Steam baths and steam showers are purchased by homeowners predominantly because of luxurious designs, the stress-free relaxation time afforded to those who use them, and for the assistance in boosting a property’s value.
Steam baths also produce dozens of benefits, some you may not necessarily be aware of and others less publicized. For the people who take a steam bath regularly, they regularly find themselves in better health, with more mental wellness, glowing skin, and feeling more relaxed. Some of the most well-known benefits of steam baths are helping a person breathe better, improved circulation, rejuvenated skin, and more. These aside, here are some surprising steam bath benefits you may not think of when you take a session.
Steam baths reduce acne
Acne’s a problematic skin condition to treat. Most doctors will recommend oral medications. Plenty of products exist on shelves in retail that claim to help. One of the safer, chemical-free treatments for acne is a steam bath. Steam offers a gentler approach to acne, opening up pores which can help to wash away pimple-causing oils. A steam bath also improves circulation, bringing oxygen and nutrients to the skin’s surface. Even if you don’t have acne, as a skin treatment, everyone walks away from a steam bath looking and feeling better about themselves.
Steam baths help you shave
When we shave, there’s some prep that’s got to happen. We want to gently open pores and ensure we’re shaving across a clean face. A razor blade’s going to clear away or break away dead skin cells. An area that’s properly prepared will maximize the cut of the blades. In your morning, a steam bath softens the skin and opens pores which makes it easier to achieve a painless, effective save.
Steam baths help sleep
Steam baths can be very relaxing in the moment. The way they reduce anxieties and stress essentially guides the body into a state of calm. This works wonders at bedtime. If you’re struggling with sleep or have been diagnosed with insomnia, you have a better chance at getting a full night’s rest and increasing the length of deep sleep cycles after you’ve had a steam bath that day. Similar sleep-aid benefits are seen in infrared saunas, steam rooms, and similar heated environments.
Steam baths help arthritis pain
Arthritis pain is so difficult to manage but when you have the soothing effects of a steam bath surrounding you, it’s a lot easier. Joints and the way they ache can be very debilitating. Fight arthritis with a steam bath, reducing inflammation in the body, increasing circulation, and maximizing the natural healing properties and systems already in the body. A steam bath can impact other kinds of chronic pain as well, including those stemming from nerve damage, autoimmune disorders, and types non-arthritis related.
Steam baths eliminate sodium
Steam baths help to regulate high blood pressure through a variety of mechanisms, including in the removal of excess sodium. As you sweat, the steam in a steam bath helps to flush excess sodium and toxins through sweat. After you’re done, just wipe away all that sweat. Feel better and look better.
Steam baths burn calories
Can you guess, how many calories a steam bath burns in 15 minutes? Believe it or not, it’s 150 calories that get burned in a single steam session. This is by no means enough to not exercise however as a supplement, if your target is strictly weight loss, a steam bath can be a major contributor to your health and fitness. At a minimum temperature of 114 degrees Fahrenheit, calorie-burning awaits.
Steam removes lactic acid from muscles
As a part of their post-workout routine, more athletes and gym-goers are jumping on the steam bandwagon. Lactic acid is what makes our muscles feel sore after a workout, after the gym, or following any intense activity. Anyone prone to extreme, function-limiting soreness, know that steam rooms and steam baths remove lactic acid that accumulates in our muscles. When you use a steam bath after a workout, you will recover faster and won’t feel so limited by intense activity.
Steam baths can potentially increase metabolism
A lot of personal trainers working with people who want to lose weight recommend some post-workout time in a steam bath. This is because a steam doesn’t just soothe muscles and joints. Steam baths increase metabolism and can facilitate a faster weight loss. There are a lot of variables influencing metabolism, from the amount of activity one receives to what their diet is like. That said, if you’re doing all the right things towards weight loss, adding a steam bath with everything else can pay off in dividends.
Steam baths help to clear sinuses
Congestion comes with winter, for a lot of us. Colds and flus are serious business. Though some immediately will go to the cough syrup, this has an effect on your stomach and isn’t always the best course of action. Numerous experiments and research has shown steam baths soothe congestion and cold symptoms, calming down sinuses in a matter of minutes.
Steam baths conserve water
A 20-minute steam bath uses less than a gallon of water. Comparatively, a multi-headed shower system or a whirlpool bath uses upwards of 75 gallons or more. To use a steam bath, it costs significantly less money than what one would use to take a typical bath or shower. We’re comparing cents to dollars, in this regard. Strictly on costs, steam bath may be the way of the future in taking baths and showers. There’s nothing that comes close in water conservation.
Should I choose a steam bath or a sauna?
Knowing the surprising benefits of a steam bath, you may be wondering what’s preferable between a steam bath or an infrared sauna. Arguments can certainly be made for both. Numerous similarities exist and for a home, a steam both and a sauna both can be very affordable.
Some of the benefits shared between an infrared sauna and a steam bath include improved circulation without exercise or physical activity, improved skin appearance, assistance in workout recovery, the loosening of stiff joints, reduced stress, and calorie-burning. All this set aside, an infrared sauna and steam bath make for two very different environments.
A steam bath is closer to taking a traditional shower or bath except it uses steam to do so. The steam’s very moisture-filled, unlike an infrared sauna which is dry. The heat of a steam bath is intense, compared to the lesser temperatures of a sauna. Like an infrared sauna, taking steam baths can get to be quite addictive – especially once you start to see results and changes physiologically and health-wise.
Speaking on the subject of an infrared sauna, a person using one will notice that it is not the air around them which is heated but rather, the infrared rays that heat you from the inside out. The rays penetrate deep into the skin and the body achieves a state of sweating through these means. An infrared sauna has a lot less moisture to it than a steam bath which means things like congestion-clearing are going to be a little more difficult. The biggest advantage, arguably, to an infrared sauna is that it does not require a connection to water to work. The heat’s created through a generator which means you can set it up virtually anywhere in the home. Comparatively, a steam bath would need connection to water and so you’re only really limited to the washroom.
Are you looking for a steam bath or infrared sauna? We’d like to help. Steam Sauna is a top supplier of all things steam room, steam bath, dry sauna, and infrared sauna related. If you’re searching for the perfect sauna or steam bath, customized to your personal preferences, feel encouraged to shoot us a message today. Your very own steam sauna’s waiting!