Sauna vs steam room: what’s the difference?

Last reviewed 23 October 2026

Both make you hot and sweaty, but they feel very different. The short version: a sauna is hot and dry, a steam room is cooler and very humid.

Sauna: hot, dry air

A traditional Finnish-style sauna is a wooden room heated by a stove topped with stones. It usually runs at around 70–100°C with low humidity. Pouring water on the stones (löyly) sends a wave of steam through the room and makes it feel hotter for a minute or two.

The stove can be electric or wood-fired. Wood-fired saunas are common at community and outdoor saunas. Many people find the heat softer, and you get the smell and crackle of the fire.

Steam room: lower heat, near 100% humidity

A steam room is usually tiled and filled with steam from a generator. It runs much cooler than a sauna, often around 40–50°C, but the air is saturated, so sweat can’t evaporate and it feels intense. Steam rooms are common in leisure centres, gyms and spas, often next to the sauna.

Infrared sauna: warming you, not the air

An infrared sauna uses infrared heaters that warm your body more than the air around you. The room stays cooler, often around 45–60°C, so sessions can be longer and gentler. Infrared saunas are usually private cabins or pods, booked for one or two people.

Banya and hammam: bathing traditions

• Banya is the Russian bathhouse: a hot, humid steam room, often with parenie, where you’re swept with a bundle of birch or oak leaves (a venik), followed by cold water.
• Hammam is the Turkish bath: warm, humid marble rooms, washing, and often a scrub. It’s less about extreme heat and more about cleansing and resting.

Which should you choose?

Many venues have both a sauna and a steam room, so you don’t have to choose. Whichever you pick, drink water, keep sessions short at first, and leave if you feel dizzy or unwell.