Principle?
A name Andrew Huberman gave to ending a session on cold, so the body has to reheat itself. It comes from a study of 8 winter swimmers and 8 controls in which nobody ended on heat, so it has not been tested against the alternative.
The bottom line on sauna or cold plunge first
If you have no preference, go sauna first, cool down, then plunge. Hot then cold is what nearly every study did, and it is a habit rather than a proven rule. We found no trial that compared the orders or the finishes.
What matters more is the switch and who is making it. Check who should skip it, keep Cleveland Clinic’s limits, stay sober, keep someone with you, and know the 911 signs at the top of this page.
Related reading on sauna and cold plunge order
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