Imagine arriving home after a stressful day at work, or a cold day of outdoor activities. You step into a room, push a button, and are slowly enveloped in a warm, pleasantly scented cloud of steam. A comfortable bench allows you to sit or lay back comfortably as your troubles melt away. Sound heavenly? It's completely possible when you convert your traditional shower into a steam shower.
How does a steam shower work?
If your existing shower space is large enough, sometimes your contractor may only need to remodel the shower area rather than the entire bathroom. If your shower space isn't as large as you would like, you can convert a walk-in closet or enlarge your existing shower to accommodate the space a steam unit requires. The steam shower itself requires:
- 220-Volt power
- Heating element
- Steam Generator
- Pressure relief valve
- Supply pipe
- Drain pipe
- Steam head
- Aroma pump (optional)
- Dual digital thermostat and control (one inside and one outside the shower)
Steam rooms can also be a water-efficient way to bathe; on average a 20-minute steam bath requires about two gallons of water. Even a water-wise shower head can use up to 50 gallons of water in the same period of time.
Convert Your Shower Into a Steam Shower
Consider the following when converting your shower space into a steam room:
Ceiling height. The ideal height for a ceiling in a steam room is seven or eight feet. Once the ceiling is higher than that, it can be more difficult to control uncomfortable temperature variations between the ceiling and the floor. If your bathroom ceiling is more than eight-feet high, we recommend installing something like the EvenSteam™ Air Circulation System, which prevents cool pockets from forming around the ground level as hot steam rises or building down the ceiling in the shower area only.
High-quality steam-generators. As the popularity of home steam rooms has increased, so have the number of vendors advertising their steam-generating systems. Make sure you purchase your steam-generator from a reputable, high-quality vendor. Some of the most well-respected manufacturers include Amerec, Thermasol, and Mr. Steam.
Energy-efficiency. Keep in mind that the larger your steam shower is, the more energy it will consume to heat enough water to fill your space with steam. Work with your designer and contractor to create a space that is large enough for your comfort, but not so large that it requires excessive energy to keep comfortable. Typical steam room dimensions are 4' x 5' x 8', which works out to 160 cubic feet.
Contact Kitchens & Baths Unlimited, Inc. to design a relaxing steam shower for your home.
