I couldn’t find how long these people were in the hot water. Most journalists are bad at thinking what questions people might ask. Or maybe it’s there and I’m a poor reader.
In winter, I sometimes take baths that are hotter than 104 F. They are hard to take for long. It is tiring.
They used to say that steam baths help you lose weight, but the ultimate conclusion was that it was just temporary — weight rebounds quickly. Hot baths are hardly different, so comparison with steam bath studies might shed some light.
Sweating also helps people lose weight. But they concluded that most of it was due to dehydration.