Turning your bathroom into a day-spa inspired pleasure-zone has been a hot interior design trend for some time now. So why not take your bathroom renovation one step further  – and install a steam room.

Personal steam rooms are becoming increasingly popular. Bathing in a steam room is a relaxing experience that offers health benefits similar to those of a hot sauna. "It’s a total body cleansing experience," explains sauna and steam room sales manager Marko Tossavainen. "The humidity opens the pores and aids with muscular aches and pains and can soften your skin."

The rising popularity of the steam room is in part due to the the ease of installation. 

"A shower is very easy to convert into a steam room, as you just need to put a ceiling on it, build a bench area and install a steam generator", Tossavainen explains. "The way a shower is built is almost the same as the way a steam room is built."

Building a steam room is not a difficult project, but it’s crucial that you plan properly before you start.  This includes knowing where your steam heads will go, how to build your benches and what materials you’ll use.  

Steam rooms with an area about two metres square will seat up to eight adults comfortably. You need to waterproof the whole room and then choose the type of material to put on the walls – Tossavainen suggests a glass front or mosaic tiles.

Tossavainen says there is a growing demand for home steam rooms over saunas. "Steam rooms offer clients the chance to get all the benefits of bathing in humidity, without having to stand the extreme heat of a sauna," he says.

"It’s simply a case of a moist bathing experience compared to a dry bathing experience," Marko explains. "A sauna is very hot and dry, as temperatures can reach over 100 degrees Celsius and the humidity is only 15 per cent. In a steam room the temperature is generally half that of a sauna but the humidity is 100 per cent."

To find out more about installing a steam room in your bathroom, talk to an expert today. You can find one here.