We鈥檙e about an hour into our session at the Russian and Turkish Baths, an old-school bathhouse in New York鈥檚 East Village, when my friend Matt closes his eyes, throws his head back, and says, 鈥淚鈥檓 getting hit.鈥 The two of us are sitting on a tiled ledge. Half-naked people in robes and bikinis mill about. I鈥檓 feeling sweaty and, as usual, anxious. But by the time we emerge onto the sidewalk an hour later, I feel immensely refreshed. My hands are wrinkled and pale, and I鈥檓 relaxed in ways I haven鈥檛 felt in weeks. I got the hit, too. It feels like an accomplishment鈥攁 runner鈥檚 high minus the running.听
The idea that extreme heat can improve mental health聽isn鈥檛 new. The Russian and Turkish Baths opened in 1892. Around that time, an Austrian scientist began giving patients fevers to treat psychosis鈥攁 technique that eventually earned him the 1927 Nobel Prize in medicine. While deliberately raising the body鈥檚 temperature (think sweat lodges and hot yoga) has long been an established practice in the wellness world, medical hyperthermia has seen a slow but steady trickle toward credibility in recent years.听
In 2016, Charles Raison, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin鈥揗adison, published an intriguing study of 30 patients with clinical depression. Half of them rested on a bed while an infrared heat-lamp array raised their body temperature to 101.3 degrees. The control group was exposed to a sham treatment, which also involved bright lights but less heat. Though the study was small, whole-body warming showed a dramatic antidepressant effect. Raison鈥檚 colleagues are now trying to determine if infrared saunas might replicate their fancy medical-grade hot boxes.听
Jari Laukkanen, a Finnish cardiologist who鈥檚 fond of taking a daily sauna, has observed a similar pattern among larger groups. In a 2018 study of more than 2,000 Finnish men, he found a correlation between taking a traditional sauna four or more times a week and decreased risk of developing a physician-diagnosed mental-health disorder.听
While these correlations are certainly provocative, findings on the physical benefits of sauna heat are well-documented. Laukkanen鈥檚 published studies suggest that frequent sauna goers tend to live longer and have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, compared with those who go once a week. These observations could have physiological underpinnings鈥攕aunas mimic the stress and sweating of light exercise with almost none of the physical exertion鈥攂ut Laukkanen admits there are several possible explanations. As he put it to me, in less than perfect English that I鈥檓 paraphrasing: we shouldn鈥檛 underestimate the effects of sitting, calming down, and relaxing.听
These studies have sparked considerable debate in the medical community, in part because they involve a relatively passive intervention. But critics contend that these associations could stem from selection bias鈥攆it people who exercise regularly may just happen to sauna more often. Sauna bathing could also serve as an indicator for people who live in affluent societies and have healthier living patterns. And it may be that simply believing saunas are calming acts as a placebo. In short, researchers haven鈥檛 teased out definite explanations for why the practice might stabilize the body or mind.听
Earlier this summer, Matt convinced me to buy a punch card to the bathhouse. So while I鈥檓 now a dedicated saunagoer, I鈥檓 still not entirely sure why our trips feel good. I just know that although an hour of sweating it out is no replacement for exercise, weathering those high temperatures creates low-impact stress and helps me relax afterward. Worst-case scenario: it鈥檚 a good excuse to get together with a friend and take a load off.