Don't soak in a hot spring or use a sauna after drinking alcohol, and don't take a hot bath when you get home either

Cost

Free. If you have been drinking, soak another day, and just take a quick shower at home. The hard part is that hot springs and saunas are often the next stop after a group meal, the whole table goes, and you have to speak up and say you are not going.

What you get

Finland investigated, case by case, the people who died in saunas from 1990 to 2002, using police and forensic reports. Such deaths were fewer than 2 per 100,000 (10万) people a year, and the paper says "overall 50% of people were under the influence of alcohol." The author says the alcohol risk is growing, and that prevention should focus on drinking less and not leaving a drunk person alone in the sauna. Tokyo forensic examiners handled 3289 deaths during bathing from 2009 to 2011. Of the 550 that had an autopsy, 140 had a blood alcohol level above 0.5 milligrams per milliliter, about a quarter. Another Tokyo autopsy record had 77 bathtub drownings, and among the factors that contributed to drowning, drunkenness was the most common (25 cases), followed by heart disease (22). A reminder from Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency in December 2025 said that in 2024, 7776 people in Japan drowned in bathtubs, of whom 7363 were aged 65 and over. Its key points for preventing accidents say not to bathe right after eating, after drinking alcohol, or after taking medicine. The Chinese Embassy in Japan (中国驻日本使馆) reminds people that "bathing after drinking is not advisable," because "bathing after drinking easily triggers acute heart or blood vessel illness." A public-education note from the Shaanxi Provincial Health Commission (陕西省卫健委) says that when you soak in a hot spring after drinking, the high water temperature dilates the blood vessels, which may cause low blood pressure, low blood sugar, or even fainting

Notes

Rated B because these studies looked only at people who died. No one has worked out how many of the people who soaked after drinking had a problem, so we can't say how many times higher the risk is. The size of the benefit is set at medium by judgment: not many people die in saunas and bathtubs to begin with, but a quarter to a half of the dead had been drinking. Bathtub drownings in Japan are mostly older people, but young people who have been drinking can get into trouble in a sauna just the same. For the benefits of a regular bath and reminders about water temperature and time, see §2.36 (take a bath if you can). For how to look after a companion who is drunk, see §13.46 (someone is drunk).

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. Kenttämies A, Karkola K (2008). Death in sauna. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 53(3), 724-729. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2008.00703.x
2. Suzuki H, Hikiji W, Tanifuji T, Abe N, Fukunaga T (2015). Characteristics of sudden bath-related death investigated by medical examiners in Tokyo, Japan. Journal of Epidemiology, 25(2), 126-132. https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20140068
3. Mishima S, Suzuki H, Fukunaga T, Nishitani Y (2018). Postmortem computed tomography findings in cases of bath-related death: applicability and limitation in forensic practice. Forensic Science International, 282, 195-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.11.030
4. 消費者庁 (2025). 年末年始、高齢者の事故に注意しましょう!：「食後すぐの入浴や、飲酒後、医薬品服用後の入浴は避けましょう」. https://www.caa.go.jp/policies/policy/consumer_safety/caution/caution_084/
5. 中华人民共和国驻日本国大使馆 (2015). 领事提醒之十七：「空腹、满腹、酒后不宜入浴。酒后入浴易引发心脏或血管系统急病」. https://jp.china-embassy.gov.cn/chn/jbwzlmnew/lszcnew/LSBHYXZ/LSBHLBZN/201503/t20150327_9475462.htm
6. 陕西省卫生健康委员会 (2021). 温泉泡对了才养生：「切忌酒后或空腹泡温泉，在高水温的刺激下容易引起外周血管扩张出现低血压、低血糖、甚至晕厥」. https://sxwjw.shaanxi.gov.cn/ywgz/gbbj/202101/t20210111_2148844.html

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 22, tip 11. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer