The short answer is that it's generally not recommended to bring your phone into a sauna. The high temperatures and humidity levels can cause damage to your phone's internal components, and the risk of overheating or even explosion is not worth the convenience of having your phone with you.
In general, it is not recommended to bring modern smartphones into saunas or steam rooms. The extreme heat and humidity can potentially damage the device or cause it to malfunction. Here are a few reasons why:
To prevent liquid damage on iPhone, avoid the following: Swimming or bathing with iPhone. Exposing iPhone to pressurized water or high velocity water, such as when showering, water skiing, wake boarding, surfing, jet skiing, and so on. Using iPhone in a sauna or steam room.
Don't put AirPods in the washing machine or dryer. Don't wear AirPods in a sauna or steam room. Don't expose AirPods to high-velocity water, such as while water skiing. Avoid dropping AirPods or subjecting them to other impacts.
Although a video chat or catching up on your favorite show may sound like a good idea while in an infrared sauna, your phone may overheat, and the high humidity can damage its internal components.
Saunas, whether traditional, infrared, or steam, present extreme conditions that more electronic devices are not designed to handle. High temperatures can cause batteries to overheat, potentially leading to swelling or even explosion in rare cases.
If you must use your phone in a sauna, make sure to keep it away from direct heat sources and use a protective case to shield it from the heat. It is also a good idea to keep the phone in a cool, dry place after using it in a sauna to help it cool down.
Consequences of Sauna Use on AirPods
The battery could drain faster, leading to reduced listening time, and the AirPods' heat could cause disconnection or reduced audio quality. Over time, the heat exposure could lead to permanent damage such as reduced battery lifespan or complete malfunction.
Audio in the sauna creates that next level experience. Whether it is the sauna or steam room at your home or in a wellness center. Listening to a relaxing playlist, nature sounds, singing whales or an interesting podcast provides even more relaxation.
A 2019 study revealed that four 10-minute sauna sessions, interspersed with 5-minute cooldowns, led to a loss of 0.65 kg, primarily from water loss. An average of 73-134 calories burned in the sauna for 10 minutes was recorded, totaling a minimum of around 200 calories burned in an infrared sauna over 30 minutes.
The elevated heat within saunas often exceeds the recommended maximum operating temperature for phones. This poses as a threat to their functionality and longevity. The ideal temperature in a sauna can range from 80-90°C (176-194°F). That's well beyond what most phones are designed to endure.
With your research, you may have read that the latest iPhone 14, Plus, Pro and Pro Max are all water resistant. However, this does not mean waterproof. According to Apple, these iPhones are IP68 under IEC standard 60529. This means that they can be submerged in 6 metres of water and are splash and dust resistant.
Waterproof and sweat-resistant headphones are designed to withstand high levels of moisture and heat, making them suitable for use in saunas and other similar environments.
Shower Before You Enter
Not only is this hygienic—rinsing off sweat, body oils, and any cosmetics—it also preconditions your body for the heat. Don't: Use heavy soaps or fragrances before entering. The hot air intensifies smells, and you don't want to overwhelm your fellow sauna-goers with a potent scent.
Exposure to the intense heat of a sauna can cause the phone's internal components to overheat. This overheating can damage sensitive parts like the battery, processor, and memory. Prolonged exposure to high heat can lead to reduced battery life, data corruption, or even complete hardware failure.
The sauna/steam room should be used “2-3 times a week for no more than 10-20 minutes at a time,” Jay says. Some individuals like to opt for intervals. “You can do 15 to 20 minutes inside the room, take a 5 minute break outside the room, and then go back inside, repeating this for 3-4 cycles.”
Using AirPods in very hot conditions can permanently shorten battery life. Store your AirPods where the temperature is between -10º and 45º C (14º to 113º F). Don't leave your AirPods in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range.
Don't swim with or otherwise submerge your AirPods. Don't put AirPods in the washing machine or dryer. Don't wear AirPods in a sauna or steam room. Don't expose AirPods to high-velocity water, such as while water skiing.
For example, it's been suggested that sitting in a sauna may help by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, improving blood vessel function and beneficially activating different parts of the nervous system. These aren't the only suggested benefits of regular sauna use, by the way.
Get down low. The temperature in a sauna gets hotter the higher you are. Go to a lower level if you find yourself overheating, rather than leaving the space entirely. If you're still too hot when you're low, you might need to take a breather.
Given the potential risks, it's advisable to minimize or completely avoid bringing your phone into a sauna. If you must have your phone with you, limit the exposure as much as possible: Traditional Sauna: No more than 5-10 minutes, keeping in mind that the risk increases significantly with time as the device heats up.
Nicotine and alcohol should be taboo during the sauna bath. No sporting activities between sauna sessions. This would put unnecessary strain on the heart and circulatory system.
STAGE TWO COOLING DOWN
According to the classic Finnish method, there is a short bath in ice-cold water, which can be replaced by a shower in cold or lukewarm water, waiting at least two minutes after leaving the sauna.