Every answer, part 119 of 145
Answers 2,361 to 2,380 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
When, where and how much
Which body scans can I book in the US today?
Several kinds are covered in Soma's full-body scans guide, with sources read on September 26, 2026: whole-body MRI, DEXA scans, 3D body scanners in gyms, smart scales and dermatology skin checks, each with its own time, price and suggested frequency. The same guide lists Soma Axon as a weekly pod that's still being built, with no price announced. Soma Axon isn't bookable yet, and there's a waitlist.
From Full-body scans compared and Compare.
Can I get a body scan on my lunch break?
Some scans are short enough: Soma's guide puts a 3D body scan at under a minute and a DEXA scan at about 7 to 11 minutes, while a whole-body MRI takes 22 to 60. Soma Axon, which Soma plans to put in workplaces among other places, is meant to take a few minutes. It's a general wellness product, and it isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ, Know thyself and Compare.
Can teenagers get a weekly body scan?
Soma Axon's first version is for adults. You need to be 18 or older and in the United States to use Soma, and the first version of the pod isn't for anyone under 18. If Soma finds out it collected personal information from someone under 18, it deletes it. The pod is still being built, with a waitlist.
From FAQ, Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Compare.
How does Soma Axon compare with a smart scale for a weekly routine?
A smart scale lives at home, and Soma's blog calls that its strength: you can step on it every morning in 30 seconds. Soma Axon is a place you'd go once a week instead, and in return it reads you under the same light, from the same positions and with the same instrument every week. Both read body composition with a very small electrical current. Soma Axon isn't available yet, and it's a general wellness product.
From Blog, Compare, Full-body scans compared and FAQ.
Is a clinic health scan available now, unlike Soma Axon?
Soma's own blog says so about the clinic scan it compared itself with: those clinics are open, while Soma Axon is a prototype Soma is still building. Soma's comparison page describes clinic scans in general as reading much more than rings or watches, less often. Soma Axon is being built to read the whole body every week in a few minutes. It's a general wellness product, and there's a waitlist.
How does a yearly whole-body MRI compare with weekly Soma visits over a year?
Over a year, providers suggest one whole-body MRI, which takes 22 to 60 minutes and images organs and tissue, according to Soma's guide. Weekly Soma Axon visits would add up to 52 whole-body reads in the same year, a few minutes each, without imaging any organs. Soma is a general wellness product, and its pod isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ, Know thyself and Compare.
Can I use Soma if I'm pregnant?
Not the first version of Soma Axon. Soma says the first version isn't for you if you're pregnant or under 18. The pod reads body composition with a very small electrical current, and its recovery part uses heat and cold. If you're unsure whether it suits you, Soma suggests asking your doctor before your first visit. Soma is a general wellness product, and the pod isn't available yet in any case.
Can I use Soma Axon if I have a pacemaker?
No. The first version of Soma Axon isn't for people with a pacemaker, an implanted defibrillator or another implanted electronic device. The pod reads body composition with a very small electrical current. Soma suggests asking your doctor before a first visit if you're unsure, and it's a general wellness product that isn't available yet.
Who is the first version of Soma Axon for?
Adults 18 and over in the United States who can stand still for a few minutes. The first version isn't for people who are pregnant or under 18, or who have a pacemaker, an implanted defibrillator or another implanted electronic device. Making the pod work for people who can't stand is on Soma's roadmap. The pod is still being built, and there's a waitlist.
How old do I have to be to use Soma?
At least 18. Soma's Terms of Use say you must be 18 or older and located in the United States to use Soma, and by using it you confirm you meet those requirements. Soma isn't directed to children, and if it learns it collected personal information from someone under 18, it deletes it.
From Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Can I use Soma Axon if I can't stand for a few minutes?
Not yet. The first version of Soma is for adults who can stand still for a few minutes. The reading happens standing still, with your hands on the grips and your feet on the plate. Soma says making the pod work for people who can't stand is on its roadmap. The pod itself is still being built.
What happens after a venue contacts Soma about hosting a pod?
Soma reads every note sent through its organizations form and writes back by email. From there, Soma comes to see the space and talks through how a pod would fit the venue's day. It then installs the pod and trains the staff to run it and help a member through a visit. Soma is choosing the first places to host Soma Axon while the prototype is built.
From For organizations and About.
What does a venue see from its Soma Axon pod?
How often the pod gets used, and never anyone's results. Members own what Soma Axon reads, and Soma illustrates the venue's view as visits through the week shown as bars, beside a locked results area. Each member keeps their own account at every pod, gets every value with its margin of error and has their data deleted when they ask. It's a general wellness product.
From For organizations and FAQ.
What does Soma collect when I join the waitlist?
Your email address, plus technical details of the sign-up: your IP address and the approximate location it suggests, your browser and device, your language and time zone, the page you arrived on and the link that sent you. Soma also records the pages you viewed during that visit. It uses these to keep automated sign-ups out and to learn which channels bring people to Soma.
From Privacy Policy.
How long does Soma keep my waitlist email?
Until Soma invites you or you ask to be removed, and in any case no longer than 24 months after you joined. The technical details of the sign-up are kept as long as the email, except the IP address and the postal code and coordinates, which Soma removes after 12 months. You can unsubscribe using the link in any waitlist message.
From Privacy Policy.
Can I leave the Soma waitlist?
Yes. Every waitlist email from Soma has an unsubscribe link, and Soma keeps your waitlist address only until it invites you or you ask for it to be removed, never longer than 24 months after you joined. Soma doesn't sell personal information.
From Privacy Policy.
When will the Soma API open?
Soma hasn't opened it yet. It's designing an API so the apps people already use can read their Soma results with their permission, and developers can join early access and help shape it. The draft covers what the pod reads at each visit, and Soma notes that names will change because it's still a draft. Soma Axon itself is still being built.
From Developers and About.
Who makes Soma?
Soma Labs Inc., a company in Palo Alto, California. It's building the first prototype of Soma Axon, the weekly whole-body scan, and the Soma app that goes with it. Nothing is available yet, and people can join the waitlist to hear when the first pod opens. Soma is a general wellness product.
How can I hear first when a new body scan opens near me?
For Soma Axon, the way is the waitlist. People on it will be the first to hear where the first pod opens, and they'll be among the first to hear when the pod opens and the app is ready. Prices go to the waitlist first as well. The pods are planned for Soma's own studio, longevity clinics, gyms, workplaces and pharmacies.
From FAQ.
Should I buy a smartwatch now or wait for Soma Axon?
They aren't either-or. Soma says a watch or band covers the days and Soma Axon covers the week, and the Soma app reads your phone and watch between visits. A watch is optional for Soma, and wearing one gives the app more detail about the days in between. Soma Axon is still being built, and it's a general wellness product.