ᐅ Steam shower: Experiences, DIY,

Hi, I have only been reading as an unregistered user so far, but now I have some questions about steam showers.

House construction might start in a few months with precast concrete.

My wife and I are enthusiastic sauna and steam bath visitors (Therme Erding), and now we want to have something like that in our house, but combined with a shower, so a proper wet room. The prefabricated cabins didn’t convince us, so we will build it ourselves.
Our plan is:

• 4 people seated or 2 people lying down
• The shower area should also have enough space for two people at the same time
• Space for the steam shower area: 2.8m x 1.6m (without seat/lying bench, shower, insulation, tiles) but can be enlarged
• I estimate around 6–8 cubic meters, with a bench and a dropped ceiling

I have already read some tips:

• Leave a 3cm (1.2 inches) gap below the glass door for fresh air and ventilation
• Make the door lower so that steam can build up above the door and doesn’t escape immediately when opening it for the first time

My questions are:

• Does anyone have experience with a steam shower in a private home in general?
• For example, flat or body-shaped seating/lying surfaces?
• I have read and tested that after a steam session, using cold water (mist or spray) can help "neutralize" the steam—is anyone using something like that?
• After some hours of researching online, I found a device called TOLO Ultimate Plus 12.0 kW, 12 kW to reach my desired temperature faster. Has anyone gathered experience with this?

Thanks in advance for the upcoming contributions.

Regards, schaaaf

I just came across your topic. How far along are you? I’m currently working on a similar project. Can you share your experiences so far? I’m also curious about how you did your ceiling. Did you apply a liquid waterproofing and then lay tiles afterwards?

We haven’t made much progress yet. We recently met with the notary, and the local building authority conducted surveys on the plots. We weren’t sure if it involved our property as well, which has caused some delays.

Due to various price changes, we have switched to brick construction, and my wife wants a bathtub. As a result, the steam shower will be smaller—with seating for two. This reduces the volume and allows us to use a smaller steam generator.

Overall, the building permit/planning permission hasn’t even been submitted yet, so we are still in the planning phase.

I plan to design the ceiling sloped and lower, not vaulted.

I will definitely apply waterproofing to the entire shower area and possibly extend it about half a meter (20 inches) around it. I haven’t looked into whether tiles can be installed directly on top yet; I might use microcement instead (keyword: seamless). You just have to make sure it is suitable for steam rooms.

How far along are you? Which steam generator are you planning to use?

Half a year has passed by now. Has anyone implemented something like this?

We have reached the point where our financing is approved, and the steam shower is being prepared so that the generator only needs to be installed. Currently, we need to save money.