A visit, step by step
From the private room to the one calm number on the way out.
How long does a visit to Soma Axon take?
About as long as it takes to get a coffee. You stand still for a few minutes while the pod takes its reading, turning a quarter at a time so the cameras can photograph your skin all the way around, and the recovery part comes after that. The pod is meant for general wellness and isn't open yet, because Soma is still building the first prototype. For now there's a waitlist.
What do you wear inside the Soma pod?
Your underwear. You change in a private room first, and nothing gets strapped to you. If you'd rather cover more, Soma will give you a fitted garment, though the skin it covers won't be photographed. Like everything Soma makes, the pod isn't medical care. It's still being built, and the waitlist will hear first where the first one opens.
What happens when you arrive for a Soma visit?
Someone from Soma welcomes you and asks how you slept, when you last ate and whether you trained. Those answers are noted next to your numbers, so a short night or a hard session is on the record. Then you change in a private room and step into the pod. It's a wellness visit as Soma is designing it, and the pod isn't medical care. The first prototype is still being built, and the waitlist hears first.
From Home, The same instrument, every week, FAQ, Blog, About and Compare.
What is the recovery part of a Soma visit?
It's the part of every visit that follows the reading: warmth, cool air and mist, light, sound and a slow breath. Soma says it's there to help you feel good, and it isn't meant to treat anything. You can make any part of it gentler, too. Soma Axon is still being built, and like the rest of Soma it isn't a medical device.
What do you do inside Soma Axon during the scan?
You stand still with your hands on the grips and your feet on the plate. Cameras, light and contact sensors read you in a few minutes, and you turn a quarter at a time so your skin gets photographed all the way around. The recovery part comes next. Soma is building the first prototype of this general wellness pod now, with a waitlist for the first opening.
Can I make the Soma recovery part less intense?
Yes. Soma says you can make any part of the recovery gentler. It brings warmth, cool air and mist, light, sound and a slow breath. It's there to help you feel good. The recovery part uses heat and cold, and if you're unsure whether the pod suits you, Soma suggests asking your doctor before your first visit. Soma Axon is general wellness, and it isn't available yet.
Is there a full-body check I can do every week?
Once a year is what providers suggest for a whole-body MRI, and every 3 to 6 months for a DEXA scan. Soma Axon, which Soma Labs is building in Palo Alto, is meant for every week instead: a closed pod you step into for a few minutes that reads your skin, heart and breathing, body composition, balance and strength the same way at every visit. It's built for general wellness and isn't medical care. The first prototype is being built now, and there's a waitlist.
From Full-body scans compared, About, Home and FAQ.
Does a Soma visit use a cuff or a needle?
There's no cuff in a Soma Axon visit, and no needle unless you add the optional blood test. Cameras read your heart and breathing without wires, and nothing is strapped to you. If you do add the test, an attendant takes a few drops from your fingertip for a partner lab, and it's an add-on with its own price. Soma Axon isn't a medical device. It's still being built, with a waitlist for the first pod.
What do you get at the end of a Soma Axon visit?
One calm number, shown by the pod on your way out. Everything else goes to the Soma app, explained in plain words with the margin of error for each value, and blood test results arrive a few days later if you added one. Soma frames all of it as general wellness, and it isn't medical care. The pod is still being built, so the waitlist is the way to hear when it opens.
How often should I go to Soma Axon?
Once a week. Soma describes Soma Axon as a body scan you step into weekly for a few minutes, and after a handful of visits it has a baseline built from your own readings. Going weekly adds up to 52 whole-body reads a year. The pod is general wellness and isn't medical care. It isn't available yet, though the waitlist will hear first when it opens.
From Home, Compare, The same instrument, every week and FAQ.
Who sees the photos Soma Axon takes of my skin?
Not Soma's staff. They 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 or the app. Soma Axon isn't a medical device, and it isn't collecting anything yet, since it's still being built.
From FAQ, Home, Privacy Policy and About.
How should I prepare for a weekly body scan?
For Soma Axon, Soma doesn't publish a prep list, but it does ask three questions when you arrive: how you slept, when you last ate and whether you trained. Those get noted next to your numbers. You'll change in a private room into underwear, or into a fitted garment if you'd rather. The visit takes about as long as getting a coffee. If you're unsure whether the pod suits you, ask your doctor before your first visit. It's a general wellness product that isn't open yet.
From Home, The same instrument, every week and FAQ.
Why does Soma Axon show only one number at the pod?
Because the detail lives in the Soma app. The pod shows you one calm number on your way out, and everything else waits in the app, explained in plain words with the margin of error for each value. A Soma score only sums up what was measured and what you told Soma. It's a general wellness product, and Soma Axon isn't open yet.
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