How an ozone steam sauna session actually works

What an ozone steam sauna session is

An ozone steam sauna session is a warm, humid steam bath taken in a sealed fibreglass sauna, with one important difference from a normal steam room: your head stays outside. You sit on an adjustable seat, the doors close around your body, and a towel or collar closes the gap at your neck, so your breathing stays in ordinary room air.

The Salvagente range puts three modalities in one sauna: steam to carry the heat, 12 micron far infrared, and ozone produced on board from a medical oxygen concentrator. That is the Standard and the Deluxe; the Red Light adds near infrared, red, blue and green light, making seven in one. A 500 mg/h generator fed with a constant 2 l/min of oxygen brings the whole air volume of the sauna to roughly 47 ppm ozone, and the digital display steps that output in 10 levels of 10% each. Having them together in one 30-minute session is simpler and more practical than separate devices.

A session takes about 30 minutes.

Before the session

The preparation is simple, and matters more than most first-timers expect.

• Drink water. At least 1 to 1.5 litres daily, with extra before and after a session, so you can break a sweat.
• Eat lightly. Avoid a heavy meal immediately before or straight afterwards.
• Leave alcohol alone. At least 8 hours after your last drink, and 4 hours after the session before drinking again.
• Hold the vitamin C and supplements. Vitamin C and ozone neutralise one another, so refrain from vitamin C or supplements for 1 to 2 hours before or after a session.
• Ask about medication. If you take any medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether to time your session around it. Never skip, delay or move a prescribed dose to fit a session.
• Declare your health history. Pregnancy, active bleeding, clotting disorders, thrombosis, active hyperthyroidism, heart conditions and pacemakers, recent heart attack, stroke, major surgery or chemotherapy are all reasons to stop and take advice first. Check who should not use an ozone sauna before you book.
• Do not book while you are menstruating. Menstruation is a contraindication. Wait until your period has finished, then book as normal.

If it is your own sauna and your first run

Owners have a short setup routine: connect the oxygen concentrator, fill the water bottle at the back with verified distilled water, position the sauna, preheat and programme the session. Order matters when switching on — wall socket, then the oxygen concentrator, then the sauna — and switching off runs the other way. Never run the sauna without the concentrator on; over time that will burn out the ozone generator. The operating manual for your model has the button-by-button detail.

The first preheat of the day, or after a long gap, takes 10 to 20 minutes depending on the room. Between clients, allow about 5 minutes to get out and dressed, 5 minutes to wipe down and reset the towels, and 5 minutes for the next person to get in. The sauna is built to run sessions back to back.

Getting in

Wear as little as possible, because clothing sits between the ozone and your skin. A clinic gives you privacy to undress and a towel to sit on. Set the seat height before you sit, not once the doors are closed.

Once you are seated, the doors close and the neck opening is covered. Our saunas take users up to about 2 m (6 ft 5 in) tall; rated user weight differs by model — 120 kg for the Standard and 180 kg (about 397 lb) for the Deluxe — so check the product page for the one you will be using.

The 30 minutes inside

For a first session we suggest starting between 30 °C and 37 °C, depending on what feels comfortable. Only people in good health should go above 37 °C. There is a practical ceiling as well: ozone begins to break down at around 40 °C and does so faster as the temperature rises, so hotter is not better.

Over the half hour the sauna warms, the humidity rises, and you begin to sweat. Steam softens the outer layer of the skin. Most people find it relaxing.

If you get uncomfortably hot, say so; the heat is adjustable. Our view is that the heat is a bonus for those who enjoy it, not the point of the session.

You can end the session at any moment. To get out, open the doors and step out. To stop the ozone, switch the sauna off at its wall socket once you’re out. You can use the sauna on your own at home if you can get in and out unaided; in a business, a trained person must be present and within call during every client’s session, and a child needs constant supervision.

You are not breathing the ozone: your head is outside the sauna throughout. If you ever smell ozone or feel unwell, follow the steps on feeling unwell.

Getting out, and the 20 minutes after

• Keep warm. Sit or lie down for about 20 minutes.
• Do not walk barefoot onto cold tiles.
• Drink water, and avoid a large meal immediately.
• Leave supplements and vitamin C for 1 to 2 hours, and showering for at least 2 hours.
• If you take any medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether to time your session around it. Never skip, delay or move a prescribed dose to fit a session.

You may find marks on the towel. Many clients notice residue on a white towel after a session of heavy sweating; it is normal, and it is not a test or a diagnosis. Wash the towel, and wipe the sauna down after use.

Your first block of sessions

Our standing recommendation is at least 10 sessions before judging whether sessions suit you. For a healthy adult starting out, the pattern we publish is 1 to 3 sessions a week, increasing gradually after 2 to 3 weeks, then 2 to 3 a week for a month and about 10 a month after that. For athletes, the pattern we publish is daily or every other day around events.

If you are managing a diagnosed condition, speak to your doctor before you start.

Daily use is possible once your body is used to it. When you do increase, increase the number of sessions first; raise ozone output only afterwards, in 10% steps — one display level — every 2 weeks.

If you feel unwell

If a rash or any skin reaction appears, stop and speak to your doctor before booking further sessions. If you feel unwell during or after a session, follow the steps on feeling unwell.

If you are booking the Red Light model

The Red Light ozone steam sauna adds 750+ LEDs to the same steam and ozone session: 380+ near infrared LEDs at 850 nm, and 370+ high-density photobiomodulation LEDs in blue, green and red. Your head stays outside the sauna, away from the direction of the light, and an automatic cutoff switches the lights off the moment the doors open. Keep light out of your eyes, and see the safety category for what else the model adds.

Where to have a session

Session prices are set by each outlet and vary by country and city; pricing for our equipment is on each model’s product page. No session is currently covered by any medical aid or scheme. To find an outlet, create a free profile on theBooking.site and search your area. Bookings there can usually be moved at no charge; a no-show can reschedule or forfeit the payment.

This article is informational and not medical advice. Ozone therapy is regulated differently in different countries and is not approved as a medical treatment everywhere. Consult a qualified practitioner before starting.