Can you wear an Apple Watch or Oura Ring in a sauna? What each maker says
Apple says no for most models, Oura says yes with a battery caveat, Fitbit says no, and a traditional sauna runs hotter than nearly every operating range the makers publish. Device by device, here is what the support pages actually say.
Short answer: Apple says to avoid wearing any Apple Watch in a steam room, and any model other than Apple Watch Ultra in a sauna. Ultra can go in a sauna up to 130°F (55°C). Oura says you can wear its ring in saunas and hot tubs, but that extended exposure above 140°F (60°C) may damage the battery. Fitbit advises against saunas and hot tubs, and Samsung warns that saunas and steam rooms can weaken a watch’s water resistance. Many traditional saunas run at 180°F or more, so the simplest rule is to leave the device outside.
The question sounds trivial until you compare two numbers. FoxFire Breathworks, a public wood-fired sauna on Lake Nokomis in our Minneapolis guide, keeps its hot room around 180°F. Embrace North, in the same city, sets its saunas to 200°F. Most wearables are rated for far less.
The makers have noticed. Several of them answer the sauna question directly on their support pages, and their answers differ more than you might expect. Here is what each one says, with the page it comes from.
Apple Watch in a sauna, steam room or hot tub
Apple’s support page on Apple Watch water resistance lists what to avoid while wearing the watch, because it can affect water resistance. Three items on the list are about heat: wearing Apple Watch in a steam room, wearing models other than Apple Watch Ultra in a sauna, and wearing Apple Watch Ultra in a sauna above 55°C (130°F).
The same page says water resistance is not a permanent condition, can diminish over time, and cannot be rechecked or resealed. A watch that has been through a season of sauna sessions may not be the watch you think it is in the pool.
Apple’s page on operating temperatures fills in the numbers. Apple Watch Series and SE models are designed to work best in ambient temperatures between 32°F and 95°F. Apple Watch Ultra models are rated for -4°F to 130°F while you wear them. So Ultra is the only Apple Watch with a sauna allowance, and only in a room cooler than 130°F, which rules out the 180°F and 200°F saunas above.
Apple’s list does not mention hot tubs. A hot tub usually runs at 100°F to 104°F, as our sauna vs hot tub guide explains. That is above the 95°F Apple gives for Series and SE models, and at the top of the 32°F to 104°F water range Apple gives for Ultra during underwater activities.
Oura Ring in a sauna or hot tub
Oura is the most permissive maker here. Its product safety page gives an operating temperature of 14°F to 125°F (-10°C to 52°C) and says you can safely wear the ring in the shower, hot tubs, saunas, ice baths and cryotherapy tanks.
The same paragraph adds a caveat: extended exposure to temperatures above 140°F (60°C) may lead to battery damage. Oura does not say how long counts as extended. A sauna at 180°F is well above 140°F, so if you keep the ring on, short sessions are the cautious reading of Oura’s own words, and taking it off for long or very hot rounds is the safer one.
WHOOP in a sauna
We could not find a statement from WHOOP on saunas that we could read and cite, so we make no claim either way. If you wear a WHOOP, ask WHOOP support before you take it into a hot room, and follow the general rule at the end of this guide in the meantime.
Garmin in a sauna
Garmin publishes operating temperatures in each device’s manual. The Forerunner 265 manual, for example, gives an operating range of -4°F to 122°F (-20°C to 50°C). A traditional sauna is far above that. Ranges differ by model, so check the manual for yours.
Fitbit and Google Pixel Watch
Google is direct about Fitbit. Its Fitbit water resistance page says to avoid wearing a Fitbit device in the shower, hot tub or sauna, and that Google does not recommend wearing the devices in a hot tub or sauna.
For the Pixel Watch, Google says it is designed for shallow water and should not be used for activities involving water at high velocity or high temperature. A hot tub is water at high temperature.
Samsung Galaxy Watch
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch water resistance page warns that environments such as saunas and steam rooms, with sudden or extreme changes in temperature, can compromise the effectiveness of water resistance.
Why waterproof does not mean sauna-proof
Every warning above comes back to the same point. A water resistance rating tells you how deep and for how long, not how hot. Heat and steam are what the makers single out: Apple lists steam rooms for every model, Samsung names saunas and steam rooms, and Google names high-temperature water.
The same is true of medical wearables. Dexcom rates its G7 sensor for water depth and time, and separately says sauna use has not been tested. Our guide to CGMs and insulin pumps in the sauna or hot tub covers those devices, where the stakes are higher than a battery.
Smartwatches, rings and heat at a glance
| Device | What the maker says | Sauna | Hot tub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch Series, SE | Avoid saunas and steam rooms; works best at 32°F to 95°F | Leave it outside | Not addressed; hotter than the 95°F range |
| Apple Watch Ultra | Avoid saunas above 130°F and all steam rooms | Only below 130°F, cooler than most saunas | Top of the 104°F water range |
| Oura Ring | Safe in saunas and hot tubs; battery risk above 140°F | Short sessions, or off for hot rounds | The maker says it is fine |
| Fitbit | Not recommended in a hot tub or sauna | Leave it outside | Leave it outside |
| Google Pixel Watch | No water at high velocity or high temperature | Not addressed directly | Leave it outside |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch | Saunas and steam rooms can compromise water resistance | Leave it outside | Check your model |
| Garmin Forerunner 265 | Operating range -4°F to 122°F | Above the range | Check your model’s manual |
| WHOOP | No statement we could cite | Ask WHOOP | Ask WHOOP |
Ice baths and cold plunges
Cold is less of a problem for most devices. Oura names ice baths and cryotherapy tanks as fine. Apple notes that heart rate measurements can be less accurate in low ambient temperatures, and that the ECG app is accurate only from 32°F to 95°F, so treat readings taken in a cold plunge with some caution. For the plunge itself, our guide to who should avoid cold plunging covers the safety side.
What is oversold about tracking a sauna session
The appeal of wearing a tracker in the sauna is the data: heart rate, strain, a recovery score the next morning. But a device used outside its rated temperatures is not the instrument to trust, and our guide to whether recovery trackers actually work explains why the scores deserve more caution than they get.
If you want a record, note the time you went in and came out. The session did its work whether or not your wrist saw it.
Where to leave your watch and ring
In a locker or a bag, away from the heater. Our checklist of what to wear and bring to a sauna or cold plunge makes the same call for jewellery: metal heats up in a sauna and can be lost in a plunge, so take it off.
FAQ: smartwatches and rings in the sauna
Can you wear an Apple Watch in a sauna? Apple says to avoid wearing Apple Watch models other than Apple Watch Ultra in a sauna, and any Apple Watch in a steam room. Ultra can be worn in a sauna up to 130°F (55°C), but many traditional saunas run at 180°F or more, so for most sessions the watch belongs outside.
Can you wear an Oura Ring in a sauna? Oura says you can safely wear its ring in saunas, hot tubs and ice baths, and gives an operating range of 14°F to 125°F. It also warns that extended exposure above 140°F may damage the battery, so keep sessions short or take the ring off for long, hot rounds.
Can you wear an Oura Ring in a hot tub? Yes, according to Oura, which names hot tubs among the places you can safely wear the ring. A hot tub usually runs at 100°F to 104°F, inside Oura’s stated operating range of 14°F to 125°F and well below the 140°F above which it warns of battery damage.
Can you wear a WHOOP or a Garmin in a sauna? We could not find a WHOOP statement on saunas that we could cite, so ask WHOOP support. Garmin lists operating temperatures in each manual; the Forerunner 265, for example, is rated to 122°F, well below a traditional sauna.
Can you wear a Fitbit in a hot tub? Google, which makes Fitbit, says it does not recommend wearing Fitbit devices in a hot tub or sauna, and advises against wearing them in the shower too.
The bottom line on wearables in the sauna
Oura is the only maker that says yes to saunas outright, and even Oura warns about the battery above 140°F. Apple allows Ultra up to 130°F and no Apple Watch in a steam room, while Fitbit, Samsung and Google advise against the heat. Many saunas run at 180°F to 200°F.
So the rule is short. Leave the watch in the locker, time your rounds another way, and put it back on once you have cooled down.