A beautiful bathroom can do more than help you get ready for the day. With the addition of a home sauna or steam shower, it can become a place to slow down, recharge, and make relaxation part of your everyday routine.
For St. Louis homeowners planning a bathroom remodel or new home, today’s sauna and steam options offer more possibilities than ever. Immerse features innovative solutions from MrSteam, ThermaSol, and Amerec, with options that can work within an existing shower footprint, become the centerpiece of a dedicated wellness room, or even extend the experience into an outdoor space.
The result? A spa-like retreat you don’t have to leave home to enjoy.
What Is the Difference Between a Sauna and a Steam Shower?
A sauna uses high heat with relatively low humidity, while a steam shower surrounds you with warm, moisture-rich air. Both create restorative heat-bathing experiences, but they feel distinctly different.
A traditional sauna heats the room itself, typically using a sauna heater and stones. Some sauna designs allow water to be poured over the stones to temporarily increase humidity.
A steam shower works differently. A generator heats water until it becomes vapor, then sends that steam into a fully enclosed shower. Because it can be incorporated into the shower you already use, steam can be an especially appealing addition to a bathroom remodel.
Your choice may ultimately come down to the experience you prefer—and the space available in your home.
Can You Add a Steam Shower to an Existing Bathroom?
Yes. In many cases, an existing shower can be converted into a steam shower as part of a thoughtfully planned bathroom renovation.
A steam shower requires an enclosed, insulated, and properly sealed environment, along with a correctly sized steam generator. The generator itself can often be installed out of sight in a dry, heated location such as a closet, vanity, basement, or attic.
That flexibility opens the door to steam for more homes than you might expect. A steam shower can be especially appealing when you want to:
- Add a wellness feature without dedicating an entirely separate room to it
- Enhance a primary bathroom remodel
- Create a more relaxing everyday shower experience
- Incorporate seating for lingering and unwinding
- Personalize the experience with features such as lighting, aromatherapy, music, and digital controls
MrSteam even offers its Steam@Home package specifically for smaller spaces and tighter budgets, including spaces as compact as 3′ x 3′ x 7′. That makes at-home steam an option worth exploring even when you’re not planning an expansive primary suite.
What Are the Benefits of Having a Sauna at Home?
A home sauna makes heat bathing convenient enough to become part of your regular wellness routine. In addition to the simple pleasure of relaxing in a warm, quiet environment, scientific research has explored potential connections between regular sauna use and cardiovascular and other health benefits.
A review published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings examined research linking frequent sauna bathing with potential benefits including improvements in cardiovascular function and blood pressure, although researchers also emphasized the need for additional controlled studies.
Long-term observational research has also found associations between more frequent sauna bathing and lower cardiovascular mortality. Importantly, an association does not prove that sauna use directly causes these outcomes, but the findings have contributed to growing scientific interest in sauna bathing as a wellness practice.
For many homeowners, the more immediate appeal is much simpler: a sauna creates a dedicated place to disconnect, relax, and make personal wellness part of life at home.
Can a Home Sauna Be Installed Indoors or Outdoors?
Yes. Depending on the product, available space, and construction requirements, a sauna can become part of either an indoor or outdoor wellness environment.
Indoor possibilities include:
- A primary bathroom suite
- A dedicated home wellness room
- A home gym or recovery area
- A finished lower level
- A space adjacent to a shower or cold plunge
Outdoor possibilities can include:
- A backyard wellness retreat
- A covered patio or pool area
- A space near an outdoor shower
- A sauna paired with a cold plunge for contrast therapy
- A private garden or relaxation area
ThermaSol offers sauna collections designed for both indoor and outdoor spaces, making it possible to think beyond the traditional bathroom when deciding where wellness fits into your home.
Which Sauna and Steam Brands Can You Explore at Immerse?
Immerse brings St. Louis homeowners access to respected brands offering different approaches to home steam and sauna experiences.
MrSteam Steam Showers
MrSteam offers residential steam shower packages ranging from streamlined introductory systems to highly personalized experiences.
Depending on the package, available features include:
- Digital or wireless controls
- App connectivity
- Aromatherapy
- Chromatherapy lighting
- Audio
- Automated system maintenance
- Coordinating steamheads in designer finishes
For homeowners who want to incorporate wellness into the bathroom they already use every day, a MrSteam system can transform an enclosed shower into something much more restorative.
ThermaSol Saunas
ThermaSol offers beautifully designed sauna solutions for both indoor and outdoor spaces, with collections that range from compact and modern to spacious and architectural.
Homeowners can explore:
- Indoor and outdoor sauna collections
- Traditional sauna experiences
- A variety of residential sauna heaters
- Space-conscious configurations
- Custom sauna possibilities
- Contemporary designs that complement the surrounding architecture
Rather than treating a sauna as purely functional equipment, these designs allow it to become an intentional part of the home.
Amerec Steam Rooms
Amerec specializes in residential steam bath generators, controls, and accessories designed to turn the everyday shower into a home steam spa.
Options include:
- Residential steam generators
- Touchscreen and Wi-Fi-enabled controls
- Mobile app control
- Chromatherapy lighting
- Aromatherapy options
- Fold-down teak seating
- Steam shower packages that simplify product selection
Amerec also offers generator sizing resources based on the dimensions and materials used within the shower, an important consideration when planning a properly functioning steam space.
How Do You Design a Spa-Like Wellness Space at Home?
Start with the experience you want to have, rather than simply choosing a product.
Maybe your ideal evening involves stepping into a steam shower before bed. Perhaps you envision a traditional sauna near your home gym. Or maybe your dream is an outdoor retreat where a sauna, cold plunge, and shower create a complete contrast-therapy experience.
From there, consider:
- Where the sauna or steam shower will live
- How frequently you expect to use it
- Whether you’re remodeling or building new
- How much space you have available
- Your preferred level of technology and customization
- Materials, finishes, lighting, and other elements that establish the mood
- Whether you’d like to incorporate a cold plunge, soaking tub, or other wellness features nearby
Working through these decisions early with your contractor and knowledgeable product experts can make it much easier to integrate wellness into the overall design rather than treating it as an add-on later.
Create Your Own Retreat at Home with Immerse
A home sauna or steam shower can turn an everyday routine into an opportunity to relax and recharge. Steam showers can bring a wellness experience directly into the bathroom, while indoor and outdoor saunas can create dedicated destinations for restorative heat bathing. And with today’s range of sizes, styles, and features, these additions aren’t reserved only for enormous homes or unlimited remodeling budgets.
Visit the Immerse showroom in St. Louis with your contractor to explore steam and sauna possibilities from MrSteam, ThermaSol, and Amerec. Our kitchen and bath experts can introduce you to the options, answer product questions, and help you understand what may work best for your space and project.
Schedule your Immerse showroom tour and start imagining what a personal wellness retreat could look like in your own home.