Imagine coming home from a long, tough day at work and sitting in your own custom spa. Warm, moist steam slowly envelopes you, soothing your aching muscles and joints, allowing you to melt into a state of utter relaxation. The pleasant scent of lavender, vanilla or your favorite scent permeates the air, providing you with your own at-home aroma therapy center. If that seems like a dream scenario to you, it doesn’t have to be. More and more home owners are deciding to outfit their new bathrooms or retrofit their current ones with steam showers to create their own personal spas at home.
A steam shower is a bathing area that is specifically designed to generate hot water vapor and to trap it, allowing a person to soak up all of its warm and relaxing benefits. Not only are these enclosures relaxing, but they can also be therapeutic. Hot water vapor can open up nasal passages, allowing allergy and sinus sufferers to breathe freely. Such a room can also do wonders for the skin; opening up clogged pores, allowing the skin to repair itself and increasing circulation to create a warm, healthy glow.
The operating principle of these kinds of bathing areas could not be easier. Attached to the enclosure is a small device called a steam bath generator which is responsible for producing the hot water vapor. A small amount of water (usually about one to two gallons) enters the generator where it is quickly heated. As the water heats and converts to its warm, gaseous phase, a series of pipes and valves funnels the moist, warm air into the enclosed area through the steam head. The temperature of the hot air is carefully regulated to guard against scalding and potential burns. One gallon of water usually produces enough hot vapors for ten minutes in a steam shower room. In contrast, standing in running water for the same amount of time can use 25 gallons of water or more, depending on the efficiency of the water fixture. Thus, for the environmentally conscious home owner, these kinds of bathroom amenities are excellent options.
Steam shower installation is a task best left to professionals. Although the experienced carpenter and handyman can most likely do it by himself, the project does involve plumbing and possibly electrical work that should never be attempted by amateurs. The first step in the installation process involves preparing the area. Old bathrooms can be retrofitted to add this equipment, but the results will be better if a new enclosure is built specifically for this purpose. These areas are usually covered from floor to ceiling with tile, vinyl, or another kind of impermeable surface, which can trap the water vapor. Not only this, but the door must be completely sealed and insulated to keep the heated atmosphere from leaking out. After the space has been prepared, the generator needs to be installed. For optimum results, this device should be placed no more than 25 feet away from the spa area in order to maximize efficiency. After that, all of the plumbing, piping, and electrical supply and control lines will need to be installed before the system is ready to use.
Adding a home steam shower to your bathroom is not as expensive as it sounds. For a complete, basic system, the cost can range between $2500 – $5000 depending on the features that come with the model and the size of the design. If demolition and construction need to be done, the price can increase. When shopping for residential steam showers, you’ll want to consider a few factors before purchasing your system. First, make sure that your delivery speed is adequate. The delivery speed is the rate at which the vapor flows through the pipes and the requirements can vary with room size. Next, you’ll want to look at how long it takes the generator to produce the hot air. It’s best to choose one that heats up as quickly as possible. After that, choose a unit that automatically flushes itself out with water after every use, which will prevent minerals that are normally dissolved in your water from building up and clogging parts of the system. Finally, select a model that has a remote control that will work from within the steam shower enclosure so that you can stay inside the unit for as long as you want without jumping out for adjustments.
Steam showers are a great addition to any home. Right now, they are trendy additions that many home buyers are looking for in a new home. By installing one, you can increase the resale value of your home while treating yourself to your own home spa experience.
