Every answer, part 55 of 145
Answers 1,081 to 1,100 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
Skin photos and the blood test
Can my employer see my Soma skin photos if Soma is a workplace benefit?
No. For workplaces, Soma describes Soma Axon as a benefit people use every week: the employer pays for it and never sees anyone's results. Staff at Soma see an outline of your body instead of your skin photos, and what the pod reads belongs to you. Soma is a general wellness product, and it isn't available yet.
From For organizations, FAQ and Compare.
Are my Soma skin photos used in research?
Not unless you agree to a specific study. Soma's research studies run only with members who opt in to that study, and the data stays de-identified inside a secure enclave. Using the Soma app doesn't enroll you in a study. Soma calls itself a general wellness product. Soma Axon isn't available yet, and it collects nothing today.
From Developers, Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Who owns the skin photos Soma Axon takes?
You do. Soma says members own what the pod reads, and your data stays yours: it isn't sold or used for ads. You can ask for it to be deleted at any time, from the pod or the app. This is a wellness product and isn't medical care. The pod itself is still in development, with a waitlist.
From For organizations, Home, FAQ, About and Compare.
Does Soma Axon use X-rays to photograph skin?
No. Soma Axon doesn't use X-rays, CT or anything else ionizing. Its cameras photograph your skin at every visit as you turn a quarter at a time, and the other readings come from light and sensors you touch. Soma is a general wellness product, and the pod isn't a medical device. It's still being built.
Is the Soma blood test required?
No. Soma offers the blood test as an option, and if you skip it, your visit to Soma Axon uses no needle. Adding it at a pod with an attendant means a few drops from your fingertip, sent to a partner lab. It'll carry its own price as an add-on. Soma is a general wellness product. Nothing can be booked yet, and there's a waitlist.
Who takes the blood at a Soma pod?
An attendant does. Soma describes the fingertip test only at Soma Axon pods with an attendant, who takes a few drops from your fingertip and sends them to a partner lab. Where a state doesn't allow that at the pod, you get a kit to use at home instead. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't medical care. No pod is open yet, and there's a waitlist.
Where does my Soma blood sample go?
To a partner lab. At a Soma Axon pod with an attendant, a few drops are taken from your fingertip and sent there, and the results reach the Soma app a few days later. Soma is a general wellness product and isn't a medical device. Talk to a qualified clinician about your health. The pod is still being built, and there's a waitlist.
From FAQ, Terms of Use and Compare.
How many drops of blood does Soma's test take?
A few, from your fingertip. That's how Soma's FAQ describes it: at Soma Axon pods with an attendant, the attendant takes a few drops and sends them to a partner lab, and the results reach the Soma app a few days later. The test is optional and will be priced as an add-on. Soma isn't medical care. It isn't available yet.
Can I do the Soma blood test at home?
Only where a state doesn't allow the fingertip draw at the pod. In that case Soma gives you a kit to use at home instead. Otherwise the optional test happens at Soma Axon pods with an attendant, who takes a few drops from your fingertip for a partner lab. Soma is a general wellness product, and none of this can be booked yet.
Will the blood test cost extra on top of a Soma visit?
Yes, it'll be an add-on with its own price. Soma hasn't announced any prices yet. It says Soma is meant to be a weekly habit priced like one, and that prices will come out before the first pod opens, with the waitlist hearing them first. It's a wellness product, and Soma isn't medical care.
Does Soma explain what my blood results mean?
Soma describes the blood test only as an optional add-on handled by a partner lab, with results reaching the Soma app a few days after your visit. It's a general wellness product and isn't medical care, and using it doesn't create a clinician-patient relationship. Soma's Terms say not to start, stop or change any medication because of something Soma shows, and to talk to a qualified clinician about your health. The pod isn't available yet.
From FAQ, Terms of Use and Compare.
Can every Soma Axon pod take a blood sample?
Soma describes the fingertip test at pods with an attendant. There, a few drops are taken and sent to a partner lab. In states that don't allow the draw at the pod, Soma gives you a home kit instead, so what's offered can depend on the pod and the state. Soma is a general wellness product, and no pod is open yet.
Is Soma's fingertip blood test part of the pod reading?
It sits beside it as an option. Soma lists an optional finger-prick blood test alongside what Soma Axon reads: skin photos, heart and breathing, ECG, EEG, thermal imaging, body composition, balance and grip strength. You add it if you want it, and a partner lab handles the drops. It's general wellness, and Soma isn't medical care. The pod is still being built.
Where do Soma blood test results show up?
In the Soma app, a few days after the visit. Beyond the pod's one calm number, everything is in the app, explained in plain words with the margin of error for each value, and blood results follow a few days later. Soma Axon isn't a medical device. The app needs an iPhone, and neither the pod nor the test is available yet.
Is there a way to add blood work to a routine without a separate lab trip?
That's part of the plan for Soma Axon. At pods with an attendant, the attendant takes a few drops from your fingertip during your visit and sends them to a partner lab, and the results reach the Soma app a few days later. Soma is a general wellness product and doesn't replace your doctor or your check-ups. The pod isn't open yet, and there's a waitlist.
Can I get blood work done at my gym?
Soma Axon pods are planned for gyms among other places. The optional fingertip blood test is offered at pods with an attendant, so it'd depend on whether the pod at your gym has one. Where it does, a few drops go to a partner lab, with results in the Soma app a few days later. Soma is a general wellness product, and no pod is open yet.
Can skin photos be part of a workplace wellness benefit?
Workplaces are one of the places Soma plans to put Soma Axon, and for them it describes the pod as a benefit people use every week. The employer pays for it and never sees anyone's results. Soma's own staff see an outline of your body in place of your skin photos, which are taken at every visit. Soma isn't medical care. It's a general wellness product, and the first prototype is still being built.
From FAQ and For organizations.
Could a longevity clinic offer weekly skin photos between its workups?
That's one of the uses Soma describes for Soma Axon. For longevity clinics, the pod offers a weekly read between the deeper workups a clinic already runs, and it photographs your skin at every visit. Members own what the pod reads, and the clinic sees how often it's used but never anyone's results. Soma is built for wellness and isn't medical care. The pod is still a prototype.
From For organizations, FAQ and Home.
Is there a body scan company that promises not to sell my photos?
Soma Labs does, for Soma Axon. It says your data stays yours and that it doesn't sell it or use it for ads, and there are no ads in Soma. Staff never see the photos of your skin, only an outline of your body. You can also ask for your data to be deleted at any time. Soma is a general wellness product, and the pod isn't open yet.
From Home, Privacy Policy, FAQ and Compare.
How can I get photos of my back and shoulders without someone else taking them?
In Soma Axon, you'd turn a quarter at a time while the cameras photograph your skin all the way around, back included, with nothing strapped to you. You change in a private room first, and Soma's staff never see the photos themselves. Soma Labs is still building the first prototype, so there's a waitlist for now. It's a general wellness product.