If you’ve ever visited a sauna or steam room, you know that visibility can be limited. Those who wear contact lenses or glasses might be worried about whether or not they’ll be able to see at all. There are also a few restrictions and limitations posed by different companies, so let’s dive into the details.
Short answer
Contact lenses: take them out before a sauna or steam room. Dry sauna heat (150–195 °F) dries soft lenses within minutes and makes them stick and irritate; steam rooms are cooler but warm, wet and shared, which adds a bacteria risk. If you must keep them in, keep your eyes closed, blink often and use rewetting drops afterwards. Glasses: fine in a steam room (they only fog up), but leave coated lenses outside a hot dry sauna – anti-reflective and anti-scratch coatings can craze or peel above about 150 °F, and metal frames get hot on the skin.
Glasses usually have issues with fogging inside a steam room and sauna temperatures can be high enough to damage protective coatings on the lenses. Contact lenses will quickly dry out inside saunas and can cause eye irritation and other problems as a result. It is usually best to avoid bringing glasses or contacts inside a sauna or steam room.
| Dry sauna (150–195 °F) | Infrared cabin (120–150 °F) | Steam room (110–115 °F, 100 % humidity) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasses | Leave outside: coatings can warp, frames get hot | Usually OK for uncoated lenses; take coated ones off | No damage, but they fog instantly – keep them in the case |
| Soft contact lenses | Remove: dry out within minutes | Remove or keep eyes closed; dry air | Remove: bacteria risk, lenses can trap moisture and irritate |
| Daily disposables | Remove and throw away afterwards | Same | Same – never reuse a pair worn in steam |
| Rigid (gas-permeable) lenses | Remove: can pop out when eyes dry | Remove | Remove |
Throughout this article, you will learn the following information about wearing glass and contacts in saunas and steam rooms:
- How to protect your eyes and lenses
- How to properly deal with contacts and glasses in a sauna or steam room
- Whether or not you’re allowed to do it
Can You Wear Glasses in the Sauna?
Wearing glasses in the sauna might seem like a harmless activity. Unfortunately, this mistake can end up costing you quite a bit of money.
In general, you will want to avoid wearing glasses inside the sauna.
Modern glasses lenses come with protective coatings to prevent glaring, scratches, and UV penetration. When they’re exposed to incredibly high temperatures, such as the 150°F to 195°F (66°C to 91°C) range described by Healthline, the coating can craze or warp.
A warped coat can change the way you see through the glasses. You’ll be forced to buy a new pair. This issue is rare, but why risk ruining a good pair of glasses if you don’t have to?
Will My Glasses Fog Up in the Sauna?
One of the first things that you will notice when you step into a steam room is that your glasses will fog up, but that’s not the case with saunas. Instead of using moisture, saunas use dry heat to warm up the environment. Hot rocks and heaters are two of the most popular sources.
Without moisture in the air, there is not much that can cause you glasses to get too foggy. That being said, perspiration and deep breathing from a filled sauna can lead to semi-fogged glasses. It won’t be too intense, but it can limit your visibility.
How to Wear Glasses in the Sauna
If you are determined to wear glasses in a sauna despite the warnings, try to wear a pair that doesn’t have any special coatings. Without anything other than the glass lenses, you’ll be able to relax, knowing that your investment isn’t being ruined.
Remember that a sauna is almost always a place of relaxation. It’s usually just somewhere that you can close your eyes and kick back.
If you’re not looking around the room, leave your glasses in the car or a gym locker – together with your watch and phone (see can you wear an Apple Watch in the sauna).
Can You Wear Glasses in a Steam Room?
Unlike saunas, steam rooms usually only get up to about 110°F (43.3°C), according to Healthline. The temperature isn’t enough to ruin your glasses. Many people live in climates that often exceed such temperatures, but they’re never as humid as a steam room.
The biggest challenge you’ll face when wearing glasses in a steam room is that they’re inevitably going to fog up. Some steam rooms are so humid that you won’t be able to see one foot in front of you from the moment you walk in. The good news is that everyone’s visibility is limited in a steam room.
In short, you can wear your glasses if you want, they won’t be damaged. However, it’s pointless since they’ll be fogged and useless in a matter of seconds. You’re better off leaving them in their case until you’re ready to leave the steam room.
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Glasses fogging up in the steam room?
Keep your glasses in their case while you are in the steam, then wipe them with this pre-treated, reusable anti-fog cloth before you put them back on in the warm, humid changing room. It helps against fog, not heat – leave expensive coated glasses outside a hot dry sauna.
Check price on AmazonCan You Wear Contact Lenses in the Sauna?
As you read above, saunas exceed natural temperatures found anywhere that’s habitable by humans. Therefore, contact lenses aren’t designed to withstand such heat. Alensa points out that the high temperatures can dry out your contact lenses relatively quickly.
This process of removing moisture from the lenses can ruin them in a matter of minutes once you are inside the sauna. You’ll also likely experience eye irritation since the lenses already limit the oxygen supply to your eyes, and as they dry they tighten and sit uncomfortably on the eye.
If you keep your eyes closed the entire time, you can get away with wearing them. But what’s the point of keeping your contacts in if you’re not going to use them for their designed purpose? Instead, pack along a case and saline solution to store them before you hop into the sauna. Once you’re ready to leave, wash your hands and put them back into your eyes.
Is It Safe to Wear Contact Lenses in the Sauna?
It is not only a bad idea to wear your contacts in a sauna, but it can also be risky. Contact Lens goes on to state that saunas and steam rooms can harbor bacteria. Once your dry, oxygen-deprived corneas are exposed to them, they’ll start to itch, and an infection becomes more likely.
The good news is that you can wear a pair of eye protectors to keep your contacts in. Wink-Ease Disposable Eye Protection offers a simple solution that you can check out here – unfortunately you are going to end up looking a little bit like a space alien if you wear them. All you have to do is fold the shields, put one over each eye, and toss them in the trash when you’re done using them.
This method allows you to keep your contacts in without having to go through the replacement process.
Can You Wear Contact Lenses in a Steam Room?
While steam rooms are not as harsh on contact lenses as a dry sauna, they can still present a problem: bacteria. Anywhere that’s warm, moist, and dark is asking for bacteria to grow. All of these factors are present in a steam room. Even though they’re maintained regularly, it’s safe to assume that bacteria will still manage to find a way into your lenses.
Another issue is that steam rooms can cause eye irritation for those who are wearing contacts. If you’ve ever gotten smoke in your lenses, then you know how quickly it can turn into a bad situation. Since contacts cover your cornea, they’ll trap the heat, moisture, and bacteria underneath for long periods of time.
If you are about to throw away your contacts, or you are headed home to take them out this might not be a huge deal. If you still have to get along with your day, however, then plan on bringing a new pair just in case or at least some quality eye drops made for contact wearers.
Why Are Contact Lenses Prohibited in Some Steam Rooms?
Some steam rooms have a set of rules that prohibit people from wearing their contact lenses. Although they’re not going to check each customer, it’s more of a warning to keep you safe (and it covers the company in the event of a lawsuit).
The primary reason for this restriction is that contact lenses tend to dry out or warp. As mentioned above, they’re also susceptible to bacteria. Either way, your lenses will be ruined, and your eyes will get irritated or potentially infected.
Note: Even if the company doesn’t prohibit contact lenses, do your best to remove them or cover them with the aforementioned recommended eye protectors. Our guide to what to wear in a sauna covers the rest of the packing list.
FAQ: contacts and glasses in the sauna and steam room
Can you wear contacts in a sauna?
You can, but it is better not to. In a dry sauna at 150–195 °F soft lenses lose water within a few minutes, tighten on the eye and start to sting and blur. Nothing dramatic happens to the eye itself, but the lenses may be ruined and the eye gets irritated. Take them out before the session, or keep your eyes closed the whole time and use rewetting drops afterwards.
Can you wear contact lenses in a steam room?
The heat is lower (about 110 °F), so the lenses don’t dry out, but a steam room is warm, wet and shared, which is the environment eye-care providers warn contact wearers about: the same advice as for hot tubs and swimming pools. Remove the lenses before you go in, or wear daily disposables and throw them away immediately afterwards.
Will the sauna damage my glasses?
Possibly. Plain glass or plastic lenses survive, but anti-reflective, anti-scratch and photochromic coatings are rated for everyday temperatures, and manufacturers warn against leaving glasses in a hot car (around 140–160 °F) – a sauna is hotter than that. Coatings can craze into a fine web of cracks, and metal frames and nose pads get hot enough to be uncomfortable. Leave them in the locker.
Why do my glasses fog up in the steam room and how do I stop it?
The lenses are cooler than the saturated air, so water condenses on them instantly – there is no spray or cloth that keeps them clear at 100 % humidity. Keep them in their case during the session, and use an anti-fog cloth or spray afterwards for the warm, humid changing room where fogging is milder.
What about daily disposable contacts?
Dailies are the lowest-risk option if you don’t want to go in blind: wear them in, keep your eyes mostly closed in a dry sauna, and discard them as soon as you leave the sauna or steam room. Never put a pair that was worn in steam or hot air back into the case for another day.
Can I wear sunglasses or prescription swim goggles in the sauna?
Sunglasses have the same coating problem as regular glasses and serve no purpose indoors. Prescription swim goggles do work in a steam room (they seal out the moisture, so they fog less than glasses), but they look odd and get warm in a dry sauna. The practical solution for most people is simply to sit close to the door, keep the glasses in the case, and put them back on in the changing room.
Conclusion
Contact lenses and glasses are an obvious necessity for many people, but they have no place in a steam room or sauna. In addition to the fact that you don’t need them due to limited visibility in these rooms, you’ll be doing yourself a disservice by wearing them.
Here is a quick rundown of the post:
- Saunas can craze or warp the protective coating on your glasses; steam rooms only fog them.
- Dry heat dries out your contact lenses; steam rooms add a bacteria risk.
- Wear eye protection to keep your contacts in, or – better – store them in their case.