How can I accurately track sauna sessions (time, calories, HR) with Apple Watch?

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How can I accurately track sauna sessions (time, calories, HR) with Apple Watch?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been using my Apple Watch to track workouts, but I noticed there’s no built-in activity type for sauna sessions. When I sit in a sauna, the Workout app doesn’t really capture my heart rate consistently, and it doesn’t log calories in a way that reflects the session.

I recently came across an iOS + Apple Watch app called

Sauna Tracker|Sauna Log, which creates a dedicated sauna workout, logs session time, calories, heart rate, and even shows “benefit zones” based on duration. It integrates with HealthKit so the sessions show up in Apple Health like any other workout. More information on their website here

Has anyone else tried logging sauna use with Apple Watch? Is there a reliable way to track it natively, or are third-party apps like Sauna Tracker the only real option right now?

Thanks!

[Edited by Moderator]

Apple Watch Series 9

Posted on Sep 5, 2025 04:11 PM

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Answer 1

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frankpetro Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 7, 2025 04:03 PM in response to LD150

Yeah I try not to wear anything in sauna but I find myself wondering how many calories im burning that go towards my daily goal. I've been using my watch in the Sauna for years now without an issue, although it's definitely not recommended by apple, the app or me.

The app I use, Sauna Tracker has been great so far! It tracks my heart rate and calories, and shows me details of my Sauna Sessions that I wouldn't get from the native workout app on the watch.

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Answer 2

LD150

Level 10

95,897 points

Sep 7, 2025 10:56 AM in response to frankpetro

Built in workout sessions assume you wear your watch. Sauna temperatures would exceed recommended range for Watch. A traditional sauna will generally range between 70-90 °centigrade, and you should not wear anything metal or plastic in a sauna anyway.

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Answer 3

frankpetro Author

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10 points

Sep 8, 2025 06:15 AM in response to Matti Haveri

That’s awesome — a real savusauna experience is as authentic as it gets! 🔥 Totally agree that the heart of sauna is relaxation and tradition, not calorie counting. I grew up thinking of it more like a ritual too.

For me, tracking has just been a fun extra layer — more about seeing how my body responds (heart rate, time in, consistency) rather than trying to “score” the session. I still go in mainly to unplug and enjoy it. The data is just a bonus that keeps me motivated to keep the habit going.

Enjoy the savusauna — that sounds incredible. One day I’d love to try a true Finnish smoke sauna myself.

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Answer 4

LD150

Level 10

95,897 points

Sep 7, 2025 11:52 PM in response to frankpetro

Medically you lose a lot of sweat and increase your heart rate as a survival mechanism that makes you think you are burning calories. Basically nothing that can be measured here.

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Answer 5

Sep 8, 2025 05:35 AM in response to frankpetro

I am Finnish so I should know sauna but it has never crossed my mind to count calories there. So don't sweat it but just enjoy :-) BTW I am warming up our savusauna right now.

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