The Difference Between A Steam Shower And A Conventional Sauna

28/03/2014 00:00

Steam showers and saunas are often spoken about in identical breath, lumped next to each other as a heat-based, health-beneficial spa. Nevertheless the parallels amongst the two basically hold on there: the experience of using them differs from the others, the health and wellness benefits are different, as well as the installment, construction, and cost vary widely.

Saunas are made entirely of timber, with wood planked walls, floor, and roof, together with wooden benches across the walls. The sauna heater is contained inside the sauna room, and creates a high, dry temperature somewhere between about 150 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Opposite of that scenario, steam showers are usually constructed from non-porous materials just like tile or glass, and usually comprise of regular shower functionality into the design. The heating elements, known as steam generators, are found outside of the shower enclosure and pour steam into it, producing a very wet but slightly lower (normally anywhere between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature to prevent scalding.

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Saunas and steam showers do share most of the same health benefits. Both help boost blood circulation and muscle relaxation, and each often help ease pains and aches and encourage sweating, which will help the body detoxify and improve skin health. However the more substantial heat and drier conditions of a sauna promotes more sweating as compared to steam bath, while the high humidity of a steam bath can help address respiration issues, strengthening breathing and cleaning out of the throat and sinuses.

Whilst the experience of using saunas and steam baths is superficially the same, the practical components of fitting begin to vary highly. Saunas are designed to be totally freestanding. They don’t need to have drainage or ventilation, and are available in easily-assembled sets that only need to be wired (or occasionally plugged in) for electric power. Built in steam showers, upon the other hand, need to be built off the subfloor up. The shower needs to be fully plumbed, the floor, walls, and ceiling all have to be well waterproofed, the ceiling of the shower really should be fairly low and sloped to avoid condensation, and also the whole enclosure has to be well sealed and steam tight. Plus, the bathroom upon the whole needs to have very, very effective ventilation to ensure the water vapor doesn’t cause damage to the nearby area.

One other significant consideration is how much space a steam shower or sauna is certainly going to occupy. Each types are available to you in a wide range of sizes, from small stalls just big enough for one to a great deal larger enclosures. Saunas are made with insulated walls, and that combined with their utilization of electric heat means they may be rather large (seating six or higher people) without straining the heater, and they’re far more flexible when it comes to where they may be installed.

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Steam showers, regarding the other hand, are far more effective in compact spaces. The bigger the room, the larger the steam generator needed to fill it plus the more water it is going to use. That said, because steam showers offer the full features of a standard shower, they may be installed in practically any bathroom which has room for a freestanding shower. While saunas have to be installed by themselves, steam showers can easily be scaled to suit the current space.

You're able to view some examples of steam shower enclosures at this site

Both saunas and steam showers are supplied in pre-assembled, freestanding versions. With a sauna, buying pre-assembled will not mean a huge difference in the final product, but will save time, labor, and electrical work, because they can usually just be plugged in. But pre-assembled steam showers eliminate a number of the significant downsides of built in steam showers. Since they come in an individual solid, waterproof, steam-tight unit, they can be setup similar to a shower or bathtub stall without the equivalent worry for water damage. The bathroom will certainly still should be adequately ventilated, but the shower might be installed with no other great construction.