Quick Takeaways:
This is a long review. If you want the basics, here they are:
The Bellabeat Ivy HR Health Tracker for Women is a fitness/wellness tracker. It looks like a piece of jewelry. It can help women monitor and improve their health in various aspects such as sleep, stress, fitness, meditation, water consumption, and reproductive health. The tracker is lightweight, safe for the skin, and hypoallergenic, and comes in six different styles with different hardware and center stones, priced at $249.
The tracker syncs with the Bellabeat app, which allows users to track their steps, activity, meditation, water intake, and sleep. The app also calculates a daily wellness score and offers coaching for an additional cost of $99 per month.
The device is very attractive but not splash-proof (be careful when you wash your face or hands). Calculates Wellness and Readiness Score and monitors heart rate, cardiac coherence, respiratory rate, activity, and sleep.
The app identifies self-care gaps and suggests improvements.
IVY is lightweight, safe for the skin, and hypoallergenic,
All algorithms are calibrated to female bodies.
Bellabeat Ivy’s wireless charging is done with a magnetic charging port.
Bellabeat IVY can be personalized with 6 styles with different hardware and center stones priced at $249.
There is no display (this is also for privacy). It just looks like a bracelet.
Who is This Tracker For?
According to the company, most of the women using this are between ages 28 and 44. It is also calibrated just for women (sorry guys). I love this!
Performance and the APP:
Priced at $249.00, you will need to sync with the Bellabeat app to learn more than you ever thought you’d know about yourself. I am not going to fib about this. I had lots of trouble syncing to my Android Phone (a Samsung Galaxy S9 plus). There is a mention that some phones don’t “play well” with the tracker, so maybe mine was one of those. For most people this is not going to be an issue, but it might be, for some.
Optional Coach:
I didn’t try the coach for the app which is another cost ($99 per month). To get the maximum use of the Bellabeat Ivy Tracker you probably would want the coaching service. But given the high price of the tracker itself, I think the coaching service should be included or offered for less money.
What’s in the Box?
Setup:
It’s not difficult to put the band on the tracker. The box contains an instruction pamphlet, the IVY tracker with your chosen “stone” and an active bracelet strap (our was pink silicone, However, there are replacement bands including leather straps ($29. You also get a diamond-shaped charging dock (you can’t charge with a standard USB cord).
It was super easy to clip the straps onto the IVY. Also, setting up the Bellabeat IVY with the Bellabeat App (IOS or Android) was easy and quick. Once fully charged you can then start working with the app.
Comfort:
The trackers’ silicone and stainless-steel parts are safe for sensitive skin. And once again, I have to mention that this is the most attractive tracker I’ve ever found! One thing I didn’t like was the sensor on the back is large and pressed into my skin. You are supposed to wear the IVY so it doesn’t move around and the strap, while adjustable, is thin and I didn’t think the entire unit was very comfortable.
The IVY is not splashproof. If you’re washing your hands or face and water gets on it, what then? So I took it off every time which is a nuisance, albeit a small one.
Ivy comes with a long wristband which means everyone can fit it to their wrist size by snipping off the excess. It’s personalized and it’s pretty, but I still wear a watch on my left wrist. That means I am wearing the IVY on my other wrist, which feels weird. It also leaves me with no option to wear bracelets.
The Bottom Line:
If all you want is a good-looking tracker, Bellabeat IVY does a great job. However, if you want more information and more coaching it’s going to cost you extra. I love the idea that IVY is quite beautiful compared to the usual chunky fitness trackers that are obvious and ugly. However, it’s expensive at $249 . Even more with the optional monthly coach.
If you’re trying to reach fitness or weight goals, maybe spring for the coach for a couple of months. But you have already paid a couple of hundred plus dollars for the tracker, so why not include a month of coaching as a trial at least?
Ivy is calibrated for a woman’s body and pairs with the Bellabeat app to show you a daily Wellness Score. The goals are steps, activity (exercise), meditation, water intake, and sleep. I liked that too.
I like that IVY is calibrated for just women. And it can be personalized with metal and center stone and wrist bands. But I questioned the app dumbing down its suggestions. Do I really need an app to tell me to “go easy on myself if I’ve had a lot of stress or a restless night?”
For more information and to order one of these just visit the Bellabeat Website
