{"id":585435,"date":"2026-08-15T11:06:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T11:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/585435\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T11:06:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T11:06:14","slug":"sound-baths-what-are-they-how-do-they-work-benefits-negatives-and-everything-to-know-explained-the-science-or-lack-thereof-behind-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/585435\/","title":{"rendered":"Sound baths: What are they, how do they work, benefits, negatives, and everything to know, explained | The science (or lack thereof) behind them"},"content":{"rendered":"

A quick search for \u2018south bath Sydney\u2019 brings up dozens of pages plastered with photos of zen-looking women cradling sound bowls and gongs, which they promise will promote relaxation<\/a>, healing and inner peace<\/a> for up to $200 an hour.<\/p>\n

Do they actually work? According to Dr Sandra Garrido, senior research fellow at The University of Sydney\u2019s School of Psychology, the answer is a pretty solid \u201cno\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Tibetan<\/p>\n

Sound baths are a popular wellness and spirituality practice many claim help with stress, anxiety, muscle tension and more.\u00a0microgen<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean sound baths are completely without benefit, nor is she suggesting the people selling them are scamming us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing dangerous about them, and if people enjoy them and find it relaxing, great,\u201d Garrido told nine.com.au. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I definitely wouldn\u2019t be spending lots of money on these things, thinking that they have some special healing power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Skipper: mskipper@nine.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n

What is a sound bath?<\/p>\n

A yogic sound bath is spent quietly listening to sounds from simple instruments like chimes, sound bowls and gongs.<\/p>\n

Participants typically take part in group sound baths hosted in quiet, intimate settings like yoga studios, private spaces or natural outdoor settings.<\/p>\n

The goal is to help participants centre themselves and relax<\/a> while listening to the sounds and turning inwards.<\/p>\n

Sound baths may seem like an ancient practice, but they\u2019re actually a pretty recent addition to modern yoga<\/a> that was developed off the back of the \u2018savasana\u2019 meditation at the end of modern yoga classes.<\/p>\n

Many Australian yoga studios and private practitioners now offer sound baths, which have become a popular and lucrative sector of the wellness industry.<\/p>\n

Some even claim sound baths can help manage anxiety, release muscle tension, regulate the nervous system or treat mental and physical illness \u2013 but those claims should be taken with a grain of salt.<\/p>\n

Is there any science behind sound baths?<\/p>\n

There is plenty of solid science behind why humans have physiological and cognitive reactions to sound, especially soothing sounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything that doesn\u2019t have a really driving tempo can be quite relaxing because our physiological response is … our heart rate slows down, our breathing slows down, and we end up feeling more relaxed,\u201d Garrido said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are cognitive elements too, like if we believe that somebody\u2019s doing something that\u2019s healing, or we\u2019re in a relaxing environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tuning<\/p>\n

The goal of sound baths is to help participants relax and achieve harmony, usually in small group settings.\u00a0microgen<\/p>\n

Scientifically, it makes sense that people would feel relaxed when exposed to relaxing sounds in a relaxing environment.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t prove there\u2019s anything special about sound baths in particular, nor is it evidence that they provide any benefits beyond relaxation.<\/p>\n

Some small studies have linked sound baths to increased spiritual wellbeing, reduced tension and anxiety, and improved blood pressure and heart rate, but the evidence is limited and far from concrete.<\/p>\n

\u201cContrary to popular belief, there are no particular sound frequencies that influence our body in particular ways,\u201d Garrido said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a placebo effect, but who cares if it\u2019s helping you to relax and feel better?\u201d <\/p>\n

Do sound baths work?<\/p>\n

The answer to this ultimately depends on what you want to get out of a sound bath.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re after relaxation, spiritual immersion, mindfulness and a bit of self-care<\/a>, sound baths might work for you. If you want a cure for anxiety, probably not.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Sitting quietly in a relaxing environment may provide the same soothing benefits as a sound bath for some Aussies, without the price tag.\u00a0Julia Gomina<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of science behind them but having said that, if people enjoy them and find it relaxing, good on them,\u201d Garrido said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t really matter whether it\u2019s a placebo or an actual thing that the sounds are doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as it\u2019s done with the understanding that there\u2019s no miraculous healing going on here, go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just try to avoid forking out huge amounts of money for a sound bath, if you can.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A quick search for \u2018south bath Sydney\u2019 brings up dozens of pages plastered with photos of zen-looking women…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":585436,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[163,85,46,482],"class_list":["post-585435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-medication"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=585435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/585436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=585435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=585435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=585435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}