Planet Fitness is known for its affordable memberships, many locations and welcoming atmosphere. It’s a go-to for many looking to start or maintain a regular workout routine without the pressure or expense of boutique gyms or high end fitness centers. But if you’re someone who values recovery just as much as the workout itself, there’s one question that often comes up: does Planet Fitness have a sauna?
This article answers that. While Planet Fitness offers a few wellness inspired perks, sauna facilities are not included at most locations. We’ll break down what most Planet Fitness gyms actually offer, why saunas are part of a complete fitness experience, and the smarter, more flexible alternatives people are choosing, especially those who value privacy, high performance and real relaxation.
The Short Answer: No, Planet Fitness Does Not Have a Sauna Room
Your local Planet Fitness offers affordability and access to basic fitness facilities, but no sauna rooms. This is on purpose. Planet Fitness is built around low membership fees and high accessibility, not premium amenities.
Maintaining saunas requires space, staff and protocols, which don’t fit their business model. Adding sauna facilities would increase operational demands and membership costs, which is not compatible with their streamlined approach.
Why the Confusion?
Some confusion exists because a few local gyms under the Planet Fitness brand were converted from former fitness centers like Gold’s Gym or Bally’s. In rare cases the original sauna room was never removed and may still be operational. But these are outliers. The vast majority of Planet Fitness clubs do not have saunas and they make no promise to in the future.
If you joined your local Planet Fitness thinking you’d have a sauna to relax in, you’ll be disappointed.
What Planet Fitness Offers Instead of Saunas and Steam Rooms
While traditional sauna facilities are not part of the Planet Fitness package, they do offer a few perks to help you unwind after your workout. These are available to Black Card members who pay $24.99/month for extra perks.
HydroMassage: The Water Powered Recovery Option
One of the more popular perks for Black Card members is HydroMassage, a lounge-style massage bed that uses jets of heated water to massage your muscles. It’s sleek, hands-free and great for those who want to unwind after a tough workout.
But note that HydroMassage is not a replacement for a traditional sauna. It’s more of a localized recovery tool than a full body ritual. The difference in effect, physical and mental, is huge.
Red Light Therapy and Total Body Enhancement Booths
Another perk for Black Card members is the Total Body Enhancement machine which combines red light therapy with vibration plate technology. This futuristic chamber claims to improve skin tone and muscle recovery. While red light therapy has its wellness benefits, it’s not a heat-based therapy and certainly doesn’t replicate the circulatory and detoxifying power of real steam.
The experience is novel but for those seeking a deep relaxing detox, it falls short.
Massage Chairs and Tanning Beds
Available at most locations for Black Card members, massage chairs are another way to get a quick relaxation. They’re user friendly and can give you a momentary comfort, but again they lack the immersive, meditative quality of a proper sauna session. Tanning beds are still available at many facilities but are more about aesthetics than wellness.
No Hot Tub, No Steam, No Ritual
In addition to no sauna rooms, Planet Fitness does not have a hot tub, whirlpool or pool of any kind. Most fitness centers that have heat or hydrotherapy focus on relaxation and holistic recovery. That’s not part of Planet Fitness’s DNA. If you’re looking for pools, hot tubs or saunas and steam rooms you’ll need to look elsewhere than your local gym.
A Fitness-First, Not Recovery-First Culture
Planet Fitness thrives on simplicity: cardio machines, dumbbells and a laid back environment. Their niche is affordability and accessibility, not luxury. For many that’s enough. But for professionals, athletes and high performers who understand the importance of structured recovery, it leaves a gap. A proper fitness facility should ideally provide a balance between exercise and relaxation.
Why Saunas and Steam Rooms Matter: The Missing Wellness Element
If you’re even asking about sauna access you’re already ahead of the curve. Saunas aren’t just a nice-to-have, they’re an essential recovery tool. A full comprehensive fitness experience includes sweat, rest, ritual and recharge. Heat therapy ties all of that together.
Health Benefits of Sauna Use
Research from Finland and beyond shows what sauna users have known for centuries: consistent use improves heart health, lowers cortisol, enhances skin, flushes toxins and supports immune function. It’s one of the few wellness tools that benefits your physiology and psychology equally.
Whether it’s a dry sauna or steam-based system, the combination of heat and intentional pause triggers your parasympathetic nervous system, true rest. Add water to hot stones and you’ll produce real steam (löyly), a centuries old Finnish tradition that intensifies the sensation and elevates the ritual.
Saunas vs. Recovery Tech
The difference between heat therapy and high-tech recovery gadgets is clarity. Red light therapy and vibration booths may be trendy but they don’t trigger full-body transformation the way radiant, penetrating heat does. With a sauna you’re not just sitting, you’re actively cleansing, recalibrating and strengthening.
If your gym doesn’t have a sauna or steam room you’re missing one of the most powerful tools in fitness.
Portable Sauna Room Alternatives: What to Do If Your Gym Doesn’t Have One
Let’s be honest, most fitness centers that have saunas also come with higher price points, traffic and time commitments. Whether you’re in a big city or a remote town there’s an easier option: bring the heat to you.
Why Portable Saunas Are Trending
More people are taking control of their recovery. From CEOs to triathletes, wellness enthusiasts are skipping crowded clubs and inflexible gym schedules in favor of private rituals. Portable saunas allow you to build a sanctuary wherever you go, on your terms.
Kyfe Sauna: The Premium Wood-Fired Experience, Anywhere You Go
Kyfe is not an infrared pod. It’s not a tent with a plug-in heater. It’s a real, wood-fired, full-body sauna room. Built to honor Finnish tradition, Kyfe uses a high-temperature furnace, authentic sauna rocks and durable materials to deliver the real thing, no compromises.
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Reaches over 200°F for real heat therapy
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For use at home, cabin or travel destination
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Holds 6-8 people comfortably, lie down, sit up or sweat in silence
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True löyly, just add water to the stones for rich, restorative steam
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Portable and performance focused with safety first design
And unlike the static, overpriced sauna facilities found in luxury gyms, Kyfe goes where you go. Whether it’s by a frozen lake or in your own backyard, your sweat session becomes personal, powerful and private.
Infrared vs Wood-Burning vs Steam Rooms
Every heat method has its purpose, but not all deliver the same experience. Infrared warms the body gently. Steam rooms deliver moist heat. But wood-burning? It ignites the whole space. With Kyfe, your environment becomes the therapy. You control the ritual. You own the heat.
Frequently Asked Planet Fitness, Saunas & Smarter Alternative Questions
Does Any Planet Fitness Location Have A Sauna?
Only a few converted or franchised locations may have retained legacy equipment. For all practical purposes, most Planet Fitness gyms do not have saunas.
What Recovery Options Do You Get With A Planet Fitness Black Card?
Black Card members get HydroMassage, red light therapy booths, massage chairs and tanning. No sauna, hot tub, pool or steam room.
What Gym Chains Have Sauna Facilities?
Luxury fitness clubs like Equinox and Life Time have full sauna facilities. Mid-range chains like LA Fitness and Gold’s Gym have saunas at some locations. Many YMCAs have pools, steam rooms and sometimes dry saunas.
Can I Get Sauna Benefits Without A Gym Membership?
Yes. Kyfe Sauna provides a traditional, authentic experience, no ongoing membership costs or shared facilities. No locker rooms, no lines, no limits.
What’s The Difference Between A Steam Room And A Sauna?
Steam rooms use moist heat at lower temperatures. Dry saunas use heated air. Kyfe offers a hybrid approach with wood-fired heat and real steam, created by pouring water over hot stones.
Better than alternative gyms: Take control of your recovery
Many people consider switching to alternative gyms just for access to sauna rooms or a hot tub, but that’s a costly tradeoff. You’re still sharing space, adjusting to someone else's schedule, and dealing with crowds. With Kyfe, the experience is yours, from the temperature to the terrain.
You don’t have to settle. You don’t need a local gym to enjoy real recovery. You need heat, steam and silence.
Final Takeaway: Saunas Aren’t Included at Planet Fitness — But You Deserve More
Planet Fitness does not offer saunas, steam rooms, or hot tubs, even with a Black Card membership. While it’s a solid option for basic workouts, recovery amenities are not part of the core experience at many locations.
If relaxation, performance, and wellness matter to you, it’s time to take control.
Additionally, with Kyfe Sauna, you get the real heat, real steam, and the power of ritual, no crowds, no compromises.
Try Kyfe Sauna.