In a traditional sauna running 180 to 195 degrees Fahrenheit, aim for 15 to 20 minutes. An infrared cabin sits at 150 to 160, so you can stay in longer, because the cooler air is easier to tolerate. The room sets the clock.
Traditional: 15 to 20 Minutes, and Where That Number Comes From
The 15 to 20 minute figure is not a tolerance limit or a safety ceiling. It is the session length used in the research that found the cardiovascular benefit, in rooms running 180 to 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
Knowing where the number came from tells you what it is good for.
At that temperature the air works in stages, heating your skin, which then heats the rest of you. Fifteen to twenty minutes is roughly how long that handoff needs to lift your core temperature and put a real load through your heart and blood vessels [1].
It is also long enough to matter and short enough to repeat, which is the practical reason it survived as the default.
Infrared: Lower and Longer
An infrared cabin sits at 150 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and the panels heat you directly instead of heating the air first.
Cooler air is less punishing to sit in, so sessions naturally run longer than a hot traditional session [2]. Your core temperature still climbs. There is no published data on the optimal time in an infrared sauna, but users generally work up to 25 to 30 minutes. Of course, get out earlier if you start feeling uncomfortable.
So go by the room, and by how you feel in it.
Build the Clock Up, and Keep the Frequency in View
Whichever room you are in, the target is a destination rather than a week-one plan.
Spend the first two weeks adapting with shorter sits, using the lower bench in a traditional sauna where the air is cooler. Add load across weeks three and four, changing either the minutes or the heat, not both together.
Build each session in three parts instead of one long session: heat, rinse, rest. The rinse is a cool shower. The rest is sitting down outside the sauna until your heart rate settles.
And if you have to choose, choose frequency over duration. Four to seven sessions a week against one carried about a 40 percent lower risk of dying of any cause. That was more than 2,000 Finnish men, followed for about twenty years [3].
Men going two to three sessions a week still saw a benefit, a smaller benefit than the four-to-seven group but a real one. Five short correct sessions beat one long heroic one.
What the Clock Does Not Control
One thing the timer has no say over.
The testicles run a few degrees cooler than the rest of you by design, which is why they sit outside the body [4]. Scrotal temperature rises with the heat and keeps rising across the whole session, including a correct-length one.
The cells are the reason it matters. Leydig cells make testosterone through temperature-sensitive enzyme steps, and the developing sperm cells next to them are just as heat-sensitive [5].
Sauna heat measurably affects spermatogenesis, the process that makes sperm, and the effect reverses once the heat stops [6].
That doesn't mean cut the session short. A shorter session doesn't fix the heat problem. The answer actually relates to what you wear in, not to the clock.
So Handle It Inside the Session
Oakman is built specifically for active men looking for scrotal cooling all day and want the option of a cold pack for cooling in the sauna or after heat exposure. The boxer briefs take a slim removable cold pack in a medical-grade nylon shell in a front pocket, with a layer of soft fabric between the pack and the skin.
It stays in place for the whole session, cooling the testicles while you take the full 15 to 30 minutes rather than leaving early.
The fabric is TENCEL MicroModal, naturally derived from wood pulp rather than plastic, blended with ROICA V550, a Japanese clean stretch fiber, rather than conventional spandex.
The fit is athletic with a gusset, an extra panel that gives the testicles room and airflow. Dyes are bluesign approved, so what touches your skin is controlled all the way through the supply chain.
Enjoy the whole session, at the temperature the room was built for.
Join the Founding 100
Oakman is sauna cooling for men, launching early fall 2026. Founding members get first access and founding pricing locked in. Reserve your spot.
Frequently asked questions
How long should men stay in a sauna?
In a traditional sauna at 180 to 195 degrees Fahrenheit, 15 to 20 minutes, which is the session length used in the research that found the cardiovascular benefit [1]. In an infrared cabin at 150 to 160, longer, because the panels heat you directly and the cooler room is less punishing to sit in [2].
Is there a set time for an infrared sauna?
No research-backed number exists for an infrared cabin. Sessions run longer than a hot traditional session because the room is cooler [2], so go by how you feel in it rather than by a timer.
Does staying in longer than 20 minutes hurt the testicles?
The 15 to 20 minute figure is a cardiovascular protocol number, not a testicular limit. Scrotal temperature rises across the whole session, including a correct-length one, so a shorter sit is not a fix for it.
Is one long session as good as several short ones?
The evidence favors frequency. Four to seven sessions a week against one carried about a 40 percent lower risk of dying of any cause across more than 2,000 Finnish men followed for about twenty years [3].
This is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. It makes no claim about fertility, sperm, or testosterone outcomes from any product. Always talk with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Oakman products are apparel and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
References
- Laukkanen JA, Laukkanen T, Kunutsor SK. (2018). Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Elsevier). [Link]
- Beever R. (2009). Far-infrared saunas for treatment of cardiovascular risk factors: summary of published evidence. Canadian Family Physician. [Link]
- Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA. (2015). Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Internal Medicine. [Link]
- Ivell R. (2007). Lifestyle impact and the biology of the human scrotum. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology (BioMed Central). [Link]
- Cai H, Qin D, Peng S. (2021). Responses and coping methods of different testicular cell types to heat stress: overview and perspectives. Bioscience Reports. [Link]
- Garolla A, et al.. (2013). Seminal and molecular evidence that sauna exposure affects human spermatogenesis. Human Reproduction. [Link]
