Short answer: skip the sauna with a fever or a cold you could pass on, and wait 24 hours fever-free.
When you’re ready, a private infrared sauna at NOLA Chill, 6045 Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans, is $30 for 30 minutes on your own, and you can book a time and pay after your visit. A ten-visit sauna package is $200, which is $20 a visit, one package visit covers one or two people, and a friend can use it by giving your name. Every price is on the pricing page, and the infrared sauna page shows every sauna option.
Sauna or stay home? A quick guide
| How you feel | What to do |
|---|---|
| Fever, chills or feeling feverish | Stay home, rest and drink fluids. No sauna. |
| A new cough, sore throat or runny nose you could pass on | Stay home and move your visit. |
| Vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness or signs you’re dehydrated | Stay home. Heat makes you sweat, and you’re already low on fluids. |
| 24 hours without a fever (no fever medicine) and feeling better overall | Come back if a sauna sounds good. Start with 30 minutes and drink water. |
| Fever gone, but a lingering cough or stuffy nose | Fine once you feel better overall. For the next 5 days, the CDC suggests extra care, like washing your hands often and covering coughs. |
| Pregnant, or a heart or blood pressure condition | Check with your doctor before any sauna visit, sick or not. |
To move a visit, text (504) 381-4207. Other guests will thank you too.
The CDC’s 24-hour guidance
The CDC’s guidance for respiratory viruses 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. For the 5 days after that, it suggests added precautions such as cleaner air, good hand hygiene, a well-fitting mask, keeping some distance from others or getting tested. Follow your own doctor’s advice if it’s different.
Easing back in
- Start short. Book a 30-minute infrared sauna session ($30 solo) rather than 45.
- Drink water before and after. You will sweat.
- Leave early if you feel dizzy, lightheaded or unwell. Staff would rather you step out.
- Prefer no heat? NuCalm ($40, 30 minutes) is guided audio with an eye mask. Hydromassage ($30, 30 minutes) is gentler warm water pressure while you stay dressed, but it is still warm.
What the research says
A small 1990 study followed 25 people who took regular saunas and 25 who didn’t for six months. The sauna group reported fewer colds, but the colds they did get lasted just as long and were no milder, and the authors said more research was needed (1990 study).
Some long-term studies from Finland found that people who used saunas often had fewer cases of pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses over the years (2017 study, pneumonia study). Those studies show a link, not proof. They mostly followed middle-aged Finnish men who used traditional saunas several times a week, which run hotter than an infrared room.
We haven’t seen good evidence that one sauna visit shortens a cold you already have, or that you can “sweat out” a virus. For more on what the research does and doesn’t show, see our evidence library.
When to call a doctor instead
Seek care for trouble breathing or fast breathing, dehydration, a fever that lasts longer than 4 days, symptoms that last more than 10 days without getting better, or symptoms that improve and then come back or get worse (CDC). If you’re pregnant or have a heart or blood pressure condition, check with your doctor before any sauna visit, sick or not.
More for cold and flu season
- Sauna for a stuffy nose or a cold: what a warm room can and can’t do
- How soon after being sick can you use a sauna?
- Cryotherapy when you’re sick: when to wait and when it’s fine
- 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 with a sinus infection or sinus pressure: dry heat, not steam
- Cold plunge or ice bath when sick?: why to skip it with a fever, a cold or the flu
- 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
- Is it OK to work out with a cold? The neck check
Frequently asked questions
Can you use a sauna with a fever?
No. Rest at home and drink fluids. Heat on top of a fever can leave you dehydrated and lightheaded, and you could pass on what you have. Wait until you’ve gone at least 24 hours without a fever, without fever medicine.
Should I use a sauna when I have a cold?
Not while you have a fever or could pass it on. Rest at home and drink fluids. Once you’ve been fever-free for at least 24 hours and feel better, a short sauna session is a comfort choice some people enjoy.
How soon after being sick can I use a sauna?
Once you’ve gone at least 24 hours without a fever (without fever medicine) and you feel better overall. Start with a short session, drink water and leave early if you feel off.
Can a sauna help me get over a cold faster?
We haven’t seen good evidence that one sauna visit shortens a cold. Some studies link regular sauna use with fewer colds or respiratory illnesses over time, but that is a link, not proof.
Is it OK to sweat out a cold?
There’s no good evidence that sweating gets rid of a cold, and heat plus a fever can leave you dehydrated.
I booked a visit and now I’m sick. What should I do?
Text (504) 381-4207 and we’ll help you move it.
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.