Do viruses & bacteria survive easily or not in a sauna?

[Christmasinbed]

I'm quite ill and the only place I've been that was surprisingly packed recently was the sauna. I'm wondering if the temperature promotes germ survival or not? I'd imagined bugs would die in the heat. I live alone so I'm mostly away from people. Now I'm so ill though it's making wonder whether it's safe to go in the sauna again when I get better.

A place doesn’t have to be packed for you to get ill though.
You only have to touch a door handle (changing room locker door perhaps?) that someone who hasn’t washed their hands properly has touched. If you then rub your eyes, nose, touch your lips you could become ill.

A dry sauna or a steam sauna? I think the steam ones are worse as they're warm and moist which is perfect for bacteria and they wouldn't get to high enough temperatures to kill anything off.

Dry sauna

Yeah I'd agree that you can catch illness from anywhere. Unless you've been at least 2m from all people other than the sauna crew for the last 2weeks?

Saunas aren't hot enough to kill bacteria, otherwise they would kill the people too! Also, the lack of ventilation and high humidity create ideal conditions for droplet virus transmission.

But you can pick up bacteria and viruses anywhere.

It's a confined space. Perfect for catching a virus (or a lovely fungus!).

I’d think a sauna was a particularly good environment for bugs to spread. Comfy warm, no ventilation, people sitting close together and breathing a lot. You can also catch bugs from very superficial contact so it doesn’t need to be consistent close contact.

Shit, I was hoping the bugs would all be cooked..

Only if it's hot enough to cook the humans as well😱

I think lovely place for germs to breed - warmth, moisture from sweat and lots of hosts.

I avoid them now.
Our gym had complaints that the steam room & sauna were closed during covid - its obvious that lots of people don't see the connection

Possible that is where you caught it from, though I'd be surprised, especially if the people you were with were regular sauna goers. One of the benefits of a regular sauna is reducing toxins in your system.

Well not really?

Humans bodies conduct homeostasis so they can stay the same temperature despite the outdoor temperature.

However, that only extends so far hence why you would be very unwell if you decided to live in a sauna.

The air in most dry saunas will be 80 degrees c which is well above the temperature at which most viruses and bacteria will find their proteins are denatured however that won't be an instantaneous process.