Question About Lithium Batteries in Cell Phones (& Other Items) That Can Blow Up

I'm surprised the club allows it.
It's a bad idea for several reasons - of which 'blowing up' never even crossed my mind.

I found a reply to another site which states the problem(s) very well:

"I think it's a bad idea for three reasons. Reasons 1 and 2 are a matter of etiquette.

1. I go into a sauna to relax. I enjoy the sauna as a quiet meditative place to rejuvenate my body after a good workout. Listening to someone yammering on a cell phone disturbs my peace. I seldom even have a conversation while in the sauna, if I can avoid it without appearing to be rude. I certainly don't want to listen to your phone calls. If it's that urgent for you to make the call, please step outside.

2. All cell phones today are equipped with camera. Saunas are a private space where people are sitting and standing semi-nude or completely nude. I wouldn't feel comfortable with someone bringing a camera into that private space, so cell phones are also out of bounds. A least one gym I attend has a strict "No Cell Phone" rule posted in their locker room for that reason. You can search the Internet and find plenty of legal cases where a creep was taking clandestine pictures of people in locker rooms or bathrooms and posting them online. That's a gross invasion of privacy and it's illegal. Bringing out a cell phone in these places will make a lot of people feel uncomfortable, even if your intentions are perfectly innocent. Why would you want to put yourself and others in that position?

Reason number 3 is technical.

3. Heat is the enemy of electronics. The sauna that I use heats up to an ambient temperature of +190F.

The Apple support page states the following:

Store the device where the temperature is between -20º and 45º C (-4º to 113º F). Don’t leave the device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range.

As an Electronics Technician, I can say with certainty that you are shortening the life of your phone by exposing it to high temperatures. I just bought my daughter a new iPhone 6 and it wasn't cheap. The cost of replacement alone should be enough incentive to discourage this idea.

So, with all of that going against it, I can only wonder why anyone would feel the need to use a cell phone in a sauna.".

For privacy reasons, I'd speak to management about their sauna cell phone policy.

i'm not sure what's takes me aback more, people who can't use the sauna without taking their cellphones along, or taking up brainspace being scared that cellphones are going to explode around you.
weird stuff happens all the time. i generally assume it won't impact my life negatively and generally i'm right.
and when it does happen, it's never anything that advance worrying could have prevented.
if you're genuinely afraid of cellphones exploding in the sauna, i guess it's fine to mention it to the manager.
don't be surprised if he looks at you funny.
khairete
S.

Unless you and others are using cheap knock off batteries you are fine. You will fry your processor long before the battery explodes.

Even the cheap batteries don't explode often...

The gyms I have been to, even the YMCA near me, prohibits use of a cell phone in the saunas and shower areas. It is a privacy issue. That should be enough to bring up to the GM.

I think the bigger problem is why people are bringing a phone into a sauna? A sauna is supposed to be a relaxing time. Can't people just *be* for a few minutes?

That said, I wouldn't bother mentioning it to the health club manager. You can't control people, you can only make your own good choices. I, personally, would not choose to go to a health club where texting in the sauna is the norm. That's just weird. I would also never choose to sleep with my cellphone under my pillow. We are not joined at the hip. I rarely look at mine unless I'm checking the time or making a call. At home, my landline and clock are sufficient.

ETA: Actually, B's reasons against it are all great-- I would use one of those to approach the GM with, not "it blows up".

It's easy to get scared when you hear the phrase "blow up." It tends to conjure images of buildings exploding.

If a phone or laptop battery really did blow up, it would be a really, really small thing. It would likely injure the hands or lap of whomever is holding it, but that's about it. The only reason it might catch a bed on fire is because it's already sitting there at the time.

I have had my tablet overheat because I was using it at my son's baseball practice in 100 degree heat! Actually, I don't remember if it overheated or not, I just remember it giving me a warning. I think I put it in the car when I got the warning ... not that the car was cooler :-)

Seriously though, these things are pretty safe. I wouldn't worry.

You are letting the fear mongers get to you again.