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Sauna Hype

The claim

“You can sweat out a hangover in a sauna.”

Hot air. The liver removes about 90% of alcohol, and sweat carries it at about the same concentration as blood, so a sauna barely touches the total. Finnish sauna researchers link the hangover phase to heart rhythm risk.

Updated Sep 24, 2026 · 1 study reviewed

Nothing solid supports it, or the evidence points the other way.

People say it in places like these

  • Form blog

    TikTok users claim you can sweat toxins like alcohol out in a sauna.

    See an example ↗

  • Gyms and spas

    A morning-after sauna flushes the alcohol out of your system.

The research found this

Alcohol leaves the body mostly through the liver. A 2019 review of sweat physiology cites the figure that liver oxidation removes about 90% of alcohol, and sweat is one of the routes for the rest.Source 1 · ReviewPhysiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human healthBaker LB. Temperature, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Sweat carries alcohol at about the same concentration as blood (the data the review cites give a slope of 1.01), so sweating doesn't concentrate it.

Drinking doesn't make you sweat faster either. In two lab studies, blood alcohol of 0.07–0.11 g/dL did not change sweating rate.Source 1 · ReviewPhysiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human healthBaker LB. Temperature, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ The review concludes that sweating plays a very small role in alcohol detoxification or hangover cures.

The hangover itself worries Finnish sauna researchers. A 1988 review links the hangover phase to a higher risk of heart rhythm problems, and the 2019 sweat review notes significant health concerns with sauna bathing during a hangover.Source 2 · ReviewThe sauna and alcoholYlikahri R, Heikkonen E, Soukas A. Annals of clinical research, 1988.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 1 · ReviewPhysiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human healthBaker LB. Temperature, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

A sauna also takes more water out. Two 10-minute rounds at 90°C removed a mean 0.37–0.50 kg of sweat in first-time users, and plasma volume fell 5.6–8.0% after sauna sessions in nine men.Source 3 · Clinical trialSauna-Induced Body Mass Loss in Young Sedentary Women and MenPodstawski R, Boraczyński T, Boraczyński M, et al.. The Scientific World Journal, 2014.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗Source 4 · Crossover trialSauna, shower, and ice water immersion. Physiological responses to brief exposures to heat, cool, and cold. Part I. Body fluid balanceKauppinen K. Arctic medical research, 1989.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Half of the people who died in Finnish saunas in 1990–2002 had been drinking, and our reading on alcohol in the sauna covers that risk.Source 5 · Case seriesDeath in Sauna*Kenttämies A, Karkola K. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2008.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

The dial reads 92°H for four reasons

How the reading adds up

25 + 20 + 25 + 22 = 92°H

  1. EvidenceWhat kind of evidence exists in people?

    25/25

    We found no study of sauna as a hangover treatment. A 2019 review of sweat physiology concludes that sweating plays a very small role in clearing alcohol or curing hangovers.Source 1 · ReviewPhysiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human healthBaker LB. Temperature, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

  2. ConsistencyHas the finding held up?

    20/25

    What is known about alcohol and sweat runs against the idea. Sweat alcohol tracks blood alcohol almost one to one, and blood alcohol of 0.07–0.11 g/dL did not change sweating rate in two lab studies.Source 1 · ReviewPhysiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human healthBaker LB. Temperature, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

  3. MagnitudeDoes the claim match the size of the effect?

    25/25

    The claim describes an effect nobody has measured. By the figure the 2019 review cites, the liver breaks down about 90% of alcohol, and sweat is one of several routes for the rest.Source 1 · ReviewPhysiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human healthBaker LB. Temperature, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

  4. DoseDoes the studied protocol match how people use it?

    22/25

    No study has tested any sauna routine against a hangover. The one controlled sauna-and-alcohol experiment measured blood pressure and heart rhythm.Source 6 · Clinical trialAlcohol and sauna bathing: effects on cardiac rhythm, blood pressure, and serum electrolyte and cortisol concentrationsRoine R, Luurila OJ, Suokas A, et al.. Journal of Internal Medicine, 1992.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

The claim drifts from the data here

The idea treats sweat as an exit for alcohol, and the liver does about 90% of that work.Source 1 · ReviewPhysiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human healthBaker LB. Temperature, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Sweat holds alcohol at about blood concentration, and a sauna session produces about half a liter of it.Source 3 · Clinical trialSauna-Induced Body Mass Loss in Young Sedentary Women and MenPodstawski R, Boraczyński T, Boraczyński M, et al.. The Scientific World Journal, 2014.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ Nobody has measured how people feel after a hangover sauna or whether they clear alcohol any faster.

Put it to use

Skip the sauna the morning after heavy drinking, and drink water instead. If you do go in, don't go alone, which is the advice Finnish forensic researchers give for anyone who has been drinking.Source 5 · Case seriesDeath in Sauna*Kenttämies A, Karkola K. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2008.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

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People also ask

Can you sweat out alcohol?

Only a little. Sweat carries alcohol at about the same concentration as blood, and a 2019 review concludes that sweating plays a very small role in clearing it. By the figure the review cites, the liver handles about 90%.Source 1 · ReviewPhysiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human healthBaker LB. Temperature, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

Is a sauna good for a hangover?

No study has tested it, and a 1988 Finnish review links the hangover phase to heart rhythm risk.Source 2 · ReviewThe sauna and alcoholYlikahri R, Heikkonen E, Soukas A. Annals of clinical research, 1988.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ A 2019 sweat-physiology review flags significant health concerns with sauna during a hangover.Source 1 · ReviewPhysiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human healthBaker LB. Temperature, 2019.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗

Check these claims next

24°H

Likely

Heat

“Mixing alcohol and a sauna is dangerous.”

Half of the people who died in Finnish saunas in 1990–2002 had been drinking, and the share was higher in Swedish and Korean forensic series. In a small experiment, sauna plus alcohol dropped systolic blood pressure from 136 to 113 mmHg, where sauna alone left it at baseline.

68°H

Stretched

Heat

“You can sweat out toxins in a sauna.”

Sweat carries traces of metals and chemicals, and the studies that report large amounts relied on sweat people scraped off their own skin. When researchers collected sweat carefully, a session's worth held a small fraction of what the kidneys clear in a day.

53°H

Early

Heat

“Saunas are dangerous if you have heart disease.”

People with stable coronary disease or heart failure tolerated sauna sessions in small studies, and experts reserve the warning for specific conditions such as unstable chest pain or a recent heart attack. The reported sauna deaths mostly involved existing heart disease, often with alcohol.

We cited these sources

  1. 01Baker LB. Physiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human health. Temperature. 2019;6(3):211-259. doi:10.1080/23328940.2019.1632145 PMID 31608304
  2. 02Ylikahri R, Heikkonen E, Soukas A. The sauna and alcohol. Annals of clinical research. 1988;20(4):287-291. PMID 3218903
  3. 03Podstawski R, Boraczyński T, Boraczyński M, Choszcz D, Mańkowski S, Markowski P. Sauna-Induced Body Mass Loss in Young Sedentary Women and Men. The Scientific World Journal. 2014;2014:307421. doi:10.1155/2014/307421 PMID 25614882
  4. 04Kauppinen K. Sauna, shower, and ice water immersion. Physiological responses to brief exposures to heat, cool, and cold. Part I. Body fluid balance. Arctic medical research. 1989;48(2):55-63. PMID 2736001
  5. 05Kenttämies A, Karkola K. Death in Sauna*. Journal of Forensic Sciences. 2008;53(3):724-729. doi:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2008.00703.x PMID 18471223
  6. 06Roine R, Luurila OJ, Suokas A, Heikkonen E, Koskinen P, Ylikahri R, et al.. Alcohol and sauna bathing: effects on cardiac rhythm, blood pressure, and serum electrolyte and cortisol concentrations. Journal of Internal Medicine. 1992;231(4):333-338. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2796.1992.tb00941.x PMID 1588256