How to Build a Steam Shower | DIY Steam Room Tips!

We all have that one friend who looks happy and has tons of energy, even if he has three kids and holds down two jobs. That’s my neighbor, Adrian. He sleeps five hours per night, and he’s always doing something, but he’s never tired.

His kids are very healthy and always in a good mood, unlike my two, who always seem to catch colds and throw tantrums.

That’s when I found out about his steam shower room. He built it all by himself, in his spare time, and his whole family is using it.

I asked Adrian to help me write this article because he has a lot of experience with DIY projects. But that was after I asked him to build a shower for my family too.

Read along, and you can have your healing vapors ready in no time.

What’s a Steam Shower?

The residential steam shower originates from the Roman Empire. The Ancient Romans invented steam baths when they noticed the health properties of hot springs, but they didn’t bathe alone, so the hot baths had a social purpose too.

What is a Steam Shower

Your DIY steam room will look a lot different than ancient Roman baths, although the principles stay the same. Instead of the hot springs, you’ll need a steam shower generator to make steams, aka water vapors.

Your home steam-room is best to set in the bathroom or another room that vapors can’t damage. Hence, the best materials to consider are acrylic, fiberglass, glass, stone, tile, or wood.

SUMMARY: An existing shower transforms water supply into steam so that you can reap several health benefits.

Pros and Cons

If you’re making your own, you must consider all the pros and cons of having one in the first place. The literature concerning the benefits of hot therapy is vast, but there are also disadvantages to your health, budget, and personal safety.

Here are the things I considered before building:

PROS:

  • Steam and warm baths help blood circulate better to your extremities. The result of effective blood circulation is faster healing, less discomfort, and more mobility.
  • Steam baths show a significant decrease in blood pressure thanks to activating the hormone aldosterone.
  • Your stress is reduced because your heart works more effectively and because your blood pressure is normalized. This decrease leads you to feel happier and relaxed.
  • Can help with respiratory infections because the vapors decongest your airways. Many doctors recommend inhalations and saunas to people with common colds or sinus infections.
  • Using steam can improve your skin health as vapors dilate the pores, so the toxins and dirt are easily removed.
  • More effective than dry heat in alleviating post-workout muscle soreness. As you recover faster, you can work out more.
  • Steam increases joint mobility, which is essential for people who have arthritis, the elderly who have frailer bones, as well as dedicated athletes.
  • Showers accelerate your metabolic rate, so you can lose weight faster, overcome weight loss plateaus, and improve your general hormonal health.
  • Can accelerate the production of white blood cells, which helps to strengthen your immune system against a variety of infections or possible chronic illnesses.
  • It can be cheaper than buying a built-in system.

What is the Disadvantage of Steam Shower?

  • You might get dizzy or nauseated if you get dehydrated or if your blood pressure drops too much.
  • You might experience negative long-term health effects if you’re in a certain category such as pregnant, immunity-challenged, or prone to a severe heart condition. Double-check with your health professional before grabbing your DIY kit.
  • Residential or commercial steam bath construction costs more time than buying a ready-made one.
  • If you’re not good at DIY projects, poor installation can lead to fires or electrocution. Google “steam shower installers near me” to check there’s always a professional technician on stand-by before starting your DIY project.

SUMMARY: They improve heart, skin, joint, and metabolic health. DIY models are cheaper than commercial ones, but installing them wrongly leads to a variety of hazards.

Do Steam Showers Cause Mold?

As the weather gets warmer, many people start to use their hot water systems to help warm up the house. You can also use your shower for your body heat as well. Those have been around for a while, but the recent trend in showerheads, along with many modern products and home appliances, maybe make them worse for your health. While It can be a great way to soothe your skin, it can also cause problems when used in large quantities. You may be tempted to just assume that the steam of your shower will dry out all of your bath products before they can begin working, but in reality, you will most likely just create a nasty odor. Plus, they are much more likely to cause mold and mildew in your shower than anything else.

Here are some other things that can cause steam in your shower: the wrong combination of products you use, too many ingredients that you may not realize, and over-the-counter products that may irritate your skin. Stress or lack of exercise can make you more prone to this kind of problem. There are more harmful products you should avoid as well. Here are some more tips on how to prevent steam generators from damaging your home: Use a misting fan. The fan pulls in the steam and releases it out of your shower. This helps to clean your shower enclosure area, and natural stone, preventing mold and mildew from growing in your shower. Misting your shower with a misting fan is a great way to keep it clear.

Things to Consider Before You Begin Your Steam Shower Installation:

Installation is all in the planning. You have to consider things like shower waterproofing, shower electrical requirements, and steam room design.

My advice is to look for helpful resources, such as the Steam Shower Construction Guidelines With that in mind, let’s see what your general plan will look like:

Size and Location

  • Choose a comfortable size, big enough so you can stretch your legs, but not so big to waste a lot of energy.
  • Go for a low ceiling, up to 7.5 feet.
  • Place your creation away from outside walls, for maximum performance, if your weather is cold.

Windows and Skylights

Steam Shower DoorRooms should have no windows or skylights because they disperse the vapors. If your room already has:

  • Windows: replace them with others that have the max R-value on the market
  • Skylights: build an extra proof roof over the shower, inside your bath, from glass or tile

Shower Door

The best shower door insulates your shower, and that’s why it can get cold in the winter if you close it. The solutions are to:

  • Leave the door open, so It has to swing outside
  • Install a radiator to heat the shower room and to prevent mold

Location

The location of the steam generator depends on the model you’re getting. Some models can only be placed inside the bathroom, while others up to 60 feet from your room.

Choose a space inside your home that’s not prone to extreme temperatures, such as:

  • Attic
  • Basement
  • Closet
  • Vanity

Walls

They increase the moisture inside the bathroom, which is why you should choose the best materials for the walls such as:

  • Backer-board
  • Cement
  • Glass
  • Helo panels
  • Stone
  • Tile

Choose a top finishing like Schluter for your wall’s exterior corners for extra insulation and waterproofing.

SUMMARY: Your residential shower shouldn’t be too big or too small. You should avoid windows and skylights, choose insulating materials for the walls, and consider waterproofing your room to avoid mold.

Are Steam Showers Good for Your Lungs?

I learned of a new study last night about the potential health benefits. The idea of taking a warm, soaking shower to remove dust and other grime while giving your body a chance to recuperate sounded pretty great. So I decided to see if they actually did any good for my lungs. But how to go about it? I’ve seen before, but have never taken one. Could I be in for a steamy surprise? To find out, I called Hayat Koushia, director of the pulmonary rehabilitation program at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Koushia has no personal experience with units, but the hospital has a number of patients who use them to clear their respiratory systems. And according to the study cited above, it sounds like it can be a good option. They can be a beneficial therapy for asthma and COPD,” Koushia says. “We commonly see patients using them in their homes. So should you try a shower? Not without a doctor’s approval and perhaps even some evaluation first. Dr. Deborah Johnston, a pulmonologist at Northwestern Medicine Chicago, recommends consulting a doctor about these treatments.

Do Steam Showers Need to Be Vented?

It’s good to have some sort of air vents for the steam cleaners in your house or RV. Depending on the size and use of your steam cleaner, you may or may not want them vented outside the home or outside the campground. If you want to run your steam cleaner day or night when away from the house, a vent might be good, especially if you live in a damp climate.

If the house you live in is big enough to need the house to be dry inside (and it is my understanding that this is often the case), a steam cleaner vent will probably be the best option. It’s not usually that expensive to install a vent, and it’s really only important when you are away from the house or RV for extended periods of time. If your house is always dry, a normal air vent will probably do.

Basic Steps for Designing and Building DIY Steam Room

The cornerstone of how to make a steam shower at home is the planning and design stage.

We’ll review all the basics below, with plenty of tips and tricks that allow enough room for your preferences and customization options.

Designing the Shower

  • Include a seat, but take your space into account. If you have a lot of room, choose a tilted bench. If your room is small, choose folding seats.
  • Don’t install the steam outlet near the door or seats because it’s too dangerous.
  • Set the controls close to the seats, but keep them a few feet off the floor so they can measure the surrounding temperature correctly.
  • DIY the ShowerTake ceiling sloping into account, depending on the materials inside your home. For instance, sloping isn’t recommended for tile ceilings because the water will drip on your head. The rule of thumb is 0.75-inch of tilting for each foot of the ceiling. If your model is big, you can slope the ceiling only above your seating area.

Choosing the Materials

Choosing the materials takes several issues into account, such as:

  • The heat. You need hat-proof materials, such as tile, cement, or stone. Acrylic and plastic are usually not recommended.
  • Moisture. The materials should be waterproofed completely to avoid mold.
  • Radiant heat. Insulate your exterior walls, especially if you live in a cold climate zone. Insulating the walls on the inside is not mandatory because your steam bath will not last for hours.

Door Installation

Choose a door that’s specifically designed for shower rooms, which means it will be sealed on top and the sides.

Don’t seal the bottom to get extra ventilation and to make sure you can open/ close it easily. Make sure you measure the opening precisely before getting a door.

Final Touches

Take the instructions into account before setting up the final trim. Double-check all the wiring and turn the water on before the first test.

SUMMARY: Although we haven’t given you an exact shower plumbing diagram, we helped you outline a design plan. Your shower room should be safe, insulated, and waterproofed; choose the best materials and ceiling slope for the job.

Ideas FAQ

Don’t skip this FAQ section, even if it seems you don’t have any questions. Building your own is all in the details, some of which we haven’t yet discussed.

The ceiling slope, vent, and overall room size are all issues to take into account. You’ll also find out how to avoid mold and how to properly install a generator.

Does a Steam Shower Need a Sloped Ceiling?

While a commercial room should have a 2-inch slope per foot of ceiling, a residential steam room doesn’t necessarily need a slope, unless it’s big.

The usual ceiling slope is 0.5-1 inches per foot of ceiling. Remember, the ceiling should slope away from the sitting area to avoid water dripping on your head.

Does a Steam-Shower Need a Vent?

Does A Steam Shower Need A VentYou should never install a vent or air conditioning machine in your shower because it diffuses the vapors. An exhaust fan is all you need to clear out steam.

Do Steam Cause Mold?

Steam causes mold if you choose poor materials for your room and if you’re not careful with waterproofing.

Good maintenance of them starts with top materials, such as tile, stone, or cement that don’t allow mold to form. The second is getting rid of the stall air.

How Much Space Do You Need for a Steam-Shower?

Your steam shower room should be at least 3 x 3 x 7 feet. Your room height and width can be over three feet each, but the ceiling shouldn’t be over 8 feet tall. Otherwise, you will need a powerful generator and increase your electricity bill.

How to Install

Here are some tips on how to install it:

  • Choose a good DIY kit that includes all of the extra parts, along with clear instructions.
  • Make sure your generator comes with or allows the installation of therapeutic extras, such as an aromatherapy kit or audio.
  • Place your generator in another room or a closet if it’s too noisy or too big, or hide it in the vanity in your bathroom.
  • Make sure you have the correct wiring to connect the generator.

SUMMARY: Make sure your room is at least 3 x 3 x 7 feet before installing your shower. It’s not necessary to slope your ceiling, but it’s essential not to add a vent and to waterproof your room with top materials.

Are Steam Showers Worth It?

Don’t buy a shower without considering everything. I use the term “steam” as an old-fashioned term. It’s more of a hyperbolic term used in old times to describe cool air blasting onto your skin, from the showerhead, and it’s not a well-known term in modern times because we tend to have more and better amenities, like showers that don’t make you sweat. In my experience, can feel a lot like a hot shower because they’re at an ambient temperature. However, because they do produce a hot air environment, I think it would be incorrect to describe a shower as “hot.” Not hot. So what does a shower really do? One of the most popular YouTube videos claims dry skin.

Does a Steam Shower Need a Vent?

Now that we’ve put a finned showerhead to the test, it’s time to think about the various components of a shower. While you may initially be tempted to forego airflow altogether for better steam, that’s a huge mistake. The reason for this is that, while a shower will utilize a lot of water from a small amount of air, it doesn’t utilize as much heat as a conventional shower would.

Steam isn’t created in a vacuum. There are several components of a shower that are still heated by steam. To get the absolute most from your shower, you’ll need to give it some air circulation. That will allow you to adjust the temperature of the shower from steam to cool and back again. While you might be tempted to skip this step, you can’t. If you only have a showerhead and you’re not sure if you can clear it easily, give it a try. They need air circulation so that they can circulate the steam and get the temperature down to a level that best meets your needs. To make the most out of your shower, you’ll want to purchase a showerhead that can handle a variety of temperatures.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Steam Shower Need a Drain?

Yes, a steam shower does need a drain. It is a specialized enclosure that generates and contains steam, typically using a steam generator. When steam is produced, it condenses into water droplets on surfaces within the shower. These water droplets need to be drained properly to prevent accumulation and potential damage to the shower and surrounding areas.

The drain serves as an outlet for the condensed water to flow out of the steam shower. It is designed to handle the increased moisture levels and prevent water buildup. Without a drain, the water would pool within the steam shower, leading to potential issues such as mold growth, damage to the walls and flooring, and increased humidity levels.

Additionally, the drain in a steam shower is often equipped with features to enhance functionality and safety, such as anti-slip grates and traps to prevent odors and gases from entering the shower space. Therefore, a drain is an essential component to maintain a healthy, functional, and safe environment.

What is the Life Expectancy of a Steam Shower?

The life expectancy of a steam shower can vary depending on several factors. However, on average, a well-maintained and high-quality model can be expected to last approximately 10 to 20 years. This estimate takes into account the durability of the materials used, the level of maintenance provided, and the frequency of use.

The longevity also depends on the components and equipment used. The steam generator, control panel, valves, and other mechanical parts may have different lifespans. Regular maintenance, including cleaning and descaling, can help prolong the lifespan of these components.

It is important to note that proper installation and adherence to manufacturer guidelines are crucial for maximizing the longevity of a steam shower. Additionally, the quality of the water used in the steam generator can impact its lifespan, as hard water with high mineral content can cause scaling and damage over time.

Regular inspections by professionals and timely repairs or replacements of worn-out parts can help extend the life expectancy. Ultimately, durability and lifespan can be influenced by the quality of the product, maintenance practices, and usage patterns.

How Do You Plumb a Steam Shower?

Creating a steam shower is a luxurious addition to any bathroom, offering a spa-like experience right in the comfort of your home. However, plumbing a steam shower is a task that requires careful planning and execution to ensure both safety and functionality. In this guide, we will walk you through the essential steps on how to plumb a steam shower effectively.

1. Plan and Design: Before you even pick up a wrench, it’s crucial to have a well-thought-out plan and design for your steam shower. Consider the location of the steam generator, the steam head, and the seating arrangement. Ensure that you have enough space for all the components and that the area is well-ventilated to prevent moisture buildup.

2. Select the Right Steam Generator: The heart of your steam shower is the steam generator. Choose one that suits the size of your shower space and your desired steam output. Steam generators come in various sizes and power ratings, so make sure to consult with a professional or the manufacturer to determine the right unit for your needs.

3. Ventilation and Waterproofing: Proper ventilation is essential to prevent mold and mildew growth in your bathroom. Install an exhaust fan to help remove excess moisture from the steam shower area. Additionally, ensure that your walls and ceiling are adequately waterproofed using moisture-resistant materials like cement backer board and waterproof membranes.

4. Plumbing Connections: You’ll need both hot and cold water supplies for your steam shower. Connect the hot water supply to the steam generator and cold water to the shower fixtures. Ensure that the water lines are properly insulated to prevent heat loss and condensation.

5. Steam Head Installation: The steam head is where the steam enters your shower. Install it at a height that allows the steam to circulate evenly throughout the space. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper placement and secure it firmly to the wall.

6. Drainage: Proper drainage is crucial in a steam shower to prevent water buildup. Slope the floor slightly toward the drain to ensure that water flows away efficiently. Use a high-quality, waterproof floor membrane to protect against leaks.

7. Steam Control: Install a steam control panel inside the steam shower that allows you to adjust the temperature and duration of your steam sessions. Make sure it is within easy reach from the seating area for convenience.

8. Seating and Comfort: Consider adding a comfortable bench or seating area inside the steam shower. This provides a relaxing space to enjoy your steam therapy sessions.

9. Final Inspection: Before using your newly plumbed steam shower, perform a thorough inspection to check for any leaks or issues. Test the steam generator to ensure it produces steam consistently and at the desired temperature.

10. Regular Maintenance: To keep your steam shower in top condition, perform regular maintenance, such as descaling the steam generator and cleaning the steam head. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for maintenance tasks.

In conclusion, plumbing a steam shower involves careful planning, precise installation, and attention to detail. If you are not experienced in plumbing, it is advisable to hire a professional plumber or contractor to ensure that your steam shower functions safely and efficiently. With the right setup, you can enjoy the many health and relaxation benefits of a steam shower in your own home.

Does a Steam Shower Need a Vapor Barrier?

Yes, incorporating a vapor barrier in the construction of a steam shower is not just advisable; it’s a critical element for ensuring the longevity and functionality of the installation. The purpose of a vapor barrier is to prevent moisture penetration into the structural components of the shower enclosure, which is particularly crucial in steam shower environments where high humidity levels are prevalent.

Steam showers generate intense heat and moisture, and without a proper vapor barrier, this moisture can seep into the walls, ceiling, and other structural elements, leading to potential issues such as mold growth, rot, and structural damage over time. A vapor barrier acts as a protective layer, preventing water vapor from infiltrating these vulnerable areas.

The most effective vapor barrier for a steam shower is a combination of a waterproof membrane and insulation. The waterproof membrane, typically made of materials like polyethylene or similar impermeable substances, serves as a barrier against moisture. Insulation further enhances the barrier by reducing the likelihood of condensation forming within the walls.

Installing the vapor barrier on the interior side of the walls and ceiling, facing the steam shower, is crucial. This ensures that any moisture that permeates the enclosure is stopped before reaching the structural components. Additionally, proper sealing of seams and joints in the vapor barrier is essential to maintain its integrity.

In summary, a well-designed and properly installed vapor barrier is a fundamental component of a steam shower, safeguarding the structural integrity of the surrounding construction and preventing potential issues associated with moisture infiltration.

Conclusion

Installing starts with careful planning. Make sure you have all the instructions ready before starting the job, and also the correct wiring.

The best advice is to outline your design and to have an expert plumber/ technician ready to intervene if anything goes wrong.

Otherwise, your steam shower will have a lot of health benefits that can make the difference between a life that’s meh and one that’s wow.