In this blog post, I’ll consider the question, “Can you use electronics in an infrared sauna?”. I’ll also consider some other cases such as traditional saunas (e.g. dry saunas). Many people ask me whether they can use a laptop in sauna or Apple AirPods in saunas, Oura Ring in Sauna, or Apple Watch in sauna, and hence, I decided to write a blog post about this topic.
Let’s begin with the beginning though:
Can You Use Electronics In A Sauna?
Generally, it’s extremely unwise to use electronics in a sauna. I’ll give you several examples as to why doing so is almost always a very bad idea. Let’s start with infrared saunas:
Using Electronics In An Infrared Sauna
An infrared sauna has temperatures of up to 60 degrees Celsius (140 Fahrenheit (F)) (1; 2). Different types of electronics, such as Apple AirPods, laptops, and the Apple Watch, all have maximum temperatures of around 30 - 45 degrees Celsius, at which they can be stored or operated (86 - 113F).
At the very least, electronics in an infrared sauna will be exposed to excessive heat. And, because infrared light heats objects from the inside out in a different way than hot air would, this process speeds up in a wrong way. Hence, generally, unless the instruction manual of your electronics state you can use it in piping-hot environments, don’t do it.
And the problem gets even worse:
Using Electronics In A Dry Sauna
Dry saunas have temperatures of 80 - 90 degrees Celsius (176 - 194F) (3). That temperature is a massive problem for almost any electronic product. Please remember that most smartphones or laptops are already shut down automatically once temperatures approximate 30 or 35 degrees Celsius (86 - 95F).
And, if the device contains a battery, that battery can be permanently damaged. So once again, it’s incredibly unwise to use electronics in a dry sauna. Also, because the electronics get so hot, they may be uncomfortable for your skin and cause damage that way. Don’t do it, the risk isn’t worth it.
Next up:
Using Electronics In Traditional Saunas, Such As Finnish Saunas
The horror story continues. Traditional saunas such as Finnish saunas are an even bigger problem than the previous examples I used because they get much hotter and are extremely humid. Finnish Saunas can attain temperatures of a whopping 110 degrees Celsius (230F) (4).
Using electronics in traditional saunas, such as Finnish saunas, will thus shut down devices extremely quickly. And, due to the piping hot temperatures in Finnish saunas, the risk of permanent damage to any electronics is exceptionally high once more.
But you may think: “What about using electronics in steam rooms?”
Using Electronics Steam Rooms
Steam rooms aren’t too hot, with maximum temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius (113F). However, the problem in this case is that steam rooms are incredibly humid. That humidity ensures that heat is conducted towards electronics very rapidly. And, quicker heating of electronics once again implies that the electronics will be shut down or damaged.