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RecoveryLab
Safety

Safety Guidance

Please read this before your first session. A Recovery Lab cabin is self-service, which means there is nobody in the room with you — so a couple of minutes of practical guidance matters more here than it would at a staffed spa.

Last updated 1 August 2026 · Recovery Lab UK Ltd

Legal copy to be reviewed by a qualified solicitor before production launch.

The practical guidance on this page is genuine and worth reading. The numbered policy sections beneath it are structural placeholders and still need drafting.

None of this is medical advice. We are not medically qualified and we make no health claims about sauna use. If anything below applies to you, speak to your GP or pharmacist before booking.

The short version

  • 1Drink water before you go in, and bring some with you.
  • 2Fifteen to twenty minutes is plenty on a first visit.
  • 3Never use a cabin after alcohol.
  • 4Come out the moment you feel unwell — the door opens from the inside.
  • 5If any health condition applies to you, ask a doctor before you book.

Before you go in

Getting the basics right

  • Drink water first, not after

    Have a glass or two of water before you go in and bring some with you. You will sweat more than you expect in thirty minutes, and starting dehydrated is the single most common reason people feel rough afterwards.

  • Keep a first session short

    Fifteen to twenty minutes is plenty on a first visit, even though the slot is thirty. Come out, see how you feel, and build up across several sessions instead of gritting it out.

  • Never after alcohol

    Alcohol changes how your body manages heat and blunts your sense that something is wrong. Do not use a cabin after a drink, and do not bring alcohol in with you. The same applies to recreational drugs.

  • Not when you are unwell

    Skip it if you have a fever, an infection, a stomach upset, an open wound or a skin condition that is flaring. Heat is a load on the body, and a body already dealing with something does not need it.

While you are in there

Listen to your body

  • The door is never locked from inside

    You can leave at any point and you do not need a code to get out. Nobody is timing you, and leaving early costs you nothing.

  • Leave if anything feels off

    Dizziness, nausea, a headache, a racing heart, tingling hands, or simply feeling strange: get out, sit down somewhere cool and drink water. Every cabin has an emergency call button that alerts the host gym team directly.

  • Sit up before you stand up

    Standing quickly in heat can make you light-headed. Move to the lower bench for the last couple of minutes and stand up slowly.

  • Do not pour anything on the heater

    Our cabins are not designed for löyly. No water, no oils, no fragrance on the stones or the element — it damages the unit and can scald you.

Afterwards

Coming back down

  • Cool down gradually

    Step out, let your body settle for a few minutes, then shower. A sudden cold plunge is a different practice with different risks and is not part of a Recovery Lab session.

  • Rehydrate properly

    Keep drinking after you leave, not just in the cabin. If you trained hard beforehand, something with electrolytes is sensible.

  • Tell us if something was wrong

    A cabin that felt too hot, a lock that stuck, a bench that was not clean — report it and we will take that cabin out of service until it is checked.

Speak to a doctor before your first session if…

This list is not exhaustive and it is not a diagnosis. If any of it sounds like you, a two-minute conversation with your GP or pharmacist is the right next step — we are not able to advise you on it.

  • You are pregnant, or think you might be
  • You have a heart condition, or have had a heart attack or stroke
  • You have low or high blood pressure
  • You have epilepsy or a seizure disorder
  • You have diabetes
  • You have a kidney condition
  • You have a skin condition affected by heat
  • You take medication that affects blood pressure, fluid balance, sweating or alertness
  • You are recovering from surgery or a recent injury
  • You are unsure for any other reason at all

Feeling unwell right now and not sure how urgent it is? Call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

If something goes wrong

Cabins are self-service, not unmonitored. Door position and temperature are reported continuously, so a fault or a door left open raises an alert without anyone pressing anything.

  1. 1Leave the cabin. The door releases from the inside with no code and no app.
  2. 2Press the emergency call button by the door if you need help — it alerts the host gym team immediately.
  3. 3Ask the gym reception team for first aid. Every partner site has a trained first aider during staffed hours.
  4. 4Tell us afterwards at hello@recoverylab.co.uk so the cabin is taken out of service and checked.
Ask us a safety questionSafety questions in the FAQ

01Cabin rules

Placeholder — the full house rules to be published alongside the terms: what you may bring in, hygiene expectations, sitting on a towel, footwear, and the ban on food, glass and alcohol.

02Age limits and guests

Placeholder — over-18s only, no under-18s in a cabin including as a guest, guest responsibility resting with the account holder, and ID checks by the host gym.

03Lone use and monitoring

Placeholder — how a self-service cabin is monitored, what the emergency call button triggers, expected response times, and the automatic alerts raised by door and temperature sensors.

04Incidents and first aid

Placeholder — what happens if someone is unwell, the split of responsibility between us and the host gym, first aid provision on site, and our incident reporting and RIDDOR position.

05Cleaning, maintenance and temperature checks

Placeholder — the cleaning schedule between sessions and at end of day, water and surface hygiene, temperature calibration, and the fault process that takes a cabin offline.

06No medical or health claims

Placeholder for the formal statement, alongside the plain one above: nothing we publish should be read as a claim that sauna use treats, prevents or cures any condition, and nothing here is a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.

07Accessibility

Placeholder — step-free access by location, cabin dimensions and bench heights, and how to tell us what you need before you arrive.

Questions about this page?

Email hello@recoverylab.co.uk or use the contact form and we will point you at the right person.

Contact us