Is it safe for children to sit in a sauna?

It is not safe for children under age 12 to sit in a sauna, reports the Los Angeles Times. After working out, if an 18-year-old wearing a sweatsuit sits in a sauna for more than 10 to 15 minutes, he may suffer heat exhaustion symptoms that include headache and dizziness.

A study of 158 sauna, hot tub and spa deaths over a five-year period in the late 1980s revealed that 151 deaths occurred in spas or hot tubs, and over 33 percent involved children under 12 years old, according to the Los Angeles Times. Seven of the deaths occurred in saunas. Most healthy adults can easily handle immersion in the 180-degree heat of a sauna for about five to 10 minutes.