Have you ever considered creating a soothing spa in your home?
Many people believe — falsely — that there’s a need to leave the house to truly relax. But you can create the luxurious feeling of visiting a spa or sauna in the comfort of your own home. A home steam room shower takes everything you love about relaxing at a sauna and brings it into your personal bathroom. It allows you to kick back and relax at the end of every day without needing a reservation or having to be around other people.
Best of all, creating an in-home steam shower is relatively easy to do. Your steam shower system can replace your traditional shower, allowing you to create what is essentially a sauna room in the comfort of your existing home.
What Is a Home Steam Shower?
A steam room shower is a moisture-sealed shower stall designed to contain steam. You can go inside the shower, press a button, and the space will fill with steam. When you’re done steaming, you can turn it off and turn on the regular shower water to rinse your body.
And of course, there are a number of benefits to having a steam room unit in your home. Steam rooms have a number of benefits, including:
- Improved circulation
- Reduced stress levels
- Cleared breathing passages
- Improved skin health
- Loosened joints and muscles
Some people enjoy a steam shower right after a workout. Others just like to relax in the warm steam after a long day at work. Whatever your reason for wanting a steam shower, with some planning, you can install a unit directly into your main bathroom at home.
What to Consider When Planning Your Sauna Room
When choosing the room in which to put your steam equipment, there are a few things you need to pay attention to.
Like with any bathroom fixture, your steam room needs compatible hook-ups and plumbing in place. It’s usually easiest to do this by replacing an existing shower in your home with your new steam shower.
You also need enough room for your steam shower generator. The generator is what converts cold water into steam and pumps it into your shower, and it can be kind of bulky. The generator doesn’t have to be directly next to the steam bath unit, but it does need to be nearby so that the two can be connected. For this reason, it’s usually best to choose a larger bathroom to convert into your shower steam room.
What Supplies Do You Need to Build Your Residential Steam Shower?
Building a residential steam shower is all about creating a water-tight experience. You’ll need:
- Water-Tight Wall Materials: Although you can use stone or tile, the more water-tight the materials you use for your walls, the more quickly your shower will fill with steam.
- Insulation Materials: You have to insulate the outer walls of your steam shower. Otherwise, the steam could damage your home.
- Temperature Limiters: You don’t want the steam entering your shower to be too hot for you to enjoy. Temperature limiters ensure your steam is always the right temperature for you.
- Steam Generator: Steam generators convert cold water into steam. They can usually be hidden in closets, though a contractor can help you locate the best placement for your steam shower generator.
- Seating: It’s always a good idea to have some sort of seat inside your residential steam shower. It’s nice to have the option to sit and enjoy a deep steam. If you happen to get dizzy, having a built-in seat is a good safety feature as well.
- Ventilation System: All that steam needs a way to escape when you’re done luxuriating. High-quality ventilation systems ensure the air escapes where you want it to instead of seeping into the rest of your bathroom.
Another option is to purchase a steam shower kit, which has everything you need to put your steam shower together.
How to Build Your Personal Steam Shower
Building your personal steam shower takes a practiced hand. Unless you have a lot of experience installing plumbing, you may want to hire a contractor to do a bulk of the work. Here are the steps to creating your steam shower.
1. Install Your Steam Generator
The steam generator is what takes a normal shower and converts it into a steam shower. You may be able to disguise your steam generator by hiding it under a kitchen counter or in a closet, but it needs to be close enough to the location of your steam shower that you can connect the two.
2. Measure the Space for Your Steam Shower
You need to decide exactly where your steam shower will be located and measure the space accordingly. This can help you decide how many accessories you’ll be able to fit in the space and how big to make your shower seat.
3. Build a Water-Tight Shower Space
The most important thing when designing your steam shower is to make sure it’s well insulated. You’ll also want to build it with a sloping ceiling that slopes away from where you’ll be sitting or standing. This allows any condensed steam to drip on the floor but not on your body, keeping your steam shower comfortable regardless of how long you soak.
4. Install Residential Steam Shower Equipment
Once your shower is in place and water-tight, it’s time to install the steam generator controls, showerhead, ventilator, and any steam shower accessories you’ve decided on. Steam kits can be a good way to buy all the steam shower equipment you need simultaneously.
Take Your Steam Shower a Step Above the Rest
The right accessories can convert a basic steam shower into an over-the-top in-home spa day experience. Examples of great accessories include:
- Aromatherapy tools
- Waterproof MP3 devices or radios
- Dimmed or colored lighting options
- Smart steam control that remembers your heating preferences
Contact us to get started choosing the right shower accessories and equipment for your home. We can design your perfect steam shower and help you make your bathroom the best room in your home!
