SaunaBox Solara
SaunaBox Solara
End of Summer Sale · $2,599 $3,000
Shop the Solara
Man in his forties sitting in a SaunaBox Solara infrared sauna in his apartment on a winter morning
SaunaBox
The flu season guide

What a sauna can and can't do for you this flu season.

51 million Americans got the flu last season. Here is what the research on saunas and colds actually found, what it didn’t, and where twenty minutes of heat fits in a winter routine.

Shop the Solara
Twenty minutes
A household outlet
Free shipping
Key facts
•The CDC estimates 51 million flu illnesses and 710,000 hospitalizations in the 2024 to 2025 season (CDC, 2026).
•A 1990 study of 50 people found regular sauna users caught fewer colds, but their colds were no shorter (Ernst et al., 1990).
•A Finnish study of 2,210 middle-aged men linked sauna use 2 to 3 times a week to about 28% lower pneumonia risk. It is observational and men only (Kunutsor et al., 2017).
•Breathing hot air during a cold showed no benefit in a Cochrane review of six trials (2017).
•Harvard Health advises skipping the sauna when you are ill. A sauna does not prevent or treat colds or flu.
01

Flu season starts before you think it does, and peaks in February.

Last season was the worst in years. The CDC estimates 51 million flu illnesses, 23 million medical visits and 710,000 hospitalizations in 2024 to 2025, and classed it high severity for the first time since 2017 to 2018.

Flu most often peaks in February. And the average adult still catches two to three colds a year on top of it.

Flu illnesses, 2024 to 2025
51 million
Flu hospitalizations, same season
710,000
Month flu most often peaks
February
Colds the average adult gets a year
2 to 3

It doesn’t need to put you in hospital to take a week off your life.

Sources: CDC, 2024-2025 Influenza Season Burden Estimates, 2026. CDC, Flu Season timing, February is the peak month in 17 of the last 40 seasons. CDC, About the Common Cold.

A SaunaBox Solara infrared sauna in the corner of a bedroom
Dark at five, freezing outside, and everyone at work has it.
02

A week with the flu is mostly a week you lose.

In a CDC network study of workers who got sick, people with confirmed flu lost about 69% of their expected work hours that week, between staying home and working while barely functioning. That is roughly three and a half of five workdays.

And nearly half of workers say they have gone in sick because they couldn’t afford the lost pay. Nobody plans for the week they lose. They just lose it.

Work hours lost that weekabout 69%
Workdays that works out toabout 3.5 of 5
Worried about flu, RSV or COVIDover 1 in 3
Went to work sick anywaynearly half

And nearly half of workers say they have gone in sick because they couldn’t afford the lost pay. Nobody plans for the week they lose. They just lose it.

03

Two studies found something. Both are worth knowing about.

In 1990, researchers in Austria followed 50 people for six months. Half used a sauna regularly, half didn’t. The sauna group caught fewer colds, roughly half as many in the last three months. Their colds lasted just as long and were just as bad.

In Finland, a study followed 2,210 middle-aged men for about 25 years. The men who used a sauna two to three times a week had about 28% lower risk of pneumonia diagnosed in hospital than men who used one once a week or less.

Interesting, small, and not the whole story. Here is the rest.

Both studies used traditional Finnish saunas, not infrared, so we do not apply their results to an infrared cabin.

Boots, a wool scarf and a mug of tea by the door of an apartment on a winter morning
Fifty people in 1990, and 2,210 Finnish men over 25 years. That is the whole evidence base.
04

A sauna won’t cure a cold, and nobody has proven it prevents one.

0
In the 1990 study
0
Finnish men, men only
0%
Lower pneumonia risk

The 1990 study was small and never repeated. The Finnish study only shows that men who used saunas more often got pneumonia less often, not that the sauna was the reason, and it only included men.

Both used traditional Finnish saunas, not infrared. And once you are already sick, heat does not help. A Cochrane review of six trials found breathing heated air during a cold showed no benefit, and a trial of 157 people breathing hot sauna air with a cold found no difference in symptoms.

If a sauna brand promises it keeps you from getting sick, they’re selling you something the research doesn’t say.

Source: Ernst et al., Annals of Medicine, 1990, PMID 2248758, 50 volunteers. Kunutsor et al., Respiratory Medicine, 2017, PMID 29229091, 2,210 men aged 42 to 61, observational. Singh et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017, PMID 28849871, 6 trials, 387 people. Pach et al., Medical Journal of Australia, 2010, PMID 21143077, 157 people. Both studies used traditional Finnish saunas. A sauna does not prevent or treat colds, flu or any illness.

05

Short sleep is one of the clearest links to catching a cold.

In a study where 164 healthy adults had their sleep tracked for a week and were then given a cold virus, people who slept less than six hours a night were about four times as likely to get sick as people who slept more than seven.

Sleep is something a sauna can actually help with. In the Global Sauna Survey, 83.5% of 482 regular sauna users said they slept better afterwards. We are not saying a sauna prevents colds. We are saying sleep matters in winter, and most people who use a sauna say they sleep better.

164 adults, one week tracked
83.5% slept better
Over 7 hours of sleep Under 6 hours of sleep Risk of catching the cold About 4x as likely
83.5%

of 482 sauna users said they slept better afterwards.

That is a survey of people who already use saunas, not a trial. Winter is when your sleep gets worst and matters most.

Global Sauna Survey, 2019
A made bed in an apartment bedroom with a SaunaBox Solara infrared sauna in the corner

Not in the sauna. In the eight hours after it.

Sources: Prather et al., Sleep, 2015, PMID 26118561, 164 adults. Global Sauna Survey, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019, PMID 31126560, a survey of people who already use saunas, not a trial. A sauna supports sleep. It does not prevent or treat colds, flu or any illness.

06

If you’re already sick, skip the sauna.

Use it to wind down while you’re well. Rest while you’re not.

Harvard Health puts it simply: “Don’t take a sauna when you are ill, and if you feel unwell during your sauna, head for the door.” If you have a fever, extra heat adds strain your body doesn’t need. Wait until you feel better, drink water, and start again slowly.

And a sauna is not a replacement for anything your doctor recommends in flu season, including the flu shot.

Source: Harvard Health Publishing, May 2020, quoted as safety advice only. SaunaBox is not endorsed by or affiliated with Harvard.

Person relaxing in a SaunaBox Solara infrared sauna at home on a winter evening
07

Twenty minutes, a few nights a week, all winter.

It takes about fifteen minutes to warm up. Turn it on when you walk in from the cold, and it is ready by the time you have changed. Drink water first, then sit.

Mon
Home, sauna, early night
Tue
Rest night
Wed
Sauna after dinner
Thu
Rest night
Fri
Sauna, then a show
Sat
Sauna before bed
Sun
Rest night

The Finnish men in the study who used a sauna two to three times a week are where most owners land too.

Three or four nights a week, every week, from November to March.

A SaunaBox Solara infrared sauna warming up in the corner of a bedroom on a winter evening
When it’s dark at five and freezing outside, this is the warmest twenty minutes of your day.
08

A corner of the bedroom is enough.

About thirty minutes to put together. One person. No tools, nothing drilled, a regular household outlet. The Solara fits adults up to 6 foot 8 seated, and at 63 inches tall outside it clears a standard doorway. A corner of the bedroom, the basement or a spare room is all it needs.

SaunaBox Solara
End of Summer Sale
SaunaBox Solara
$2,599$3,000

If you have a corner of the bedroom, the basement or a spare room.

35 x 37 in of floorUp to 158°F660 + 850nm red lightCanadian hemlock
Shop the Solara
No tools, about 30 min
Household 110V outlet
Free shipping, mainland USA
Warm in about 15 min
09
4.6 out of 5  ·  160 reviews

From Solara owners.

★★★★★
Enjoying

I purchased my sauna before Christmas and was using it religiously through the winter after workouts. It was easy to put together and fits well in my side room.

Clement L.
★★★★★
Skeptical at first

Packaged extremely well. Very easy to assemble. Assembled product fitment was perfect. All of it works great, Love it.

Eric
★★★★★
Solara

Love the Solara. Would be nice to have contours on the walls in the back and sides to lean against and not be touching the heating panels. Great size. Heats up quickly.

Ken
End of Summer Sale

The Solara is on sale now.

The Solara is $2,599, down from $3,000. Free shipping to the mainland USA, and HSA and FSA eligible through TrueMed.

Free shipping
Mainland USA
HSA and FSA
Through TrueMed
Save $401
On the Solara
2-Year warranty
On the Solara
10

Questions.

The honest answer is that nobody has proven it. One small 1990 study found regular sauna users caught fewer colds, and a Finnish study of men found frequent sauna users had lower pneumonia risk, but neither shows the sauna caused it. What a sauna does do, according to most regular users, is help them sleep better.

No. Harvard Health advises skipping the sauna when you are ill. If you have a fever, wait until you feel better.

No. Trials of breathing hot air during a cold found no benefit, and colds in the 1990 study lasted just as long for sauna users.

Yes. Infrared heats you directly at a lower air temperature. The studies on this page used traditional Finnish saunas, so we don't apply their results to infrared.

Most owners use it three or four times a week for about twenty minutes. Start shorter and drink water first.

No. Follow your doctor and the CDC on flu vaccines.

About fifteen minutes from switching it on.

No. A regular 110V household outlet at 1600W with an 8 foot cord. Give it its own outlet rather than a shared strip, and skip extension leads.

35 by 37 inches of floor and 63 inches tall, so it clears a standard doorway and sits in a corner. Measure the tightest turn on the way in, not the room.

Up to 158°F. It ships set to 149°F; holding TIME + and TIME − together for about six seconds unlocks the full range.

Yes, through TrueMed, subject to their eligibility questions at checkout.

2-Year warranty, with support by phone and text.

Intertek testedProp 65 compliantUltra low EMF2-Year warranty110V

SaunaBox saunas are intended for general wellness use only. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, including colds, flu or COVID-19, and nothing here is medical advice. The studies described used traditional Finnish saunas and are observational or small. Do not use a sauna when you are ill or have a fever, do not use it after drinking alcohol, do not fall asleep in it, drink water first, stand up slowly afterwards, and speak to your physician before starting sauna use, especially with a heart condition, if you are pregnant, or if you take blood pressure medication.

Man in his forties sitting in a SaunaBox Solara infrared sauna in his apartment on a winter morning
SaunaBox
The flu season guide

What a sauna can and can't do for you this flu season.

51 million Americans got the flu last season. Here is what the research on saunas and colds actually found, what it didn’t, and where twenty minutes of heat fits in a winter routine.

Shop the Solara
Twenty minutes
A household outlet
Key facts
•The CDC estimates 51 million flu illnesses and 710,000 hospitalizations in the 2024 to 2025 season (CDC, 2026).
•A 1990 study of 50 people found regular sauna users caught fewer colds, but their colds were no shorter (Ernst et al., 1990).
•A Finnish study of 2,210 middle-aged men linked sauna use 2 to 3 times a week to about 28% lower pneumonia risk. It is observational and men only (Kunutsor et al., 2017).
•Breathing hot air during a cold showed no benefit in a Cochrane review of six trials (2017).
•Harvard Health advises skipping the sauna when you are ill. A sauna does not prevent or treat colds or flu.
01

Flu season starts before you think it does, and peaks in February.

Last season was the worst in years. The CDC estimates 51 million flu illnesses, 23 million medical visits and 710,000 hospitalizations in 2024 to 2025, and classed it high severity for the first time since 2017 to 2018.

Flu most often peaks in February. And the average adult still catches two to three colds a year on top of it.

Flu illnesses, 2024 to 2025
51 million
Flu hospitalizations, same season
710,000
Month flu most often peaks
February
Colds the average adult gets a year
2 to 3

It doesn’t need to put you in hospital to take a week off your life.

Sources: CDC, 2024-2025 Influenza Season Burden Estimates, 2026. CDC, Flu Season timing, February is the peak month in 17 of the last 40 seasons. CDC, About the Common Cold.

A SaunaBox Solara infrared sauna in the corner of a bedroom
02

A week with the flu is mostly a week you lose.

In a CDC network study of workers who got sick, people with confirmed flu lost about 69% of their expected work hours that week, between staying home and working while barely functioning. That is roughly three and a half of five workdays.

And nearly half of workers say they have gone in sick because they couldn’t afford the lost pay. Nobody plans for the week they lose. They just lose it.

Work hours lost that weekabout 69%
Workdays that works out toabout 3.5 of 5
Worried about flu, RSV or COVIDover 1 in 3
Went to work sick anywaynearly half

Nobody plans for the week they lose. They just lose it.

03

Two studies found something. Both are worth knowing about.

Boots, a wool scarf and a mug of tea by the door of an apartment on a winter morning

In 1990, researchers in Austria followed 50 people for six months. Half used a sauna regularly, half didn’t. The sauna group caught fewer colds, roughly half as many in the last three months. Their colds lasted just as long and were just as bad.

In Finland, a study followed 2,210 middle-aged men for about 25 years. The men who used a sauna two to three times a week had about 28% lower risk of pneumonia diagnosed in hospital than men who used one once a week or less.

Both studies used traditional Finnish saunas, not infrared, so we do not apply their results to an infrared cabin.

04

A sauna won’t cure a cold, and nobody has proven it prevents one.

0
In the 1990 study
0
Finnish men, men only
0%
Lower pneumonia risk

The 1990 study was small and never repeated. The Finnish study only shows that men who used saunas more often got pneumonia less often, not that the sauna was the reason, and it only included men.

Both used traditional Finnish saunas, not infrared. And once you are already sick, heat does not help. A Cochrane review of six trials found breathing heated air during a cold showed no benefit.

If a sauna brand promises it keeps you from getting sick, they’re selling you something the research doesn’t say.

Source: Ernst et al., Annals of Medicine, 1990, PMID 2248758, 50 volunteers. Kunutsor et al., Respiratory Medicine, 2017, PMID 29229091, 2,210 men aged 42 to 61, observational. Singh et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017, PMID 28849871. Both studies used traditional Finnish saunas. A sauna does not prevent or treat colds, flu or any illness.

05

Short sleep is one of the clearest links to catching a cold.

In a study where 164 healthy adults had their sleep tracked and were then given a cold virus, people sleeping under six hours a night were about four times as likely to get sick as people sleeping over seven.

In the Global Sauna Survey, 83.5% of 482 regular sauna users said they slept better afterwards. A sauna supports sleep. It does not prevent colds.

Over 7 hours of sleep Under 6 hours of sleep Risk of catching the cold 83.5% slept better
164 adults, one week tracked
83.5% slept better
83.5%

of 482 sauna users said they slept better afterwards.

That is a survey of people who already use saunas, not a trial. Winter is when your sleep gets worst and matters most.

Global Sauna Survey, 2019

Not in the sauna. In the eight hours after it.

Source: Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019, PMID 31126560. Self-reported. Heat supports sleep, it does not treat a sleep disorder.

06

If you’re already sick, skip the sauna.

Use it to wind down while you’re well. Rest while you’re not.

The red light panel built into the back wall of the Solara

Harvard Health puts it simply: “Don’t take a sauna when you are ill, and if you feel unwell during your sauna, head for the door.” If you have a fever, extra heat adds strain your body doesn’t need. Wait until you feel better, drink water, and start again slowly.

And a sauna is not a replacement for anything your doctor recommends in flu season, including the flu shot.

Source: Harvard Health Publishing, May 2020, quoted as safety advice only. SaunaBox is not endorsed by or affiliated with Harvard.

07

Twenty minutes, a few nights a week, all winter.

It takes about fifteen minutes to warm up. Turn it on when you walk in from the cold, and it is ready by the time you have changed. Drink water first, then sit.

Mon
Home, sauna, early night
Tue
Rest night
Wed
Sauna after dinner
Thu
Rest night
Fri
Sauna, then a show
Sat
Sauna before bed
Sun
Rest night

Three or four nights a week, every week, from November to March.

A SaunaBox Solara infrared sauna warming up in the corner of a bedroom on a winter evening
08

A corner of the bedroom is enough.

About thirty minutes to put together. One person. No tools, nothing drilled, a regular household outlet.

SaunaBox Solara
End of Summer Sale
SaunaBox Solara
$2,599$3,000

If you have a corner of the bedroom, the basement or a spare room.

35 x 37 in of floorUp to 158°F660 + 850nm red light
Shop the Solara
09
4.6 out of 5 · 160 reviews

From Solara owners.

★★★★★
Enjoying

I purchased my sauna before Christmas and was using it religiously through the winter after workouts. It was easy to put together and fits well in my side room.

Clement L.
★★★★★
Skeptical at first

Packaged extremely well. Very easy to assemble. Assembled product fitment was perfect. All of it works great, Love it.

Eric
★★★★★
Solara

Love the Solara. Would be nice to have contours on the walls in the back and sides to lean against and not be touching the heating panels. Great size. Heats up quickly.

Ken
End of Summer Sale

The Solara is on sale now.

The Solara is $2,599, down from $3,000. Free shipping to the mainland USA, and HSA and FSA eligible through TrueMed.

Shop the Solara
Free shipping
Mainland USA
HSA and FSA
Through TrueMed
Save $401
On the Solara
2-Year warranty
On the Solara
10

Questions.

The honest answer is that nobody has proven it. One small 1990 study found regular sauna users caught fewer colds, and a Finnish study of men found frequent sauna users had lower pneumonia risk, but neither shows the sauna caused it. What a sauna does do, according to most regular users, is help them sleep better.

No. Harvard Health advises skipping the sauna when you are ill. If you have a fever, wait until you feel better.

No. Trials of breathing hot air during a cold found no benefit, and colds in the 1990 study lasted just as long for sauna users.

Yes. Infrared heats you directly at a lower air temperature. The studies on this page used traditional Finnish saunas, so we don't apply their results to infrared.

Most owners use it three or four times a week for about twenty minutes. Start shorter and drink water first.

No. Follow your doctor and the CDC on flu vaccines.

About fifteen minutes from switching it on.

No. A regular 110V household outlet at 1600W with an 8 foot cord. Give it its own outlet rather than a shared strip, and skip extension leads.

35 by 37 inches of floor and 63 inches tall, so it clears a standard doorway and sits in a corner. Measure the tightest turn on the way in, not the room.

Up to 158°F. It ships set to 149°F; holding TIME + and TIME − together for about six seconds unlocks the full range.

Yes, through TrueMed, subject to their eligibility questions at checkout.

2-Year warranty, with support by phone and text.

Intertek testedProp 65 compliantUltra low EMF2-Year warranty110V

SaunaBox saunas are intended for general wellness use only. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, including colds, flu or COVID-19. Do not use a sauna when you are ill or have a fever, do not use it after drinking alcohol, drink water first, and speak to your physician before starting sauna use.