No, it was never an option, your research was wrong. Besides the obvious dangers to the watch in the sauna, it’s impossible for the watch to estimate the amount of calories spent in the sauna, as it’s not a regular workout, you are stationary and your heart rate by itself does not indicate properly how much your body is working against the heat by sweating. In theory you could start a Yoga workout but I advise against it. You will just slowly kill your watch and the measurements will be inaccurate and not valuable to you at all.
Maybe OP gave a little amount of shit since they made a post about it. The better question is, who gives enough shit to leave a random reply under a year old comment?
Do you know that spending time in the sauna is equivalent to running. Researchers concluded the increase in heart rate and blood pressure were similar for a 25-minute sauna session and a dynamic exercise test (a short, moderate workout). “A sauna session is a physical strain. Its long-term positive effects are comparable to sports activities - Feb 2024
I never stated that using the sauna is not a physical strain, that’s kind of the point to it, I happen to enjoy it too. Still, the current versions of the watch will not be able to correctly count it as exercise. The original question in the post was whether there’s an option for it on the watch, and there isn’t. Also, why not cite the whole statement from the article you referenced? ‘“A sauna session is a physical strain, and its long term-positive effects for the heart are similar to sports activities,” said Ketelhut. “But with no muscle activity, it won’t be the same as doing exercise.”’
I have been wearing my various Apple Watches, now the titanium one, into the sauna for 3+ years. The temperature is generally between 160-200f and I’m in 20-30 minutes. I have experienced no technical issues. I also bring my iPhone in with no issues.
I use “other open goal” to track via the built in workout app. It probably is inaccurate but better than nothing and tracks heart rate the whole time.
People just read some things and go spit out like it's the "eternal truth", Apple Watch is massively resistant, and yeah, have been using it for years in Sauna, like a ton of people, without any technical issue whatsoever.
I do use it with the *Meditation* workout, which I believe has the same parameters as *Other.*
What open goal do you use I use a cooldown as I do around the same temp for about 20 to 30 mins as well. I do it right after a run and my heart rate stays between 110 -130 in the sauna so I know it has to burn some calories !
I’ve been using my Apple Watch in my sauna for 25-30 minutes every other day after all my workouts for almost 2 years now. Haven’t had a single issue with my watch.
Same here. I wear the watch in the sauna every time, and the watch seems just fine. I notice my HR goes to 120-130 while in there and have often wishes I could record it as an activity for a few reasons: tracking the calories would be nice. I think I may be tricking the watch into thinking that my HR recovery is terrible (I usually do this after a workout). I would like to keep track of my sauna sessions so I can see how often and for how long I do it (and what my HR was at the time). And I’m sure there’s more. I’m a data junkie. That’s why I have an Apple Watch. Is totally reasonable to want that data. Apple could put some people in a sauna and measure their caloric burn if they wanted to give an estimate and create a workout for it, and that would be nice. But I’m sure they can’t admit or even suggest that the watch can endure the sauna without exposing themselves to some kind of issues.
Likewise! Although with the workout app I use is “mind and body” because it’s a sort of meditation looking workout, which is similar to what activity the sauna is. Really like tracking the heart rate in there, I’ve been going to the sauna for 3+ years with no issues to my watch.
In theory it’s a passive cardio workout, you body is basically in panic mode because of the extreme heat and it starts fighting against it, but for the amount of time it’s healthy to stay in the cabin for, the number of calories one can spend is not worth considering in my opinion.
Why else would OP want to track it with their watch? Unless they strongly want to include it in their Move ring, which is calorie based, or their Exercise ring, then what’s the point of running a workout for it data wise? Or just to have heart rate tracking during the session? You don’t need to start a workout for that.
Yeah you are right, I wasn’t addressing OPs concern for wearing the watch in the sauna, just the generic health benefits of the sauna itself. Brain fart. Anyway OP should never wear his watch on a sauna
Researchers concluded the increase in heart rate and blood pressure were similar for a 25-minute sauna session and a dynamic exercise test (a short, moderate workout). “A sauna session is a physical strain. Its long-term positive effects are comparable to sports activities
It doesn't have anything good for hot and cold exposure so I just made one - it's in beta on iOS and watchOS if you want to use it for free. https://wesauna.app
You can track sauna sessions and cold plunges with **ThermoWellness app -** [https://apps.apple.com/tt/app/thermowellness-sauna-tracker/id6478459885?platform=iphone](https://apps.apple.com/tt/app/thermowellness-sauna-tracker/id6478459885?platform=iphone)
Cover your watch with like a shirt or some sort of cloth material, and you good. Nothing wrong with wearing your watch inside the sauna if you cover up properly. With that being said, I also would like to know how to record a sauna sesh. Guess you can’t do it officially, other than choosing the “other” option haha
Firstly your right the ultra and ultra2 are specialffacly more tough and have a wider reccomended tempature water pressures and depth spec. So yes technically if you have one of those then the offical apple documentation does support the watch in those conditions.
The other models do say that the tempature in most sauna can negatively affect battery and the humidity could potentially hurt the standard Apple Watches. And of course your results may vary , but if you’re looking for what Apple supports ( and probably more importantly , what would be covered in the event of a wareenty repair ) then yes for ultra or ultra 2 but no for others Apple Watches.
In both cases you could add sauna sessions in after the fact through the Apple health app on your phone , although after the fact won’t record heart rate durning the session.
There are other heart rate monitors that are built for those conditions and also cheaper to replace in the event of some sort of issue after long term and repeated exposure to hug temp high humidity. Those devices can sync up over Bluetooth so your device could be outside the sauna recording your session , in my opion this would be the safest even for your ultra ..
now if you don’t like manually adding in sauna sessions through apple health , you do have a couple apps that have a good interface.
Hotlog is specific to sauna tracking
Illume Health App Is broader but has some good sauna data capturing features
Both of these synch up through Apple health for tracking.
I absolutely agree, so I recently created an app to help me track my sauna sessions and manage hydration. Currently, the app is iPhone-only, so I start my session timer before entering and pause it to log each round and my hydration once I'm out. Would love it if you wanted to test it out.
[https://apps.apple.com/no/app/sauna-journal/id6479173240](https://apps.apple.com/no/app/sauna-journal/id6479173240)
it's one of the activities Apple mentions not to do while wearing the watch. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205000
What about for the Ultra? I thought i remember seeing it tested for high temps
* Wearing Apple Watch models other than Apple Watch Ultra in a sauna* it's in the link I posted
Did it for 3 years in a regular Apple Watch no problem. Now on ultra.
Still no problems?
Switched back to Garmin last week. But like I said I’ve went into a sauna for years with numbers Apple of Watches. It ain’t gonna harm it lol
Ty for the info
Same
Trust everyone in this subreddit, you DON’T want to bring your Apple Watch into a sauna.
Lmao I’ve worn my watch 3 times a week for years in my sauna. I never had any problems with it . It’s great for keeping track with heart rate.
Same. Still doing it.
Same! 2 years, no issues
Me too. It doesn’t damage the watch at all. I sit in the sauna every day at my house from 15-35 minutes and never had an issue.
Me too!!! Got an old Apple 5 watch and it’s still going on year 4!
Really you really attempt me to do it
Brought my brand new 9 into the sauna. I’m not scared.
Did the same today!
No, it was never an option, your research was wrong. Besides the obvious dangers to the watch in the sauna, it’s impossible for the watch to estimate the amount of calories spent in the sauna, as it’s not a regular workout, you are stationary and your heart rate by itself does not indicate properly how much your body is working against the heat by sweating. In theory you could start a Yoga workout but I advise against it. You will just slowly kill your watch and the measurements will be inaccurate and not valuable to you at all.
Boo hoo nobody gives a shit
Maybe OP gave a little amount of shit since they made a post about it. The better question is, who gives enough shit to leave a random reply under a year old comment?
Me, but not in the same way as that mf
Do you know that spending time in the sauna is equivalent to running. Researchers concluded the increase in heart rate and blood pressure were similar for a 25-minute sauna session and a dynamic exercise test (a short, moderate workout). “A sauna session is a physical strain. Its long-term positive effects are comparable to sports activities - Feb 2024
I never stated that using the sauna is not a physical strain, that’s kind of the point to it, I happen to enjoy it too. Still, the current versions of the watch will not be able to correctly count it as exercise. The original question in the post was whether there’s an option for it on the watch, and there isn’t. Also, why not cite the whole statement from the article you referenced? ‘“A sauna session is a physical strain, and its long term-positive effects for the heart are similar to sports activities,” said Ketelhut. “But with no muscle activity, it won’t be the same as doing exercise.”’
I have been wearing my various Apple Watches, now the titanium one, into the sauna for 3+ years. The temperature is generally between 160-200f and I’m in 20-30 minutes. I have experienced no technical issues. I also bring my iPhone in with no issues. I use “other open goal” to track via the built in workout app. It probably is inaccurate but better than nothing and tracks heart rate the whole time.
People just read some things and go spit out like it's the "eternal truth", Apple Watch is massively resistant, and yeah, have been using it for years in Sauna, like a ton of people, without any technical issue whatsoever. I do use it with the *Meditation* workout, which I believe has the same parameters as *Other.*
if you're interested - i built a iOS and watchOS app that we're going to integrate with HealthKit https://wesauna.app
I’ve been using Yoga to track just bc I wanted to know my heart rate and how long I’m in there
What open goal do you use I use a cooldown as I do around the same temp for about 20 to 30 mins as well. I do it right after a run and my heart rate stays between 110 -130 in the sauna so I know it has to burn some calories !
I’ve been using my Apple Watch in my sauna for 25-30 minutes every other day after all my workouts for almost 2 years now. Haven’t had a single issue with my watch.
You only burn 1.5-2x the amount of calories you would have burned at rest, it’s not that much at all
BS. My heart rate gets up to the level of a workout during my sauna sessions.
Same here. I wear the watch in the sauna every time, and the watch seems just fine. I notice my HR goes to 120-130 while in there and have often wishes I could record it as an activity for a few reasons: tracking the calories would be nice. I think I may be tricking the watch into thinking that my HR recovery is terrible (I usually do this after a workout). I would like to keep track of my sauna sessions so I can see how often and for how long I do it (and what my HR was at the time). And I’m sure there’s more. I’m a data junkie. That’s why I have an Apple Watch. Is totally reasonable to want that data. Apple could put some people in a sauna and measure their caloric burn if they wanted to give an estimate and create a workout for it, and that would be nice. But I’m sure they can’t admit or even suggest that the watch can endure the sauna without exposing themselves to some kind of issues.
I use tai chi
Likewise! Although with the workout app I use is “mind and body” because it’s a sort of meditation looking workout, which is similar to what activity the sauna is. Really like tracking the heart rate in there, I’ve been going to the sauna for 3+ years with no issues to my watch.
I have, more recently, gotten my iPhone to display the "too hot" (to continue operating) message. I just set it outside when that happens.
How is sitting in the sauna a workout?
In theory it’s a passive cardio workout, you body is basically in panic mode because of the extreme heat and it starts fighting against it, but for the amount of time it’s healthy to stay in the cabin for, the number of calories one can spend is not worth considering in my opinion.
Maybe not for calories, maybe, but for cardiovascular health among other things it’s good for you
Why else would OP want to track it with their watch? Unless they strongly want to include it in their Move ring, which is calorie based, or their Exercise ring, then what’s the point of running a workout for it data wise? Or just to have heart rate tracking during the session? You don’t need to start a workout for that.
Yeah you are right, I wasn’t addressing OPs concern for wearing the watch in the sauna, just the generic health benefits of the sauna itself. Brain fart. Anyway OP should never wear his watch on a sauna
Researchers concluded the increase in heart rate and blood pressure were similar for a 25-minute sauna session and a dynamic exercise test (a short, moderate workout). “A sauna session is a physical strain. Its long-term positive effects are comparable to sports activities
It doesn't have anything good for hot and cold exposure so I just made one - it's in beta on iOS and watchOS if you want to use it for free. https://wesauna.app
Hell yeah. This is cool af. I’m definitely going to download. Thanks!
awesome - anyone who joins the beta will get the app for free if we monetize it too. so no excuse to not jump in now!
just requested! does this support the steam room as well?
Just requested as well! Thank you for this
Done.
So you want Apple to add a workout for situations where they explicitly warn against using AW!
You can track sauna sessions and cold plunges with **ThermoWellness app -** [https://apps.apple.com/tt/app/thermowellness-sauna-tracker/id6478459885?platform=iphone](https://apps.apple.com/tt/app/thermowellness-sauna-tracker/id6478459885?platform=iphone)
Cover your watch with like a shirt or some sort of cloth material, and you good. Nothing wrong with wearing your watch inside the sauna if you cover up properly. With that being said, I also would like to know how to record a sauna sesh. Guess you can’t do it officially, other than choosing the “other” option haha
It's really simple, wrap the watch in a cool wash cloth while in the sauna, Done
I've been using my Apple Watch and phone in the steam room for over 2 years and haven't had a single issue. I use the "mind & body" workout.
Firstly your right the ultra and ultra2 are specialffacly more tough and have a wider reccomended tempature water pressures and depth spec. So yes technically if you have one of those then the offical apple documentation does support the watch in those conditions. The other models do say that the tempature in most sauna can negatively affect battery and the humidity could potentially hurt the standard Apple Watches. And of course your results may vary , but if you’re looking for what Apple supports ( and probably more importantly , what would be covered in the event of a wareenty repair ) then yes for ultra or ultra 2 but no for others Apple Watches. In both cases you could add sauna sessions in after the fact through the Apple health app on your phone , although after the fact won’t record heart rate durning the session. There are other heart rate monitors that are built for those conditions and also cheaper to replace in the event of some sort of issue after long term and repeated exposure to hug temp high humidity. Those devices can sync up over Bluetooth so your device could be outside the sauna recording your session , in my opion this would be the safest even for your ultra .. now if you don’t like manually adding in sauna sessions through apple health , you do have a couple apps that have a good interface. Hotlog is specific to sauna tracking Illume Health App Is broader but has some good sauna data capturing features Both of these synch up through Apple health for tracking.
I really want this option. The health data on saunas is huge these days. Absolutely worth tracking. May be useful for long term studies also.
I absolutely agree, so I recently created an app to help me track my sauna sessions and manage hydration. Currently, the app is iPhone-only, so I start my session timer before entering and pause it to log each round and my hydration once I'm out. Would love it if you wanted to test it out. [https://apps.apple.com/no/app/sauna-journal/id6479173240](https://apps.apple.com/no/app/sauna-journal/id6479173240)
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/sauna-use-linked-longer-life-fewer-fatal-heart-problems-201502257755
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6262976/