Quick Reference
| Question | Answer |
| Does Planet Fitness have a sauna? | No — none at any location |
| Does Planet Fitness have a steam room? | No |
| Best alternative at PF? | HydroMassage + Red Light Therapy |
| Which membership unlocks perks? | Black Card (~$24.99/month) |
So, Does Planet Fitness Actually Have a Sauna?
Let me save you the trip to the front desk — no, Planet Fitness does not have a sauna. Not at the location down the road. Not at the big one across town. Not anywhere. It’s a chain-wide decision, and it’s been that way since the beginning.
A lot of people are surprised when they find this out, especially if they’re coming from a gym that always had one tucked away somewhere. But once you understand what Planet Fitness is actually going for, it starts to make a whole lot of sense.
What Amenities Does Planet Fitness Actually Offer?
Planet Fitness isn’t trying to be a luxury spa. It’s a gym built around one idea: make working out available to everyone, without the steep price tag or the intimidation factor. That shapes every single decision they make — including which amenities they offer and which ones they skip.
The Black Card Membership — More Than You’d Expect
If you’re on the Black Card plan, which runs around $24.99 a month, you unlock a surprisingly generous set of extras. You can visit any Planet Fitness location in the country, bring a guest whenever you want, and use their HydroMassage beds, tanning booths, and Total Body Enhancement booths. For under $25 a month, that’s a real package.
Think of the Black Card as Planet Fitness’s version of a premium tier — not luxury, but genuinely useful for people who want more out of their gym time than just a workout.
What the Classic Membership Gets You
The Classic plan, sitting at around $10 a month, is stripped down but solid. You get access to your home location, all the cardio equipment, free weights, strength machines, and the 30-Minute Express Circuit. It’s not flashy, but it does the job for anyone whose main goal is to get in, train, and get out.
Why Doesn’t Planet Fitness Have a Sauna?
Here’s the honest answer: saunas cost a lot of money. Not just to install — though that alone can run tens of thousands of dollars — but to run, maintain, sanitize, and monitor safely. You need proper ventilation, regular deep cleaning, and staff trained to keep an eye on things. All of that adds up fast.
Planet Fitness keeps its prices low by cutting anything that doesn’t directly serve the majority of its members. And the reality is, most people who pay $10 a month for a gym membership aren’t coming in for a sauna session. They’re there to jog on a treadmill, lift some weights, and go home.
The Judgment Free Zone and What It Really Means
The Judgment Free Zone isn’t just marketing language — it’s the actual philosophy behind how Planet Fitness runs its business. They want people who’ve never set foot in a gym to walk through the door and feel completely comfortable. Saunas, steam rooms, and spa-style amenities don’t really fit that picture. They tend to feel more exclusive, more intimidating, and more associated with high-end fitness clubs.
By leaving those things out, Planet Fitness stays true to its identity as a place for regular people who just want to exercise without feeling judged or out of place.
A Trade-Off Worth Knowing About
To be fair, it is a trade-off. You’re getting a very affordable gym with solid equipment. What you’re giving up is the recovery-focused experience that saunas provide. Whether that trade-off works for you depends entirely on what you actually use a gym for.
What Does Planet Fitness Offer Instead of a Sauna?
Planet Fitness hasn’t just thrown its hands up and said “no recovery for you.” They’ve brought in some alternatives that genuinely work for a lot of people, even if they feel different from a traditional sauna.
HydroMassage Beds
These are probably the most popular perk among Black Card members. A HydroMassage bed looks a bit like a tanning bed, except instead of light, you get pressurized warm water jets working across your back, legs, and shoulders — all while you stay fully clothed. Sessions typically run about 10 minutes.
After a tough leg day or a long run, lying down on one of these is genuinely satisfying. It helps with muscle soreness, loosens tight spots, and honestly just feels great. Is it the same as a sauna? No. But it hits on some of the same recovery needs in a different way.
Total Body Enhancement — Red Light Therapy
This one surprises people. Planet Fitness has Total Body Enhancement booths that combine red light therapy with gentle whole-body vibration. Red light therapy uses low-wavelength light to stimulate cells, which some research links to reduced inflammation, better muscle recovery, and improved skin health.
You step in, stand for a few minutes, and walk out. It’s not dramatic, but regular users tend to swear by it. And again — this is included with the Black Card at no extra cost.
Tanning Beds
Planet Fitness locations also include tanning booths for Black Card members. These are standard UV tanning beds. Whether you want to use them is a personal choice — just go in knowing what you’re signing up for from a skin health standpoint. For people who use them regularly, having tanning access folded into their gym membership is a genuine money-saver.
Planet Fitness Amenities at a Glance
| Amenity | Classic Plan | Black Card Plan |
| Cardio & Weights | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| HydroMassage | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Red Light Therapy | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Tanning | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Sauna / Steam Room | ✗ No | ✗ No |
What You Miss Out On Without a Sauna
Let’s be real here — saunas do offer things that no HydroMassage bed fully replaces. Regular sauna use has a solid body of research behind it, linking it to better heart health, lower blood pressure, improved sleep, and faster muscle recovery. Some studies even point to long-term benefits for people who sauna several times a week.
If you’re the kind of person who sees the sauna as a key part of your post-workout wind-down, or if you use it specifically for muscle recovery after heavy training sessions, you’ll feel that gap at Planet Fitness. That’s not a knock on the gym — it’s just the honest picture.
Gyms That Actually Have Saunas
If sauna access is a must-have for you, there are plenty of options. LA Fitness includes dry saunas at most locations and is priced reasonably. The YMCA often has both steam rooms and dry saunas depending on which branch you go to. Gold’s Gym has traditionally kept saunas around at many locations. Equinox goes all-in with steam, sauna, and spa-level amenities — but you’ll pay for it, usually $100 or more per month. 24 Hour Fitness varies by location, so it’s worth calling ahead.
None of these are as cheap as Planet Fitness, but if the sauna is a genuine priority in your fitness routine, the extra cost may be worth every penny.
Is Planet Fitness Still Worth It Without a Sauna?
For most people? Yes, without question. If you’re using the gym primarily to work out — cardio, strength training, classes — Planet Fitness gives you everything you actually need. The equipment is kept in good shape, the locations are everywhere, and the price is hard to argue with.
The Black Card membership especially makes a strong case for itself. Getting HydroMassage, red light therapy, and tanning thrown in for under $25 a month is a genuinely good deal. It’s not a spa, but it’s more than just a treadmill and some dumbbells.
Think of it this way: Planet Fitness is the practical, no-nonsense choice. It gets you where you want to go without any extra fuss. If you need all the extras — the sauna, the steam room, the towel service — you’ll need to spend more somewhere else. But if your main goal is staying active without breaking the bank, Planet Fitness is tough to beat.
Wrapping It Up
Planet Fitness doesn’t have a sauna, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. It’s a deliberate call that keeps their prices low and their focus tight. In its place, they’ve built out recovery options like HydroMassage and red light therapy that honestly serve a lot of the same purpose for everyday gym-goers.
If you’re cool with skipping the sauna, you’ll probably find Planet Fitness to be a great fit — affordable, accessible, and well-equipped for everything else. If the sauna is a non-negotiable part of your routine, you now know exactly where to look. Either way, you’ve got the full picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does any Planet Fitness location have a sauna?
No. Every Planet Fitness location follows the same policy — no saunas and no steam rooms. This applies across all states and all membership tiers.
2. What’s the closest thing to a sauna at Planet Fitness?
The HydroMassage beds are the most similar experience — warm, relaxing, and great for muscle recovery. The Total Body Enhancement booths with red light therapy also offer some of the same recovery benefits through a different method.
3. Do I need a Black Card to use the HydroMassage or red light therapy?
Yes. Both of those perks are exclusive to Black Card members. Classic plan members have access to all the workout equipment but not the wellness add-ons.
4. How much does a Planet Fitness Black Card cost?
As of recent pricing, the Black Card runs around $24.99 per month. The Classic plan sits at about $10 per month. Prices can vary slightly by location.
5. Is it worth paying more for a gym with a sauna?
It depends on how much you actually use one. If you’re going in specifically to sauna after workouts, or if your doctor has recommended it, then yes — upgrading to a gym like the YMCA or LA Fitness makes sense. If you’d only use it occasionally, the extra monthly cost probably isn’t worth it.
