Following. interested in learning more.

Ad 12-28K to the standard 10K shower redo. And then never use it.

" Better to build a header across the opening making the doors less tall, or glass all the way up? "

Steamers typically go all the way to the ceiling as you want to capture the steam (purpose for the steamer). You have a door with a pivoting transom above.

We love our steam shower, have had one for years and keot the feature in our recent remodel. we use it a fair amount although not every day. we have a doir that goes to the ceiling

Thank you millworkman for the clarification, and Sue430 for the thumbs up. I think we would use ours pretty often as well, especially my husband. How tall are your doors? Mine would have to be 8.5’ to span the entire opening. So millworkman, you are saying a glass transom would take up some of that space? Do I understand correctly?

A slanted ceiling to avoid dripping on you while steaming is helpful. I thought I would love a steam shower but I get really clausterphobic in it. I should have tried one at the gym first.

" So millworkman, you are saying a glass transom would take up some of that space? Do I understand correctly? "

Yes.

roarah thanks. Yes, we’ve read that the slanted ceiling is essential. And your claustrophobia comment is interesting. I’m also very much so (flying with me is a real treat 😵‍💫) but I get much more so in a dry sauna. I don’t know why.

No one uses them every day. Few people use them weekly. Most use them every couple of months, if at all. They have very specific construction requirements for framing, plumbing, electrical, glass enclosure, lighting, tile choice, etc. All has to be vapor proof, which is a huge step up from waterproofing. And 8/10 "tile guys" in most markets don't even waterproof correctly. So you need the elite contractor and elite tile professionals on the job. It's a lot of puzzle pieces.

I’m in the southeast. I’ve had one client put in a steam shower. Told him I thought he was crazy but his money. I’m now working with the new owners of the house to rip it out (ten foot ceilings meant a big drop down soffit to reduce ceiling height in the shower to eight feet)

Minardi and HALLETT, yes. It’s this sort of story that gives me pause. I’ve read enough horror stories on this site alone about botched waterproofing, much less vapor proofing to make me wonder if we aren’t better off going to a spa more frequently. But spas aren’t readily available here in the hinterlands. Nor are reliable steam shower builders.
Can anyone give me a reasonably concise (valuing your time) description of what best practice vapor proofing would be? To see if prospective builders know what they are talking about?

I use prefab steam showers for my clients thay are great and come with many features for a decent price . I have done 8 over the years 2 are still used the rest a real novelty for about a month then rarely if ever .Kind of like bubble jacuzzi tubs more hassle then they are worth

There are a lot of topical liquid and fabric systems. The right way is the one that follows the chosen manufacturer's install instructions and follow the TCNA Manual.

https://tcnatile.com/resource-center/faq/steam-rooms/

https://tcnatile.com/products/publications/2024-tcna-handbook-for-ceramic-glass-and-stone-tile-installation/

Put a steam shower in about 20 years ago. Wife used the steam feature a few times during the first year. I've never used the steam feature. It is now just a very expensive regular shower.

I remodeled a client's bath with a steam shower. My client used the steam after riding his bike and died. 58. The doctor said it was a massive coronary. No steam shower if you suffer from high blood pressure.

Ok. Mold. Bags of money. Disinterest And early death. Maybe we will reassess. Thanks all!

We installed one in a new build… never used it much. Now sauna….that would be great.

First of all, I love your bathroom!

Similar to saunas, if done well a steam bath is a treat, if done poorly they languish and don't get used. Sadly both saunas and steam baths are frequently done poorly in America.

I think the biggest problem in America is combining a steam bath and shower. These two should be used in an alternating fashion for hot cold hot cold hot cold, that's impossible when it's the same space. Some people like a little extra steam with their shower and that's fine but that's a completely different thing than a steam bath.

The door should be no taller than about 200cm (6.5') with wall or glass above that. The area above the door is called the heat cavity and reduces heat loss each time the door is opened.

There's some more info here: https://localmile.org/steambaths/

We put a prefab acrylic double shower with steam in our new build. I LOVED it and used it constantly. Unfortunately our contractor cut too big a hole around the circle where the steam comes out and I got nervous, then the maxx doors track bent and no one around here can fix.....so we have a shower door that we can't even  close all the way....but yes to steam and sauna IMHO if you can afford to do it right!!

Thanks for the latest posts with the positive steam opinions! I think we’ve decided for the amount of money and mess this will entail, we can go to a sorta local fabulous spa for a few years…..AND get massages too 👍🏼