My #1 Longevity Protocol of 2025

I've done a lot of crazy stuff when it comes to health protocols…

• injected millions of young Swedish bone marrow into my joints
• removed all the plasma from my body
• spent 9,500 minutes in a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber
• and even used my own son as a blood boy

But one thing I had yet to try is dry sauna.

Using a dry sauna 4+ times per week is linked to about a 40% lower risk of dying from any cause, compared to not using a sauna, based on long-term studies. That's an unusually large effect size.

So my team and I tested it…

• 30-day protocol
• measuring hundreds of markers
• and sharing the most robust characterization on sauna ever produced

It turns out sauna is one of the most efficacious longevity protocols I've ever done. It can improve your heart, metabolism, skin, and brain health. This is fantastic news because saunas are found in most gyms and only take 20 mins a day.

In this blog post I'll cover:

1. what the science says
2. my experiment
3. results
4. the protocol
5. how you can try this too

Plus, I've included some unexpected findings about how sauna affects male fertility.

Is sauna good for you?

We searched the literature for how sauna affects longevity. Heat exposure in a sauna puts your body under mild stress, triggering natural repair processes that improve overall health.

Finnish dry saunas specifically use controlled heat to stimulate these beneficial responses, including:

• repairing and maintaining proteins (heat shock proteins)
• improving blood flow and relaxing blood vessels
• boosting antioxidant activity
• optimizing metabolism
• enhancing fitness
• reducing inflammation
• strengthening immunity
• recycling and repairing cells (autophagy)

All these processes combine to give whole-body health benefits.

Effect #1: Can protect your heart

Regular sauna use (4-7 times a week, sessions lasting at least 19 min) can significantly improve heart health and lower blood pressure. Research shows the more often you sauna, the greater your protection from heart disease.

Sauna frequency	Heart disease risk	High blood pressure risk*
2-3x/week	-23%	-17%
4-7x/week	-48%	-47%

*in healthy men aged 42-60

Effect #2: Can improve mental health

Regular sauna use can lower your risk of dementia and boost your overall mental health:

• better sleep: Over 80% reported improved sleep quality
• reduced pain: 33% experienced less muscle pain
• happier mood: Regular sauna users (1-4x/week) report feeling happier and less stressed
• lowers dementia risk: Lowers by 21% (2-3x/week) and 48% (4-7x/week)
• lowers psychotic disorder risk: 4-7x/week → 77% lower risk

Effect #3: Can reduce inflammation

Studies in healthy middle-aged men show frequent sauna use lowers systemic inflammation significantly. Sauna use notably reduces markers like hsCRP, fibrinogen, and white blood cell count, all linked to chronic inflammation. As a result, regular sauna sessions ease symptoms of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Sauna frequency	Inflammation
2-3x/week	-17%
4-7x/week	-31.5%

Effect #4: Can improve your metabolism

Sauna can improve your body composition, metabolism, and fitness levels:

• significant decrease in bad cholesterol (total cholesterol and LDL)
• transient significant decrease in blood fat (triglycerides)
• small increases in good cholesterol (HDL)

These benefits were seen in young men completing 10 sauna sessions (3 x 15 min, 2 min cool-downs in between). In a low-powered study (small sample size with additional limitations), research also showed a 1.07% increase in muscle mass and 7.7% increase in bone mineral density. This is based on 12 days of high-temperature 212°F (100°C) sauna sessions (5 x 10 min each) across 4 weeks.

Effect #5: It may detox you

Your skin naturally flushes out toxins through sweating, including heavy metals and certain harmful compounds. Research shows that sauna-induced sweating significantly boosts the removal of common environmental toxins like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.

Longer sauna sessions (15-20+ min) can help clear out stubborn, fat-soluble toxins stored in the body.

Effect #6: It may help you live longer

Multiple studies show that frequent, long-term sauna sessions significantly lower your risk of dying from all causes. Regular sauna use (3-7x/week) specifically reduces the increased mortality risk from chronic inflammation (high CRP).

Sauna frequency	All-cause mortality risk (sessions >19 min)	Heart disease death risk
2-3x/week	-24%	-29%
4-7x/week	-40%	-70%

How does sauna work?

By heating up your skin way faster than your core, dry hot sauna flips your core skin temperature gradient, eliciting the following hormetic benefits:

• enhanced blood flow: The heart pumps up to 70% more blood, similar to intense aerobic exercise (zone 2 + increased sweating for detoxification: to maintain a stable core temperature, the skin produces 0.6-1 liter of sweat per hour, facilitating significant detoxification).
• improved heat tolerance: The body becomes better at handling heat, leading to a lower core body temperature (offering metabolic advantages).
• safe activation of heat shock proteins: The skin experiences substantial heat shock protein activation, while a modest 33.8°F (1°C) increase in core temperature is sufficient to activate these proteins without the risk of hyperthermia.

Steam baths, hot tubs, and infrared saunas fail to replicate the same effects because they don't allow you to safely reach the required high temperatures and don't induce the same level of sweating, the necessary inverted (skin-to-core) temperature gradient, and the massive re-direction of blood to the skin with resulting vasodilation.

My results

Result #1: Toxins

After 15 sessions, sauna dramatically reduced environmental toxins in my body:

• 65% drop in 2,4-D
• 100% drop in MEP
• 15% drop in MBP
• 100% drop in MEHP (undetectable post sauna)
• 56% drop in NAPR
• 56% drop in HEMA
• 100% drop in Perchlorate (undetectable post sauna)

Result #2: Microplastics

Sauna eliminated 85% of microplastics from my ejaculate. We found a nearly identical drop in my blood microplastics in the same time period.

Result #3: Fertility (without ice)

Sauna, without ice on the boys, devastated my fertility markers. In my protocol below, I added in an icing protocol to protect against this. Without ice, my results were:

• total motile count: -56%
• concentration: -30%
• motility: -50%
• morphology: -48%
• count: -9%

Result #4: Fertility (with ice)

Sauna coincided with my fertility markers being at an all-time high. I have more total and motile sperm than 99.6% of men of any age, including men under 25. We do not know what to make of these improvements. Was it the sauna? Sauna + ice? Ice only? We don't know, but we didn't identify any other protocols or lifestyle changes during this interval that would plausibly account for the change.

• total count: 600 M
• concentration: 162 M
• motility: 55%
• total motile count: 330M
• morphology (normal): 10%

Result #5: Vascular Function

My vascular function improved by a 10-year reduction in age. I now have the vascular age of an elite 18-early 20s:

• central systolic blood pressure: 96 mmHg
• central pulse pressure: 20 mmHg
• pulse pressure amplification: 160%
• SEVR: 227%
• augmentation pressure: 1 mmHg
• augmentation index wave: 3%
• traditional blood pressure: 107/75 mmHg

My sauna protocol

• Type: Dry sauna
• Temperature: 200°F (93°C)
• Relative air humidity: very low, 5-20%
• Duration: 20 min
• Frequency: Daily
• When: In the morning after my workout
• Heat protection: Ice packs on the boys to protect fertility markers. Ice pack on the head to protect the scalp and hair
• Skincare: Blueprint Facial Moisturizer before the sauna. Face mask and Blueprint Facial Serum a few times a week after the sauna
• Rehydration: 36 oz mineral-supplemented water (Blueprint Electrolytes coming soon)

How to sauna at home

• Temperature: 176-212°F (80-100°C). Aim for the lower end of this spectrum, especially as a beginner. Higher temperatures closer to the boiling point can cause side effects like headaches and severely dried nose and eyes.
• Duration: 15-20 min
• Frequency: 3-5x a week
• Skincare: Apply moisturizer before you get in the sauna. Apply a face mask and serum a few times a week after the sauna. Hot dry sauna can stress the skin barrier by increasing transepidermal water loss.
• Heat protection: You can protect your head from the heat by wearing a sauna hat, wrapping it with a towel (use only cotton or other 100% natural material), or adding an ice pack on top of a towel. You can also breathe through a towel or cloth if needed to protect your nose. I'm personally fine not doing this.
• Rehydration: Never use a sauna when dehydrated, and drink plenty of water afterwards to rehydrate. In general, you might need to rehydrate with up to 16-32 oz (0.5-1 L) of fluid after a sauna session. Be sure to add electrolytes. If you want to be precise, measure your sweat amount and electrolytes (saltiness) using a patch (e.g., from Gatorade) to quantify your liquid and electrolyte loss, and rehydrate accordingly. Some people have saltier sweat than others and must ensure they replenish electrolytes as well as water.
• Toxins: To minimize toxins, wear cotton or bamboo, or go naked. Avoid synthetic towels and heavily treated fabrics. Don't put water on the rocks to avoid toxins in the water getting into the air. Shower after each sauna session to wash off toxins.

Tips for male fertility

Most importantly for men, ice the boys. Icing the testicles prevents heat from damaging fertility markers.

Here's what to do:

• use a non-toxic, reusable ice pack material
• wear cotton boxers and shorts
• place ice packs in between the boxers and shorts
• keep ice packs in place for the entire session

Men, you should care about preserving fertility markers even if you're not trying to conceive. Sperm quality is tightly coupled to testicular function, which governs testosterone production, metabolic health, and long-term endocrine stability.

When fertility parameters decline, the same upstream dysfunction often drives lower testosterone, higher inflammation, and increased cardiometabolic risk.

Who is sauna NOT for?

Skip sauna sessions if you:

• have serious heart issues or uncontrolled blood pressure
• are pregnant (consult your doctor)
• have an infection, fever, or feel unwell
• have a history of seizures
• struggle with respiratory conditions (asthma, COPD)
• have irritated or inflamed skin
• recently consumed alcohol or recreational drugs
• are taking medications such as beta-blockers, stimulants, anticholinergics, or diuretics

Final thoughts

Friends, that was a lot of info…

Here are the key takeaways:

• dry sauna is great for longevity
• do 15-20 min, 3-7x a week, 176-212°F (80-100°C)
• Men, ice the boys

I now sauna daily and it's become a core staple in my longevity routine.

If you don't have access to a sauna, your best alternative is exercise, which increases heat in your body. It's free and achieves many of the same cardiovascular benefits. If you can, do both exercise and sauna for maximum health benefits.