Short answer: after a stomach bug, wait at least 48 hours after the vomiting and diarrhea stop, and until you’ve kept food and water down for a full day, before a sauna, because the sauna makes you sweat and a stomach bug leaves you short of fluids.
The CDC’s norovirus guidance says people can still spread it for at least two days after symptoms end.
When you’re ready: a private infrared sauna at NOLA Chill, 6045 Magazine Street, New Orleans, is $30 for 30 minutes or $40 for 45, and Hydromassage, the easiest first visit back, is $30. You can book a time and pay after your visit. We’re open 7 days: Monday to Friday 9 to 7, Saturday 9 to 4 and Sunday 10 to 3. Every price is on the pricing page, and the infrared sauna page shows every sauna option.
The 48-hour rule and why it matters in a sauna
The CDC’s norovirus prevention page says not to prepare food for others or care for others for at least two days, 48 hours, after your symptoms stop, and that you can still spread the virus for two weeks or more after you feel better. Norovirus is the usual “stomach bug,” and the CDC’s norovirus page says it spreads easily from person to person and from surfaces. Those 48 hours are the first reason to wait.
The second reason is fluids. Vomiting and diarrhea take water and salts out of you, and the CDC’s advice while you’re sick is to drink plenty of liquids to replace what you lose. A sauna takes more water out through sweat, which is the opposite of what you need until you’re drinking and eating normally again. That’s why we add a day of keeping food and water down to the CDC’s 48 hours.
What to book first, and when
| Where you are | What to book |
|---|---|
| Still vomiting or with diarrhea | Nothing. Rest and drink fluids, as the CDC says. |
| Symptoms stopped less than 48 hours ago | Nothing yet. You can still pass it on. |
| 48 hours clear, eating and drinking normally for a day | Hydromassage ($30): 30 minutes on a warm water bed, no heat and nothing asked of you. |
| A few days clear and feeling like yourself | A 30-minute sauna ($30). Drink water before and after and step out early if you feel lightheaded. |
| Fully well | Whatever you like, including cryotherapy, which follows the same wait for an infection. |
Easing back in
- Start with Hydromassage ($30). You lie down, clothed, on a warm water bed for 30 minutes. It asks nothing of you.
- Then a 30-minute infrared sauna ($30). Keep the first one short and bring water in with you.
- Cryotherapy last. Our cryotherapy when sick page explains why an active infection means wait.
- Wash your hands well before you come. The CDC says hand sanitizer alone doesn’t work well against norovirus, and soap and water do.
What the research says
We haven’t seen studies on sauna use after a stomach bug, so the timing above comes from the CDC’s norovirus guidance and plain sense about fluids, not from sauna research. We make no claim that a sauna, a massage bed or cold air helps a stomach bug pass. Our evidence library covers what sauna studies do and don’t show.
More for cold and flu season
- How soon you can use a sauna after being sick
- Sauna when sick or with a fever: the 24-hour rule
- After the flu or a cold: easy ways back to normal
- Sauna for a stuffy nose or cold: what helps
- Flu season in New Orleans: this week’s numbers
Frequently asked questions
How soon after a stomach bug can I use a sauna?
Wait at least 48 hours after the vomiting and diarrhea stop, and until you’ve kept food and water down for a full day. The 48 hours is the CDC’s norovirus rule for being around others, and the extra day is about fluids.
Can a sauna help with a stomach bug?
No. A sauna takes water out of you through sweat, and replacing fluids is the CDC’s main advice while you’re sick. Rest and drink.
Is a stomach bug still contagious after the symptoms stop?
Yes. The CDC says you can still spread norovirus for two weeks or more after you feel better, and it asks for at least 48 hours before preparing food for or caring for others.
Can I do cryotherapy after a stomach bug?
Give it the same wait, and come once you feel like yourself. The 2025 expert consensus on whole body cryotherapy lists acute infections as a temporary reason to put a session off.
What should I book first?
Hydromassage ($30). It’s 30 minutes on a warm water bed with no heat and nothing asked of you, then a 30-minute sauna a few days later.
Is a stomach bug going around New Orleans right now?
Norovirus is most common from November to April. Our flu season page tracks flu, COVID and RSV in local emergency rooms each week, but not stomach bugs, so ask your doctor’s office what they’re seeing.
I booked a visit and got a stomach bug. What should I do?
Text us at (504) 381-4207 and we’ll move your visit.
NOLA Chill is a wellness studio at 6045 Magazine Street in New Orleans, not a medical clinic. The sauna and the massage bed are wellness amenities, not medical care, and nothing here is advice about an illness.