While you often hear about the relaxing benefits of spending time in a sauna, you might wonder what activities you can do inside one. For some people, the high temperatures of saunas cause them to only focus on getting out when their time is up, making the countdown more difficult. But what if you could get your mind off the time with an e-reader, like a Kindle?
A Kindle should not be used in a sauna due to the extreme temperatures. However, some people use Kindles in saunas often with no negative effects. It’s possible that some models are better constructed than others and are more apt to handle increased temperature and humidity levels.
Some sauna enthusiasts have reported using their Kindles inside saunas for months. Although Kindles are not designed to be used in high temperature and high humidity environments, it appears some models are more robust than others. To learn everything there is to know about the operating temperatures of Kindles, how hot they can get, what happens if they overheat and if you can take printed books into the sauna, continue reading this detailed guide!
Sauna Temperature Vs. Kindle Operating Temperature
So why exactly shouldn’t you use Kindle readers in the sauna? The reason is the same for why you shouldn’t take your phone in as well. It has to do mainly with the high temperatures and the moisture levels in saunas. Simply put, Kindles are electronic devices; they have circuit boards with soldering that can melt if it gets too hot.
Additionally, if the temperature of the lithium batteries gets too high, they can explode. While that would undoubtedly be a climactic end to your Kindle device, it certainly wouldn’t be the ending you were hoping for. The maximum operating temperatures of most Kindle models are around 95°F (35°C).
Since most saunas easily exceed this limit, they could be made inoperable by these high temperatures. Different types of saunas operate in different temperature ranges. Traditional saunas tend to operate best between 150 to 195°F (65 to 90°C), infrared saunas do well between 120 to 140˚F (49 to 60°C), and steam saunas from 90 to 120°F (32 to 49°C)
With that being said, you might be thinking – the Kindle Oasis (on Amazon), is advertised as being a robust, waterproof e-reader, wouldn’t it be okay in the sauna? Unfortunately, the answer is also “no” for the Kindle Oasis.
In fact, Amazon says nothing about use in high temperatures; they only state to quickly pull it out of the liquid if you “accidentally” dropped it in water. From this, you can gather that the Kindle Oasis is not designed to stay wet long term.
Further, Amazon states that when drying your Kindle Oasis off to not use “an external heat source,” from this statement, we can infer that the Oasis isn’t designed for high-temperature use. Therefore, it is not safe to use in a sauna.
How Hot Can a Kindle Get?
Most Kindles are designed to keep working at storage temperatures up to 113°F (45°C) and operating temperatures of 95° F (35°C). As we mentioned earlier in this guide, both of these temperatures are much lower than the typical temperatures in saunas.
What Happens When a Kindle Overheats?
If your Kindle overheats, a few different things may happen depending on the severity of the overheating. A combination or just one of the following may happen:
- It will shut down – if this happens, immediately take it out into a cooler room
- It melts – carefully remove it from the sauna
- It explodes and catches fire – use a fire extinguisher and call 911 if necessary
What Can Happen to Your Kindle In the Sauna?
Although using Kindles in saunas is strongly discouraged, many people around the world do so without issues. Most reports indicate that use in dry saunas traditional saunas and infrared saunas are okay environments.
Meaning they are the least likely to break the Kindle since they just are hot. Steam saunas are the most damaging. Even waterproof units are susceptible to steam as steam is not a liquid and can easily sneak through waterproof gaskets and seals.
The most obvious risk of using your Kindle in the sauna is that it could break. Why risk ruining your expensive device? The worst-case scenario risk is that the battery within the Kindle explodes, which could severely injure you and start a fire.
Can You Take Physical Books In a Sauna?
You can absolutely take physical books in the sauna. However, dry traditional saunas and infrared saunas are best if you want to read books. In steam saunas, the pages would get wet and ruin the book.
If you like to read and prefer portability, a portable sauna like the SereneLife Portable Sauna (on Amazon) might be an excellent fit for you. It includes armholes that allow you to read from a physical book, a Kindle, or your phone without risking damage from heat and humidity.
Can You Take Your Phone In The Sauna?
You cannot use your phone in the sauna for the same reasons why you can’t use a Kindle in them. The same goes for fitness bands such as the Apple Watch and BlueTooth headphones like the Apple Airpods.
