Doctor warns: Avoid sex in this place if you want to protect your health

A hot tub may seem like an appealing setting for intimacy, but doctor Rashid Bani says the romantic scenario carries health risks that many couples overlook.

Bani, a specialist and medical director at Your Sexual Health, says chlorine and bromine can irritate intimate areas. Condoms can also slip or break more easily in water, making them less reliable. Women may later experience discomfort, redness or itching, even if they felt no irritation during sex.

The risk of sexually transmitted infections is different. Bani says infections do not survive long outside the body, especially in properly maintained, chlorinated water. Sharing a clean and correctly treated hot tub with an infected person therefore carries virtually no risk of transmission through the water itself.

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Sexually transmitted infections do not survive long outside the body, especially in properly maintained water with chlorine.

Fertility concerns mainly affect men. Sperm perform best at temperatures between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius, while hot-tub water generally reaches 37 to 40 degrees. Long or frequent exposure can temporarily reduce sperm count or motility, although the condition usually returns to normal after leaving the water.

Women face fewer fertility-related risks, but Bani advises caution against overheating, especially during early pregnancy. “The key is spending less time in the water and staying well hydrated,” he says. Couples trying to conceive should avoid excessive temperatures and limit their time in the hot tub.

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The key is spending less time in the water and staying well hydrated.