Every answer, part 14 of 145
Answers 261 to 280 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
Soma Axon, the pod
Who sees the skin photos Soma Axon takes?
Not the staff. Soma says staff never see the photos of your skin and see an outline of your body instead. Your data stays yours: Soma doesn't sell it or use it for ads, and you can ask for it to be deleted at any time, from the pod and the app. Soma Axon isn't collecting anything today, and Soma will ask for explicit consent before it does. Like the app, it's a wellness product.
From FAQ, Home and Privacy Policy.
Can an employer see Soma Axon results from a pod at work?
No. Soma describes the workplace setup as a benefit people use every week that the employer pays for, and the employer never sees anyone's results. A host sees how often the pod gets used, while members own what it reads. Each member keeps their own account at every pod and can have their data deleted when they ask. The setup is general wellness, and the first prototype is still being built.
From For organizations and FAQ.
Is Soma Axon collecting any data right now?
No. Soma's Privacy Policy, last revised September 27, 2026, says the Soma Axon device isn't available yet and collects nothing today. Before it starts, Soma will give a separate notice and ask for explicit consent, and that notice will explain how long Soma keeps face video and any data derived from it.
From Privacy Policy.
Why does someone ask how I slept before a Soma Axon reading?
So the context sits next to the numbers. Before each reading, someone from Soma asks how you slept, when you last ate and whether you trained. A short night or a hard session then gets noted beside the results. A Soma score only sums up what was measured and what you told Soma, and tapping it shows what moved it. Soma isn't medical care, and the pod isn't open yet, so this is the visit as designed.
From The same instrument, every week, Home, FAQ and Compare.
How many visits does Soma Axon need before it knows what's normal for me?
Soma's answer is a handful of visits, after which it will have a baseline built from your own readings. From there, a slow drift, such as a resting pulse creeping up over a month of short nights, should show up as a trend you can see. Each score in the app is set against your own usual range. Those scores are general wellness information. Soma Axon hasn't launched, so there's a waitlist in the meantime.
From The same instrument, every week, Home and FAQ.
What happens if a Soma Axon sensor misses a reading?
That spot stays empty. If something wasn't measured, or a sensor couldn't get a clean reading, Soma leaves the value blank instead of filling in a zero or a best guess. Soma's planned API for developers follows the same rule and will say when something wasn't measured. It's one of six promises Soma makes about every number it shows in the pod and in the app. It's all general wellness.
From Home, Developers and FAQ.
How sure is Soma Axon about its measurements?
Soma answers that value by value. Every number comes with its margin of error, and you'll see whether its science is well established or still being tested, so you know how much weight to give it. Soma's Terms add that its estimates come from wellness signals rather than clinical tests and that they can be wrong. Soma's readings are for general wellness, and since Axon is still being built, the pod hasn't taken a reading yet.
From Home, Terms of Use, FAQ, About and The same instrument, every week.
Can someone with a pacemaker use Soma Axon?
The first version isn't meant for people with a pacemaker, an implanted defibrillator or another implanted electronic device. Soma's FAQ notes that the pod passes a very small current to read body composition and that its recovery part uses heat and cold. If you're unsure whether Soma Axon suits you, Soma says to ask your doctor before a first visit. The pod isn't a medical device, and there's none open yet in any case.
From FAQ.
Can I use Soma Axon while I'm pregnant?
Soma says the first version of Soma Axon isn't for anyone who's pregnant or under 18. Its FAQ points out that body composition is read with a very small electrical current and that the recovery stage involves heat and cold. Anyone unsure whether the pod suits them should ask their doctor first. The pod is a wellness product that's still a prototype, so nobody can book a visit yet, but the waitlist will hear when pods open.
Can I use Soma Axon if I can't stand for a few minutes?
Not the first version, unfortunately. Soma Axon is for adults who can stand still for a few minutes, since the reading happens with your feet on the floor plate and your hands on the grips. Soma says making the pod work for people who can't stand is on its roadmap. Soma is general wellness, the first prototype is being built now and the waitlist hears first when pods open.
Can teenagers use Soma Axon?
No. Soma is for adults 18 and over in the United States, and the first version of Soma Axon isn't for anyone under 18. Soma's Privacy Policy adds that Soma isn't directed to children, and if it learns it collected personal information from someone under 18, it will delete it.
From FAQ and Privacy Policy.
Can I use Soma Axon if I live outside the US?
Not for now. Soma is for adults in the United States, and its Terms say the services are offered only in the United States today. Pods are planned for Soma's own studio and for longevity clinics, gyms, workplaces and pharmacies, though none has opened yet. The waitlist will hear first where the first pod opens.
From FAQ and Terms of Use.
Does a Soma Axon visit involve any needles?
Only if you ask for the blood test. A standard visit has no cuff and no needle. If you add the optional blood test at a pod with an attendant, they take a few drops from your fingertip and send them to a partner lab. Results reach the Soma app a few days later, and where a state doesn't allow the draw, you get a kit to use at home. It's all under general wellness, and the pod isn't open yet.
From FAQ.
Is the recovery part of Soma Axon a treatment?
No. The part after the reading uses light, warmth and cool air. Soma says it's there to help you feel good and isn't meant to treat anything, and you can make any part of it gentler. It does involve heat and cold, and Soma tells anyone unsure whether the pod suits them to ask their doctor before a first visit. The pod isn't medical care, and Soma Labs, a Palo Alto company, is still building the first prototype.
Can Soma Axon show me if I'm losing muscle?
That's the sort of slow shift it's being built to show. Soma's example is a winter of training less, with the lost muscle appearing as a trend in weekly Axon readings well ahead of a yearly check-up. Body composition is read with a faint electrical current, and every value comes with its margin of error. Those are general wellness readings, and the first prototype is still in progress.
How does Soma Axon compare with a DEXA scan?
A DEXA scan measures what you're made of, down to bone density, reading body fat, visceral fat, lean mass and bone. It takes about 7 to 11 minutes and uses a very low dose of X-rays. Providers suggest one every 3 to 6 months, at about $40 to $185 according to Soma's guide, with sources read September 26, 2026. Soma Axon is being built for weekly visits of a few minutes, reads body composition with a very small electrical current and uses nothing ionizing. Axon is general wellness, and its price isn't announced.
From Full-body scans compared, Blog, FAQ and Compare.
What's the difference between Soma Axon and a 3D body scanner at the gym?
A 3D body scanner, the kind some gyms have, reads your body's shape and measurements, estimated fat and lean mass and posture in under a minute. One scanner maker suggests a scan every 30 to 90 days, and each gym sets the price. Soma Axon is designed to read more than shape: skin photos, heart and breathing, body composition, balance and grip strength, once a week. Neither uses radiation. Axon isn't a medical device, and it isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, Compare and FAQ.
What's the difference between Soma and Soma Axon?
Soma is the whole product, and Soma Axon is the pod. Soma describes itself as a whole-body scan you step into once a week, made of a closed pod plus an iPhone app between visits, and Soma Axon is the name of that pod. Both names belong to Soma Labs Inc. The app keeps reading from your phone and watch between visits. Everything under the Soma name is general wellness, and the first Axon prototype is still being built.
From Compare, FAQ, Terms of Use and About.
Would a clinic health scan or a weekly pod suit me better?
It depends on what you want from it. Clinic scans read much more, less often. A clinic health scan puts several instruments and a clinician in one visit. Soma Axon is being built for the trend instead, with the same readings taken the same way every week in a few minutes, for general wellness. Soma pictures the two side by side, with a check-up when you and your clinician decide and a weekly read in between. Axon isn't open yet.
From Compare, Full-body scans compared and FAQ.
Does Soma Axon measure anything my smartwatch can't?
In Soma's comparison, the watch and band it looked at don't list a way to measure body composition, photograph your skin or test your grip and balance. The weekly pod Soma is developing, Soma Axon, is meant to cover all of those, along with heart and breathing. The two are meant to work together, since the Soma app reads your phone and watch between visits. Soma's pod and app are both wellness products, and the pod isn't available yet.