October 27, 2026 · SD Trainers
Infrared saunas and traditional saunas in San Diego County differ in how the room is heated and in how you get access. An infrared sauna warms the cabin with electric panels and is usually a small private room you book by the session. A traditional sauna heats the air with a stove, either wood-burning or electric, and tends to be a bigger room that several people share. Steam rooms are a third option, and a few places have more than one.
The other difference is whether the sauna is the whole business or one part of a gym. Studios that sell sessions let you walk in without a membership elsewhere. Gyms and training studios that have a sauna usually include it for members, so it makes sense only if you also want to train there.
Infrared sauna studios you book by the session
If you want an infrared sauna for an hour and nothing else, these are the places to start.
- Calor Sauna Studios in Carlsbad Village has three private infrared rooms, plus a room that combines a sauna and a cold plunge. Sessions last fifty minutes and you can add a friend.
- Club House Enc on Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas runs fifty-minute self-guided sessions that rotate through a cold plunge, an infrared sauna, red light and compression boots.
- Pure Infrared Sauna Studio has a Solana Beach location and a second in Bankers Hill. Its listing stresses scheduled sessions for locals and visitors.
- Hot Haven in Bankers Hill is a family-run infrared sauna and compression studio. Visitors book sessions of about an hour, and regulars can buy multi-session packs.
- Conscious Body Recovery in the Midway District has fully private suites, each with its own shower, pairing an infrared sauna with a cold plunge.
- Stardust Float Spa, also in the Midway District, has a two-person infrared sauna next to its float tanks. It is closed Tuesdays.
Traditional, wood-fired and steam saunas
These are fewer in the county, and they feel different from a cabin with panels.
- Beach Sauna Express hosts private sessions at South Ponto Beach in a wood-burning sauna that fits eight to ten people. It has a shower, and bookings are arranged by message.
- The Traveling Sauna is mobile. It brings a wood-fired sauna and a cold plunge to private clients, group gatherings and events, so you choose the place.
- Tribe Cold Plunge in Eastlake, Chula Vista, has a steam sauna alongside cold plunges and compression.
- Breathe Degrees at Liberty Station has a stadium-style sauna built for a shared session, with guided breathwork and yoga on the schedule.
Gyms and training studios with a sauna
When the sauna comes with the gym, ask whether it is for members only and how you reserve it.
- Hot-rock or Finnish. Booty by Barbells in Oceanside has a hot-rock sauna in its Reset Room, open to members and visitors. RESET in Hillcrest has a Finnish sauna and a cold plunge next to its CrossFit classes and 24/7 open gym.
- Infrared. Point Loma Sports Club at Liberty Station lists infrared saunas. Royal Training Club Del Mar in Carmel Valley gives members an infrared sauna after strength, Power Pilates and bootcamp classes. Unbroken Fitness Solutions in Rancho Bernardo lists one with its 24/7 access. TruSelf Sporting Club in Allied Gardens has an infrared sauna and cold plunges, and offers a three-day guest pass.
- Several kinds in one building. Ocean Pacific Gym and Wellness in Pacific Beach lists saunas, steam rooms, a salt room and a cold plunge. Fit Mission Beach lists a sauna, steam room and cold plunges.
- Classes plus a sauna. Rise Lagree Studio in Poway gives members a recovery suite with an infrared sauna. Fire & Flow Hot Yoga in Oceanside has a private infrared sauna and cold plunge room.
How an infrared and traditional sauna session works in practice
Most studio sessions follow the same outline. You book a slot, arrive a few minutes early, and use a private room for the booked time. Listings name sessions of fifty minutes or about an hour, but not what to bring, so ask about towels, showers and water when you book.
A few questions are worth asking before you pay for anything:
- Is the room private, or shared with other bookings?
- What kind of sauna is it, and can you pick?
- Can you try a single session before you buy a membership or a pack?
- If it is part of a gym, is it included in membership or booked separately?
Find a sauna near you
The full set of studios is on the recovery and cold plunge page, which you can narrow to Encinitas or La Jolla. For the gyms and studios above, start from an area page: Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Oceanside, Bankers Hill, the Midway District, Pacific Beach or Chula Vista. For a wider comparison of cold plunge and sauna studios, see the earlier Journal post.