Can You Bring Headphones in the Sauna or Steam Room?

What are sauna rooms and steam rooms?

A steam room and sauna room are the same in that they create a hot and humid environment that will generate enough heat for your body to sweat out toxins and calories and allow you to de-stress. While they may be similar in this aspect, they differ in the type of heat they provide.

A steam room is an enclosure that provides heat to the user using boiling water. The boiling water will then release steam that is both hot and moist, which will allow individuals to sweat out.

On the other hand, a sauna room provides dry heat from a closed stove or heated rocks. There are two types of saunas, specifically the dry and moist sauna. The dry sauna, also known as the Finnish sauna, works through dry heat generators from wood or electricity, while the wet or Turkish sauna works by pouring water on the heat generator.

The hot and humid environment produced by a sauna and steam room is enough to cleanse out toxins from the body but also damages electronic devices. The water vapor produced from these hot enclosures can enter your devices, and the intense heat can cook most electronic devices, which can be deadly in some instances.

How do saunas/steam rooms affect electronic devices?

The first thing that can significantly damage any electronic device is when water enters the components, and this is the first thing you should look out for when using headphones in the sauna. Most headphones and devices have highly sensitive electronic components that can get short-circuited once water enters them.

Adding to this, water can also corrode the metallic components inside your headphones, which can render your headphones useless, and most of the time, rusting of the metallic elements in your headphones can be fatal.

So if you are looking for headphones to use in the steam room, besides good sound quality, you should also check if the headphones are water resistant like the headphones that you can use in the shower.

Another factor you should consider is the heat produced by these rooms. Obviously, steam rooms and saunas are designed to recreate high temperatures using extreme heat from rocks or boiling water, and this type of steam room environment is enough to cook the components inside your device, which could damage them, and can even pose as a hazard when you are using them.

So it would be best to look for headphones that handle excessive heat from such an environment.

Can you use headphones in the sauna?

There is no such thing as sauna-proof headphones as almost no headphone manufacturer can create headphones with components that can handle heat and moisture damage from these harsh environments for long periods. Quality headphones have an IPX rating of 67 that allows them to deal with high heat and moisture damage for a short period, but no headphones in the world can be worn for long periods and take all that heat and moisture and not get damaged.

There are many reasons you should avoid wearing headphones in the sauna or steam room, and here are some of them.

Batteries might explode

Bluetooth headphones cannot work without some headphone battery inside them. These batteries provide battery life to the headphones enabling them to transmit music from your phone to the headphones. But a big concern over batteries inside the headphones is that they can explode because of immense heat, making them a hazard if you wear them.

Sauna and steam rooms can reach a temperature of 90°C, which is way beyond the temperature where you should store batteries, which is 60°C. If your battery powered headphones don’t explode, the battery life might get affected, making them discharge energy at a much faster rate.

While wired headphones don’t have to deal with this issue, the audio jack still presents another entry for moisture, which might render your phone useless instead of damaging your headphones.

The headphones might shut down.

Equipped with high-level technology, most headphones are equipped with an automatic shutdown function that forces them to shut down if the sensors detect that the headphones are in a hot and humid environment.

This feature is designed to protect individuals if the headphones explode because of the batteries and other sensitive electrical systems in the headphones. Headphones in a sauna will operate for just 5 minutes until they turn off automatically, and they will work once again if you are in a less harsh environment.

IPX rating doesn’t mean sauna proof

IPX ratings are somewhat connected to a headphone being called sweat resistant or water resistant, and this is true in some cases wherein the only factor you have to consider is moisture itself, but in the case of a sauna room, you also have to take into consideration heat and condensation from the hot rocks and boiling water.

The small opening in the headphones allows the water vapor to enter them and condensation, which can damage your electronic device. In addition, a lower IPX rating will also mean that they will not be able to cover continuous sauna conditions, making them less than capable of reducing the occurrence of condensation.

Moisture is also very detrimental to the headphone drivers. Headphone drivers are responsible for producing fantastic sound quality, so if your drivers are damaged, the sound quality produced from your headphones might deteriorate, given that they still work.

Microorganisms thrive in these conditions.

Most headphones are not cleaned thoroughly, and when you use headphones during one of your sauna sessions, the bacteria and mold inside your headphones might multiply, which may enter your ear canal and cause immense damage to your ear canal and eardrums.

Aside from this, microorganisms inside your headphones can also damage the components, causing your headphones to give off a foul odor.

Using headphones in a sauna might not be covered in your warranty.

Using headphones in a sauna or any moisture-rich environment is not suitable for your headphones. So if the manufacturer finds that the moisture sensors inside your headphones are tripped, they will automatically void the warranty, leaving you with faulty headphones.

Many manufacturers will void a warranty if significant electromechanical damage is found in the headphones, which can be caused due to the condensation of water vapor inside the headphones.

You can relax in the sauna.

Saunas are already relaxing places to be in; they are an excellent place to unwind because they are quiet and isolated, which means you can get away from all the technology such as phones, wifi, music, and TV. Taking a break from using your headphones also allows your earbuds to relax, minimizing your risk of hearing impairments.

Relaxing in the sauna is also a great way to post-workout recovery tool; the heat and shutdown from the sauna and steam rooms allow your body to enter a parasympathetic state which improves brain function, helps your body recuperate faster, blood pressure lowered, and many more benefits.

In addition, using your headphones while relaxing in the sauna can be considered disrespectful to some cultures as people who stay in sauna rooms participate in small talks and get to know each other.

Lastly, saunas and steam rooms are known for their tranquility, which means adding your music into the mix might worsen the experience for other people, so it’s best to leave your headphones while in the room.

How can I listen to music in a sauna room?

If you really want to listen to music while having a relaxing sauna experience, then you can opt for a cheaper Bluetooth speaker and place it outside to protect the speaker from getting wet and damaged by the intense heat.

Another option is to purchase sauna proof headphones that can handle the moisture from a wet sauna and the intense hot steam during your sauna session. Here are some of the best headphones to use in sauna rooms.

Bose SoundSport Free Earbuds

These Bose headphones are one of the best for superb sound quality; they are great for working out, and they are also made with super durable materials and have excellent battery life. However, a huge downside is that they don’t have good sound isolation.

Jabra Elite Active 65t Earbuds

The Jabra Elite Active 65t Earbuds are the best when talking about all the factors you have to consider when looking for a great-sounding earbud to use in the sauna. It has excellent sound quality; it is great for listening to music and has a superb microphone that can pick up even the faintest sound; it has fast charging, long battery life, and most of all, these earbuds are dust and sweat-resistant.

AfterShokz Titanium Earbuds

The AfterShokz Titanium Earbuds are the best budget earbuds on this list as they produce excellent sound, are comfortable to wear for hours on end, feature a stable Bluetooth connection, are water resistant, are easy to control, and have average battery life. However, the noise cancellation on these earbuds is not the best.

TOZO T10 Earbuds

The TOZO T10 Earbuds (see also the best Tozo earbuds) are the most worth it out of every earbud on this list. It produces an immersive sound quality with its 8mm drivers, uses the most advanced Bluetooth technology to ensure no lag, and the earbuds’ shape will comfortably fit any individual.

The IPX8 rating on these headphones makes them sauna proof for up to 20 minutes, as the nano coating on these earbuds can protect the earbuds from moisture and heat.

TOZO T6 Earbuds

The last entry on this list is the TOZO T6 Earbuds which produce good quality sound with its 6 mm drivers, and the Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity on the TOZO T6 Earbuds ensures that there is little to no latency between the phone and the earbuds.

This earbud is very comfortable, has an average battery life, and is easy to control with its installed smart touch controls.

Can you wear AirPods in sauna/steam rooms?

No, Apple has said explicitly that AirPods should not be used in steam rooms or saunas because they only have an IPX4 rating, which makes them waterproof for the occasional splash, spill, or sweat, but they are not well equipped enough to handle the moisture levels in saunas.

In addition, Apple also expressed that their AirPods cannot handle the hot environment in a sauna.

Can you wear Beats headphones in a sauna?

Beats headphones are also powered by the M1 chip, which powers the AirPods, which also means that they are not equipped to handle the harsh environments in a sauna. The Powerbeats and the Powerbeats pro have an IPX4 rating, which means they are only waterproof to the occasional splashes and spills, but they are not durable enough to stay in moisture-rich environments for prolonged periods.

They also expressed that Beats headphones should not be worn in highly humid conditions, which means that saunas and steam rooms are out of the equation.

Speakers or headphones?

When listening to music while in the sauna, the better choice is to use speakers because you can leave them outside the sauna room, and they will still be audible inside. Also, speakers will not present themselves as a hazard because they are not directly exposed to the harsh conditions in a sauna/steam room.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I listen to music in the sauna?

Yes, you can listen to music in a sauna either by wearing sauna proof earbuds/headphones, or you can choose the safer option, which is listening to music by connecting your phone with a Bluetooth speaker and putting your speaker outside the sauna room.

Can I bring my iPhone to the sauna?

No, you should never bring electronic devices into a sauna as the harsh environment of saunas can easily damage the electronic components inside your devices. The water and the immense heat in saunas present your devices in two different ways.

Which is healthier? Steam room or the sauna?

A steam room is deemed better for your health than a sauna because while a sauna will help you relax your muscles, a steam room’s most significant advantage is its humidity.

Does steam reduce belly fat?

No, while steam can reduce the water weight in our bodies, they don’t do much in reducing belly fat.

How much weight can you possibly lose in a sauna in 30 minutes?

You can lose as much as 5 pounds in 30 minutes inside a sauna as you lose a lot of water weight in your body.

Conclusion

Music is an excellent way to make even the most boring activities fun and enjoyable, but because of the intense heat and moisture-rich environments of saunas and steam rooms, wearing headphones inside these enclosed spaces is not recommended as they might get damaged or be a potential hazard to individuals.

We hope this informative article has helped you become knowledgeable if you can use and wear headphones inside a sauna or steam room.