Short answer: after a cold, flu or COVID, wait until you’ve gone at least 24 hours without a fever (without fever medicine) and your symptoms are getting better overall.
That’s the CDC’s point for going back to normal activities. After a stomach bug, we suggest waiting 48 hours after the vomiting or diarrhea stop and until you’re drinking normally again.
When you’re ready and well again, a short warm session can feel good as a first easy outing, and you can book a time and pay after your visit. The private infrared sauna at NOLA Chill, 6045 Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans, is $30 for 30 minutes on your own or $48 for two. Start there rather than 45. Ten 30-minute visits are $200 and last 12 months, the package can be shared or split, and one pack visit covers one or two people. Every price is on the pricing page. If you have a heart or blood pressure condition, ask your doctor before your first visit back.
How long to wait, by illness
| After | Wait until |
|---|---|
| A cold | 24 hours without a fever (no fever medicine) and getting better overall |
| Flu or COVID | The same 24-hour point, then extra care for 5 days. If you were very sick, ask your doctor first. |
| A stomach bug | 48 hours after vomiting or diarrhea stop, and you’re keeping food and fluids down |
| Any fever | 24 hours without one, without fever medicine |
| Pneumonia, a hospital stay, or still short of breath | Ask your doctor before any sauna visit |
Where the 24 hours comes from
The CDC’s guidance for respiratory viruses, which covers common respiratory viruses such as flu, COVID and RSV, says you can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, your symptoms are getting better overall and you haven’t had a fever and aren’t using fever-reducing medicine. It adds that you may still be able to spread the virus after that, so for the next 5 days it suggests added precautions such as cleaner air, good hand hygiene, a well-fitting mask or keeping some distance from others.
It also says that if a fever comes back or you start to feel worse after going back to normal activities, stay home and away from others again. That’s a good rule for the sauna too.
Where the 48 hours comes from
For norovirus, a common cause of stomach bugs, the CDC asks people to wait at least 2 days (48 hours) after symptoms stop before preparing food or caring for others, and notes the virus can stay in your stool for 2 weeks or more after you feel better. That’s why we suggest the same 48 hours before a sauna, plus good hand washing. Heat and sweating also draw on fluids your body is still replacing.
Your first session back
- Keep it short. Book a 30-minute infrared sauna session ($30 solo).
- Drink water before and after. You will sweat, and you may still be a little low on fluids.
- Step out early if you feel dizzy, lightheaded, nauseated or worse. Staff would rather you leave early.
- Prefer no heat at first? NuCalm ($40, 30 minutes) is guided audio with an eye mask in a quiet room.
What about cryotherapy?
Wait until you feel recovered. A 2025 expert consensus lists fever and acute illness as temporary reasons to skip whole body cryotherapy until you’re well. Our page on cryotherapy when you’re sick has the details.
What the research says
We haven’t seen good studies on saunas during recovery from a cold or flu specifically, so the timing above comes from public health guidance, not sauna research. Studies that link regular sauna use with fewer colds or respiratory illnesses over time show a link, not proof. See our evidence library for more.
More for cold and flu season
- Sauna when sick or with a fever: the 24-hour rule
- Sauna for a stuffy nose or a cold
- Sauna for fall allergies in New Orleans
- Flu and cold season in New Orleans: this week’s numbers
- Can you sweat out a cold?: what a sauna does and doesn’t do
- Sauna with a sore throat?: when to wait and when a short session is fine
- Sauna after COVID: how long to wait
- After a stomach bug: when to come back
- When you are ready to come back: easy ways back to normal after the flu or a cold
- Sauna after a flu shot or COVID vaccine
Frequently asked questions
How long after a fever can I use a sauna?
Wait until you’ve gone at least 24 hours without a fever, without fever medicine, and you feel better overall.
How soon after the flu can I use a sauna?
At the same 24-hour point the CDC uses for going back to normal activities. If you were very sick or are still short of breath, ask your doctor first, and start with a short session.
Can I use a sauna after COVID?
The CDC’s guidance for respiratory viruses, including COVID, uses the same 24-hour point, then added precautions for 5 days. Start short and drink water.
How soon after a stomach bug can I use a sauna?
We suggest 48 hours after vomiting or diarrhea stop, once you’re keeping food and fluids down. The CDC uses the same 48 hours for norovirus before preparing food or caring for others.
Is it OK to use a sauna with a lingering cough?
If you’ve gone 24 hours without a fever and you’re getting better overall, a leftover cough isn’t a reason to stay home under the CDC guidance. Take the added precautions for 5 days, and step out if the heat sets off a coughing fit.
Should I sauna to help me recover after being sick?
We haven’t seen good evidence that a sauna speeds recovery. If it sounds good once you’re better, treat it as a comfort choice and keep it short.
NOLA Chill is a wellness studio at 6045 Magazine Street in New Orleans, not a medical clinic. The sauna is a wellness amenity, not a treatment for illness.