Steam Shower

[Shredhead]

Do you use it often?
How do you like them?
Any suggestions on units?

I love steamers, but I've only used them in fairly high end Health Clubs and don't currently belong to any.
Time to remodel the master bath and thinking about putting in a 4 x 7'. Moderately high end house, but I don't intend to stay over five years and doubt I'd get any real return on the steam shower portion of the remodel, which looks to add about 5k.

[4matic]

They create a lot of scale. If you have hard water be very cautious.

[Danno]

I don't have one, but I sure love the fuck out of them when I stay somewhere with one.

[ColMan]

My wife and I bought a place a just under 2 years ago that came with a steam shower. Had never used one previously and figured they were not worth the extra $$. Now that we have one, we have been using that thing a ton. One of the best things if you're dealing with a chest cold. Love using it after skiing or a cold bike ride as well. Also put our kids in there when they are sick. Brand is Thermasol. Has a lifetime warranty according to the manual.

[Dhelihiker]

Ive been looking into these as well. You can buy the full shower kit but I'm leery of any plastic shower inserts.

The scaling is a good point that I never considered and I hate soft water.

Im going to do a kit, and make the shower just like a Japenese Onsen shower. Ive been scouring the earth trying to find a Japanese shower fixture. Stupid hard to find.

[irul&ublo]

Try Japan

[MontuckyFried]

Try Japan

Haha. You beat me to it. He's right though, Dheli. I've been to a few Japanese hardware stores to check out the goods and the selection on cool fixtures was amazing. I was so freaking close to dragging a new toilet back to the states. Too bad I was just a broke young airman at the time, or I would have. I'm saving up for a major bathroom overhaul, and it just might be worth my while to take a little trip back to the land of the rising sun before making my final choices on fixtures.

Was also wondering about the steam shower. Never tried one, but sounds like its worth it if going high end anyway?

[iceman]

We installed one in a renovation of our old house and put one in this huse so overall we've had one for about 20 years. Steamist is the brand we've had both places. Trouble-free except we had one problem early on at this house due to fine grit in the well water messing up the valve that shuts the water off to the unit. They were good about coming out and fixing it and we installed a whole-house water filtration system (basically a fancy grit filter not a purifier/conditioner since we have really good water here) since it was causing other plumbing problems and it hasn't had any issues since. Our water is neutral so I dunno about the scale issue. First I heard of it.

In the old house we bought an entire fiberglass steam shower unit, in this house it's a tile shower but has a tight-sealing door. There were seats molded into the old one, in this one we put a triangular piece of granite, like a shelf basically, in the corner to sit on. Works fine.

You don't want this to be a huge shower or it will take too long to heat up. You don't want the steam generator to be too long of a run to the shower but if you need to put it further away just be sure to insulate the steam line.

Vicks Vapo Steam is the shiznit. On ours there's a little like depression on top of the steam nozzle, pour a little Vicks in that and the heat vaporizes it. Eucalyptus goodness for the lungs and sinuses.

Honestly you could draw a graph that would go steadily down and label it "frequency of use" fwiw. We used to use the shit out of it, the novelty is gone now but when you're sick the thing is awesome, we use it then for sure.

[neufox47]

Make sure that you don't have high humidity / mildew issues in the bathroom and adjacent rooms.

[AyasFreeski]

I put in a really simple vapor generator, I believe the brand is Glass, a german company. Closed the roof and walls with glass panels, natural waterfall faucet and a secondary faucet for spraying water, with about 2m of hose.

Use it everyday after ski. It's one of the luxuries that I now consider indispensable.

And just the other day, I was thinking about my little first world problem: the door on my steam shower lets in just enough air that my feet don't sweat. But only sometimes!

[Dhelihiker]

Haha. You beat me to it. He's right though, Dheli. I've been to a few Japanese hardware stores to check out the goods and the selection on cool fixtures was amazing. I was so freaking close to dragging a new toilet back to the states. Too bad I was just a broke young airman at the time, or I would have. I'm saving up for a major bathroom overhaul, and it just might be worth my while to take a little trip back to the land of the rising sun before making my final choices on fixtures.

Was also wondering about the steam shower. Never tried one, but sounds like its worth it if going high end anyway?

You are spot on with the toilet. The Japanese have the bathroom down like a mo fo. I cant be the gaijin looking for a damn shower head!!

[MontuckyFried]

The Japanese have the bathroom down like a mo fo.

They sure do. Still having a tough time convincing the wife to let me do a full on Japanese bathroom. She just doesn't get it, but she might be right as most potential future buyers probably wouldn't either.
For as much emphasis as American homeowners put on bathrooms and remodels, sure seems that most are completely missing out on what could be the most epic throne rooms ever. Doesn't even require a ton of space or money either. Just proper design. I think most Europeans usually have us beat on that front too. Funny how most high end homes have ginormous bathrooms...multiple sinks, giant linen closets, separate tubs and showers, but somehow always forget to leave room for the bidet, or go for the Japanese style combo unit? Laaaame.

I cant be the gaijin looking for a damn shower head!!

Why not?! It'd be fun and totally worth it! If it has problems, returning it might be a pain though. Haha.

[Underoos]

Am I the only one who can't breathe in a steam shower? It's like syrup in my lungs.

[jamesp]

^^ this! I grew up in a hot humid climate, why anyone would want to replicate that in their house is beyond me.

[RootSkier]

Make sure whoever sets the tile knows what the fuck they are doing because they probably won't.

[Pow4Brains]

How is the steam from a stream shower different than the steam in a shower?

Put it up there with the trash compactor IMO.

[grskier]

Make sure whoever sets the tile knows what the fuck they are doing because they probably won't.

this...

Not even a steam shower and getting a few grand worth of work done b/c of idiot remodel from previous owner.

[Rodneyyee]

Do you use it often?
How do you like them?
Any suggestions on units?

I love steamers, but I've only used them in fairly high end Health Clubs and don't currently belong to any.
Time to remodel the master bath and thinking about putting in a 4 x 7'. Moderately high end house, but I don't intend to stay over five years and doubt I'd get any real return on the steam shower portion of the remodel, which looks to add about 5k.

Mr Steam. Mount it outside the house in a little " doghouse"-Slope the ceiling of shower. Use slab stone on walls and lid. They produce zero scale if you filter water pre steam unit. In fact the new whole house pura filter works awesome with whatever you use. The new rare earth magnets you connect directly to the copper pipes are bitchin as well.

E T A =steam mist is good as well.

[Rodneyyee]

How is the steam from a stream shower different than the steam in a shower?

Put it up there with the trash compactor IMO.

Your dumb. Put you up there with a chick in a jetta talking on her cell phone.

[iceman]

Blonde?

..

[Pow4Brains]

Your dumb. Put you up there with a chick in a jetta talking on her cell phone.

Your insight is outstanding. Next would you like to discuss the comparative energy consumption heating water vs. boiling? Or better yet, your advised water purification techniques?

Ice - I'm a redhead but don't think I'm your type.

[The AD]

Until reading this thread I had no idea such a thing even existed. Is this something only dentists can afford?

[Lawless]

Until reading this thread I had no idea such a thing even existed. Is this something only dentists can afford?

If you have to ask, you shouldn't be asking.

[grskier]

Still dealing with leaking shower issue as mentioned from March... We're leaning this way. Looking at a small 38x38 unit... any last regrets? we'll need to rip out the entire old shower, and barrier the outside of this unit. then install it... Figure if we're going to spend another grand in there to rebuild the shower, may as well make it what we want.

[Crampedon]

Try Japan

I am sure there is a hardware store in Hokkaido!

LOVE steam rooms, steam showers ect. Do it.