With the growing popularity of public saunas and steam rooms, home steam showers have become a new favorite for homeowners. Although portable saunas and steam rooms are also available, many are too big, expensive, and impractical for most homes. Steam showers are about the size of shower cubicles, allowing you to enjoy the same relaxation and health benefits right in your own bathroom.

Steam showers work by exposing the body to heat and raising the body temperature, technically inducing a slight fever. This increases the heart rate to a level normally achieved by physical exercise, which is why many people use steam showers to supplement weight-loss regimens. Steam showers also promote healthier skin by stimulating blood flow outwards, delivering more nutrients to the subcutaneous layers. They also induce sweating and open the skin pores to wash out deep-seated dirt from the skin.

The “steam” produced by steam showers is not actual steam. Real steam, made from superheated water, is extremely hot and will cause burns upon contact with the skin. In a steam shower, water is simply vaporized and heated to controlled levels. The resulting vapor is kept at high humidity to keep it moist and prevent it from scalding. Many people use steam showers for aromatherapy by adding scented oils to the vapor, usually through special receptacles in the shower.

Steam showers may be plug-in or self-contained. Plug-in steam showers produce steam by running the water through the bathroom's heating system. They are powered by the household electrical supply and plug into a bathroom socket. These units ensure a consistent supply of heat and hot water, but will be rendered useless during a power failure. Self-contained steam showers have built-in heating systems and tank storage, eliminating the need to plug into a socket and draw from the main water supply.

A basic steam shower features a shower head, a transparent or translucent enclosure, and a few massage jets. These are also the smallest units, often available in corner designs to save space. More expensive models usually have more massage jets and multiple shower heads. In a typical design, the massage jets are positioned along the head, back and shoulders, and sometimes at the lower legs. This provides a full-body massage along with the usual shower. High-end enclosures can have as many as 30 massage jets, as well as a foot massage tray.

Some steam showers are even computerized, with programmable times and controls for temperature, jet pressure, and jet positioning. These advanced steam showers come with wall-mounted control panels in a waterproof and heatproof box. They are also bigger than standard steam showers to make room for the extra jets and shower heads.

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