Steam Room

By Eve Visconti
When imagining a steam room, one often thinks of men sitting around in towels on wooden benches at a health club or spa steam room. One can also install one's very own home-based steam room through using an existing bath tub or shower.

Installing a Steam Room

Installation can involve converting an existing tub or shower, or installing a modular self-contained steam room unit, which requires use of the correct electrical and plumbing hardware, and requires the proper know how. The key problem is making sure that the moisture generated from the steam room does not go outside the steam room. Such unchecked moisture can cause major damage to a home, both in terms of structural damage and providing a breeding ground for mold, which can cause serious health problems. Avoiding such problems involves:

Steam room materials should be waterproof with properly sealed wall joints. If converting an existing bath tub, a suitable steam room door needs to be installed with proper ventilation for air flow, and the bathroom itself should be able to withstand a fair amount of steam. The advantage to installing a modular steam room unit is that they already come with extras such as multiple shower heads, proper seating, and even telephones and CD players. And finally, installation requires a proper steam generator and that the connections are all working properly.

Don't have access to a steam room? Take a warm bath with half a cup of Epsom salt and half a cup of baking soda, and soak for 10 to 30 minutes.

Health Benefits of Steam Rooms

There are a number of known benefits to using steam rooms as opposed to dry saunas, including internal detoxification of the body through hyperthermia, the induction of heat stress, including:

Benefits for various internal organs include:

What the steam room does is create a fever artificially, which speeds up the circulatory system and cell metabolism, which causes toxins to be sweated out through the pores. Whether or not steam rooms promote lowered blood pressure; they certainly do promote relaxation.

Using a Steam Room

The best results occur when one is wrapped in a clean towel and is sitting or reclining in a hot, but not too hot steam room. Massage is beneficial for any muscle soreness. When leaving a steam room, it is a good idea to do a gradual cool down and take a cold shower to close the pores. It is also important to drink plenty of water, and not to stay more than 10 to 15 minutes in the steam room. To avoid dizziness and fainting, it is a good idea to sit up or walk around between two short sessions.

Steam Room Cautions

Use of steam rooms should be monitored by a physician to make sure that the removal of toxics doesn't damage the liver or kidneys, and particularly if any health problems exist. Pregnant women should not use steam rooms. In addition, steam rooms can be collecting areas for numerous germs, so it is best to avoid crowded facilities.