Wireless earbuds for the sauna?
October 28, 2024 11:10 AM Subscribe
Do you have a recommendation for wireless earbuds that can be used when exposed to the heat of a sauna for 15 min?
I visit a public sauna about twice a week and stay there for 15 min sessions at about 90°C/195°F.
There's no music or conversation allowed in there, and I am bored out of my mind... It also makes the heat more "unbearable" if I'm not distracted, so I tend to end my sessions early as well.
I'm feeling benefits from the sauna, though, so I want to keep going. I've been listening to podcasts, but my current JBL earbuds overheat and shut down after about 5 min. Any recs for a model that you know can take the heat for longer?
I obviously don't take my phone inside the sauna, it stays in the changing room just outside, so the Bluetooth range doesn't need to be wide.
I've tried taking books as well, but the light is very dim, making it hard to read, and the glue of the book starts to melt, and all the pages detach from the spine...
I visit a public sauna about twice a week and stay there for 15 min sessions at about 90°C/195°F.
There's no music or conversation allowed in there, and I am bored out of my mind... It also makes the heat more "unbearable" if I'm not distracted, so I tend to end my sessions early as well.
I'm feeling benefits from the sauna, though, so I want to keep going. I've been listening to podcasts, but my current JBL earbuds overheat and shut down after about 5 min. Any recs for a model that you know can take the heat for longer?
I obviously don't take my phone inside the sauna, it stays in the changing room just outside, so the Bluetooth range doesn't need to be wide.
I've tried taking books as well, but the light is very dim, making it hard to read, and the glue of the book starts to melt, and all the pages detach from the spine...
Since you mentioned books, what about printing out a poem at a large font (for easy reading in dim light) and dedicating that time to memorizing the poem? It will take you at least 15 minutes to commit a few stanzas to memory, and you’ll have a party trick at the end. And of course there are endless poems to try this with.
Wish I had headphones suggestions for you but anotheraccount is right, it’s just not an environment technology is built to withstand.
posted by brook horse at 12:11 PM on October 28 [2 favorites]
Wish I had headphones suggestions for you but anotheraccount is right, it’s just not an environment technology is built to withstand.
posted by brook horse at 12:11 PM on October 28 [2 favorites]
I have waterproof bone conduction headphones from Shokz and I wonder if they would hold up against the moisture better?
posted by jacquilynne at 5:17 PM on October 28
posted by jacquilynne at 5:17 PM on October 28
Sorry if you've thought of this already, but are you aware that any distraction means you're doing sauna "wrong"? Don't take my word for it. Ask some Finnish people.
The biggest possible benefit of regular sauna-ing is feeling (more) at ease with things slowing down. Sauna culture promotes silence and stillness because that's how saunas heal body and mind. You're supposed to find the heat difficult to handle by the end and you are then supposed to get out. You are absolutely not meant to distract yourself from your body's signals. That's dangerous, because saunas (while healthy) are a lot for your body to handle. Just because you were able to do 10 minutes last week does not mean you can always do that. Your body is going to make that call based on everything else it has going on, and it will keep you safe if you're wise enough to trust it.
I mean, I'm one to talk, no longer even taking bubble baths without distraction. I know it's tempting to stay stimulated at all times. If you're similar to me, you might not want your thoughts to stray because they'll go to anxiety-inducing places. It's difficult.
Who knows, maybe you have plenty of silence in your life already. But if not, do try to just let your brain rest. You can follow the "5 things" framework if you need some structure to stay mindful: Notice five things you see, four you feel, three you hear, two you smell, one you taste. Or alphabetically list things you're grateful for (not exactly mindful, but a healthy activity that allows the mind to roam).
posted by toucan at 6:36 PM on October 28 [10 favorites]
The biggest possible benefit of regular sauna-ing is feeling (more) at ease with things slowing down. Sauna culture promotes silence and stillness because that's how saunas heal body and mind. You're supposed to find the heat difficult to handle by the end and you are then supposed to get out. You are absolutely not meant to distract yourself from your body's signals. That's dangerous, because saunas (while healthy) are a lot for your body to handle. Just because you were able to do 10 minutes last week does not mean you can always do that. Your body is going to make that call based on everything else it has going on, and it will keep you safe if you're wise enough to trust it.
I mean, I'm one to talk, no longer even taking bubble baths without distraction. I know it's tempting to stay stimulated at all times. If you're similar to me, you might not want your thoughts to stray because they'll go to anxiety-inducing places. It's difficult.
Who knows, maybe you have plenty of silence in your life already. But if not, do try to just let your brain rest. You can follow the "5 things" framework if you need some structure to stay mindful: Notice five things you see, four you feel, three you hear, two you smell, one you taste. Or alphabetically list things you're grateful for (not exactly mindful, but a healthy activity that allows the mind to roam).
posted by toucan at 6:36 PM on October 28 [10 favorites]
Among other things, 90°C is pretty well outside the operating range for most batteries. I don't even think I'd want a Li-ion battery anywhere near my face at those temperatures.
posted by kickingtheground at 6:41 PM on October 28 [3 favorites]
posted by kickingtheground at 6:41 PM on October 28 [3 favorites]
I use earbuds in the shower. My method is to buy a relatively cheap pair ($25-40) and only use one at a time. They break over time but you can get at least a few months out of each one. My current pair has one still working and I’ve have it for about a year.
posted by Mid at 4:09 AM on October 29
posted by Mid at 4:09 AM on October 29
Memorizing poetry is a really good suggestion! I haven't been keeping up with it so much lately, but for a while I was memorizing a poem every week and it was surprisingly awesome on multiple levels. I was never much of a poetry person before, but now I get it.
posted by exceptinsects at 6:39 PM on October 30
posted by exceptinsects at 6:39 PM on October 30
I guess this is no longer the world we live in but the old school wired Walkman sport headphones were absolutely impervious even in a sauna.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:38 PM on October 31
posted by aspersioncast at 8:38 PM on October 31
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The longer answer is that a sauna, with both its heat and moisture, is the absolute worst environment for any kind of technology. It's not a matter of whether they can withstand the heat or not; it's the combination of heat plus wetness that's the real killer. No earbuds are going to be able to consistently handle that extreme and not break.
I did some searching around the headphones subreddits I'm a part of and some folks have mentioned cheaper options that seem to work for at least awhile, but the general consensus seems to be that whatever you go with will not be a long-term solution.
posted by anotheraccount at 12:01 PM on October 28 [2 favorites]