Sauna Use
- Tan Discolouration and Patchiness: Sauna heat and sweat interfere with the DHA (dihydroxyacetone) reaction, causing streaks, patchiness, and a "tiger bread" effect.
- Irritation and Clogged Pores: Sweat and heat leave residue or open pores too wide, making the tan appear dirty, brown-spotted, or blotchy.
- Poor Adhesion: The skin must be cool, dry, and clean for a competitive grade tan to adhere correctly.
Using a sauna before a competition spray tan destroys the tan's quality by causing sweat induced streaks, patchy development and rapid fading, while simultaneously causing excessive counterproductive dehydration and fatigue. Heat opens pores, leading to blotchy, uneven absorption, and sweat breaks down the developing DHA, resulting in a poor, non stage ready tan.
Using a sauna after applying a base tan and before a fitness or bodybuilding competition is highly discouraged because it can compromise the quality of the tan, disrupt your physical condition and increase safety risks.
The intense heat and sweat from a sauna can cause the tan to become patchy, streaky, or fade prematurely, while simultaneously causing excessive dehydration and muscle flattening.
- Sweat Causes Streaking: The primary reason is that intense sweating "melts" or washes off the tanning solution, causing it to run and create streaks.
- Premature Fading: The heat opens pores and speeds up skin exfoliation, causing the top layer of skin and the tan with it to shed prematurely.
- Patchy Application: If you have already applied a base tan, sweating will cause the tan to look uneven or blotchy, which is disastrous for stage presence.
- Discolouration: The DHA (the active ingredient in tans) can break down prematurely from high heat, leading to a dull or discoloured appearance.
If you must use a sauna, it should be done before applying any tanning products (base tan or spray tan) to allow your skin to open pores and then fully cool down. The best approach is to avoid the sauna completely for at least 24 hours before your show to ensure the tan sets perfectly and your muscles remain full.
Using a sauna the night before a bodybuilding competition is generally discouraged because it can severely disrupt the precise final hour aesthetic and physical preparations needed to take to the stage. The primary risks include excessive dehydration, loss of muscle fullness, and potential for "flat" looking muscles.
- "Flattening" Out: While you want to be dry, excessive sauna use can cause you to lose too much subcutaneous water, making your muscles appear flat rather than full and tight.
- Reduced Vascularity: Muscles need a balance of hydration and glycogen to look full and vascular. A sauna forces water away from the muscle tissue into the skin to cool the body, which can ruin the "pump" effect.
- Severe Dehydration: The night before a show is critical for balancing water intake. A sauna causes rapid, significant sweating, which can lead to dehydration that is difficult to fix overnight without causing bloating later.
- Electrolyte Loss: Excessive sweat loss depletes sodium, potassium, and magnesium, which can lead to muscle cramps on stage and a lack of muscle definition.
- Over-drying: Athletes often confuse getting "dry" (low subcutaneous water) with being dehydrated. A sauna can dry you out too much, making muscles appear thin.
- Muscle Cramping: If you are dehydrated, your muscles are highly susceptible to cramping while you are posing on stage.
- Heat Stress: A sauna creates cardiovascular stress similar to light exercise, which can leave you feeling fatigued rather than rested for the show.
- Body Temperature Regulation: Your body needs to rest, not continue battling to regulate its temperature after being exposed to high heat.