Core Wellness Guide

**Santa Fe Saunas: Altitude Lies Stealing Summer Salts?**

Photograph of Franklin Everett ShawBy Franklin Everett Shaw
November 9, 2025

Forget the green juice cleanses and the latest celebrity-endorsed hydration fads. If you’re a Santa Fe resident who loves a good sweat session in a traditional sauna, especially during the scorching summer months, you need a hydration strategy that’s as unique as the city itself. We’re talking about electrolytes, specifically sodium, and how to nail your intake to avoid feeling like a wilted chile pepper.

Santa Fe’s high altitude (over 7,000 feet!) already puts extra stress on your body, increasing respiration and fluid loss. Add in the dry heat of a traditional sauna, and you’ve got a recipe for serious dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. This isn’t just about feeling thirsty; it’s about muscle cramps, dizziness, and potentially more serious health issues.

So, how do you, a dedicated sauna enthusiast in the City Different, ensure you’re properly hydrated and maintaining optimal electrolyte balance? Let’s dive into a practical, no-nonsense guide.

First, understand that sweat isn’t just water. It’s a cocktail of electrolytes, with sodium being the star player. Sodium helps regulate fluid balance, nerve function, and muscle contractions. When you sweat profusely, you lose sodium, and that’s where the problems begin.

The key is to estimate your individual sodium loss. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. Your sweat rate depends on factors like your body size, fitness level, the intensity of your sauna session, and even the ambient temperature.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to calculating your sodium needs:

  1. Weigh yourself before your sauna session. Record this weight in pounds or kilograms.
  2. Weigh yourself after your sauna session. Again, record this weight.
  3. Calculate the difference. This is the amount of weight you lost, primarily through sweat. Convert this weight loss to liters (1 kg = 1 liter; 1 pound = approximately 0.45 liters).
  4. Estimate your sweat sodium concentration. This is the tricky part. Sweat sodium concentration varies widely, but a reasonable estimate for most people is between 0.5 and 1.5 grams of sodium per liter of sweat. If you’re a heavy sweater or tend to have salty sweat (you see white residue on your skin after sweating), use the higher end of the range.
  5. Calculate your total sodium loss. Multiply your sweat volume (in liters) by your estimated sweat sodium concentration (in grams per liter). This gives you an estimate of the total grams of sodium you lost during your sauna session.
  6. Factor in activity level. Are you just relaxing in the sauna, or are you also hiking or engaging in other strenuous activities that day? If so, you’ll need to account for additional sodium losses.

Example: Let’s say you weigh 150 pounds (68 kg) before your sauna session and 148 pounds (67 kg) after. You lost 2 pounds (approximately 0.9 liters) of sweat. If you estimate your sweat sodium concentration at 1 gram per liter, you lost approximately 0.9 grams of sodium. If you also went for a 5-mile hike that day, you might need to add another 0.5-1 gram of sodium to your total.

Now that you have an estimate of your sodium loss, let’s talk about replenishment strategies. You have several options readily available in Santa Fe at stores like Sprouts, Whole Foods, and even local pharmacies:

  • Electrolyte Drinks: These are convenient and come in various flavors. Look for options that contain sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Be wary of sugary drinks, as they can hinder hydration. Consider brands like LMNT (though pricier, it’s very high in sodium), or Nuun tablets (lower in sodium, but easily customizable).
  • Electrolyte Foods: Certain foods are naturally rich in electrolytes. Pickles, for example, are a surprisingly good source of sodium. Other options include bananas (potassium), spinach (magnesium), and bone broth (sodium and other minerals).
  • Electrolyte Capsules: These are a concentrated source of electrolytes and can be a good option if you don’t like the taste of electrolyte drinks or want a more precise dosage. Look for capsules that contain sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and magnesium citrate.

Pros and Cons:

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