Yes, but not in the way that you think. In a sauna you do lose weight because you are sweating. So you are losing water weight. Sitting in a sauna would not be of much use, unless you are trying to cut weight very quickly, like wrestlers who need to drop pounds quickly before a weigh-in.

Actually, yes. As to the belief that you lose ONLY water weight, that is totally false and wrong. People who say you lose ONLY water weight have not done enough research. Yes, you for sure you lose water weight as you sweat,... HOWEVER you sweat because your body's metabolism goes into overdrive, thus, you are burning calories. You lose calories because your body has to work hard at keeping your body temperature down, like when you drink a ice-cold cup of water, your body has to work (metabolism) to bring the water to body temperature, which is why drinking cold water in the morning wakes you up and kick-starts your metabolism early before breakfast (try it sometime, wake up at 2 a.m., and drink some really cold water, and see how long you stay up before going back to sleep). Likewise, when your inside/outside body heat battles with the temperature in the sauna, your body is working hard to keep your body cool, which is where we get Sweat, just like exercising (in a simple way of saying it). When you run, you sweat? Why? Because your metabolism is working, not because you're merely getting hot. You can lose anywhere from 500-1000 calories in a 30 minutes session depending on your weight and how hot the sauna is set. So, go and relax in a sauna, and burn calories. Just be careful not to overdo it by knowing how much you can handle. If you're older, watch your heart. Your heart will pump faster and harder. Disclosure: Consult with a doctor before using a sauna. Use at your own risk.

you do lose weight sweating. to sweat your cells have to work for your cells to work they have to metabolise energy (ATP) therefore sweating helps you lose weight (in laymens terms anyway but if you want the full text book version, i can find that for you) I'm studying biochemistry and microbiolgy so, i actually know what I'm talking about

Actually yesterday I sat in sauna for 30 minutes and weighed myself the nest day and found out I had lost 4 pounds I was SOOOOO happy. Thanks healthman for your answer....

yes it does because your burning calories which turns into weight losage. Source: American Encyclopedia Author: Chris Dybka

some of these answers on this site are funny. IF you need to lose weight, and are interested in saunas, go talk to your Marine Corps recruiter. 30 minutes on the elyptical, 30 minutes in the sauna, 30 more minutes on the elyptical, 30 more in the sauna, and when you get out of the sauna, and even the rest of the day, SIP your water dont GULP your water and you are almost guaranteed to only gain back one or two pounds from the excersize. And as you become more adapted to the sauna take more turns in the sauna, also, take cold showers in between, if you want.. I never have and I am fine.

yes

yoo just read this okay well your body is 75% water soo if you are geting out the water and a lil sweat its good because you drink atlease 2 littlers of water wich it way more thene you need thats why you piss it out so a geting in one of those thing is acctully recomended

Probably not, but it will increase your chances of a passing out !

That is great. Everyone has a different answer. What I can add with my little knowledge is this. Your body is using energy to cool down your body (ATP which is some kind of Carbohydrat in the cells) but I cannot believe that this would be 500-1000calories for 30min sitting and relaxing. Why am I then running around if I would loose more calories sitting in a sauna?! I would say that a sauna session gives you the chance of sweating out the toxines in your body and relax your muscles a little. Therefore you might have less muscle ache the next day. But the calorie burn is that low, that you barely loose weight. You rather go training your body to increase your muscles (you don't have to be Rambo) and then your minimal cal. burn is higher (even during sleep and relaxing) and then you will loose fat (Not necessarily weight, as muscles are heavier than fat). plus... What I learned while I had sport at school was that if you go to a sauna after working out you won't only sweat out your toxines but also the minerals and substances, elements your body builds during working out to trigger muscle build up. Meaning you loose the substances to increase your muscles tonus. Perhaps somebody knows more about that than me (for sure) Have a nice day, train hard, rest enough and eat the right things

who cares stop being lazy and work out thats whats wrong with the world today everybody wants a fastfood way of life cause your all lazy we should take all the lazy people and put them on their own Island then will see how much gets done WORKOUT!!!

i have experienced it amd i can tell for sure as am a weight trainer, sauna does make u lose fat, it tightens up ur skin becuase ur fat burnt. But remember u have to drink a lot of water with sauna, examine ur self, after couple of days of sauna, the flabbiness in ur skin, ur tummy will start disappearing. Sauna after a great workout, is a great tool to lose fat.

i AM IN THE MILITARY AND WHAT i DEO IS RUN ABOUT 5-8 MILES ONE DAY TO WORK UP A GREAT SWEAT THEN SIT IN THE SAUNA FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF TO CUT WEIGHT...iT WORKS GREAT. THE NEXT DAY I WILL ONLY RUN A MILE AND DO SPRINTS OR SOME FORM OF CARDIO FOR A HALF AN HOUR, IE. JUMP ROPE OR BAG TRAINING THEN SIT IN THE SAUNA AGAIN FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. I LOST 7 LBS IN 4 DAYS...I DID NOT WEAR A SAUNA SUIT. JUST TWO LAYERS OF CLOTHING. TSHIRT SHORTS AND A SWEATSUIT. I DRANK 2 GALLONS OF WATER EACH DAY AND I FEEL GREAT...THIS IS ALSO WHILE TAKING HYDROXYCUT HARDCORE AND EATING BRKFAST LUNCH AND DINNER WHILE I HAD TUNA PACKS IN BETWEEN BRKFAST AND AFTER LUNCH...TWO 32 OUNCES OF GATORAID... BUT EVERYONE'S BODY IS NOT THE SAME. HAVE FUN. GOT RUNNING???