Steam saunas at home: a tent, a steam shower, or a sauna you pour water on
"Steam sauna" means three different things in the US: a fabric steam tent that plugs into the wall, a steam shower or steam room fed by a generator, or a regular Finnish sauna where you make steam by pouring water on the stones. They're far apart in cost and in install work.
The quick split: a tent costs $72.99 to $299 and needs nothing but an outlet. A steam shower generator alone needs a 240 V circuit of 31–40 A plus a sealed enclosure, so it's a remodel. If you want heat with occasional steam, a traditional sauna does both.
Three kinds of steam at home
| Path | Heat and humidity | Price in our database | Power | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam tent | Up to 140°F per brands, humid | $72.99 to $299 | 120 V outlet | None, sets up in minutes |
| Steam shower or steam room | About 40°C (104°F) at high humidity in a bath study | $3,642 list for one generator, plus the enclosure | 240 V, 31–40 A | Electrician and plumber; sealed enclosure |
| Sauna you pour water on | 80–100°C (176–212°F), 10–20% humidity, short bursts of steam | See our dry and outdoor sauna pages | Mostly 240 V | Electrician for the heater |
The temperatures aren't close. A review of heat therapies puts Finnish saunas at 80–100°C with 10–20% humidity (Laukkanen and Kunutsor, 2024); a study of a Turkish bath measured 39.7°C at 84% humidity (Unübol, 2010). Steam feels hot because the air is saturated, not because it's hotter.
Portable steam tents
The cheapest way to try steam. The SereneLife Portable Steam Sauna Tent with 4L Steamer ($199.99) has the largest published steamer, 4 L and 1,600 W, and is the only listing that states a low-water shut-off; the Zonemel Portable Steam Sauna, Full Body Home Sauna Spa, Pop-up Design ($72.99) is a head-out box for the lowest price. All 10 tents are compared on our portable steam saunas page.
Steam showers and steam rooms
| Generator | Power | Supply | Steam room size | Warranty | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amerec AK7.5 Steam Generator | 7.5 kW | 240 V, 7.5 kW, 31 A, 40 A breaker (single phase); can also be wired for 3 phase | 100–200 cu ft | Limited lifetime; all parts 5 years, on-site service 2 years; register within 60 days (amerec.com/warranty) | Price on request |
| Delta SteamScape 7.5kW Steam Generator | 7.5 kW | 240 V, 7.5 kW, 40 A breaker | up to 250 cu ft | Limited lifetime | $3,642 |
| Mr. Steam MS225R Steam Shower Generator with Express Steam | 7.5 kW | 240 V, 7.5 kW, 32 A (3 phase: 18 A) | up to 161 cu ft | Limited lifetime on generator parts (spec sheet) | Price on request |
| ThermaSol PROI-140 Pro Series I Essential Steam Generator | 8 kW | 208–240 V, 8.0 kW, 37 A, NEMA 6-50P plug | up to 140 cu ft | Lifetime factory warranty (parts and labor) plus 2 years in-home service (PROI-140 spec sheet) | Price on request |
The generator is the part you can compare, and all 4 in the database share two things. Each needs a 240 V circuit with 31 A or more; ThermaSol even specifies a NEMA 6-50P plug. And each carries a lifetime or limited lifetime warranty, with conditions: Amerec covers all parts for 5 years and on-site service for 2, and you have to register within 60 days. Its controller is sold separately.
Prices are the weak spot. Delta publishes a $3,642 list price for the SteamScape; for ThermaSol and Mr. Steam I only found prices in search snippets, which vary by dealer, and Amerec sells through dealers only. None of these brands runs an affiliate program I could find.
The generator is the smaller part of the job. A steam shower also needs a sealed enclosure, a steam head and a drain, and I haven't found the manufacturers' installation manuals online to quote what they require. Check with a licensed electrician and plumber; permits depend on your city.
Sauna and shower in one bathroom
I didn't find a ready-made unit that combines a sauna and a shower in one cabinet. There are three practical ways to get both:
- A steam shower: a generator from the table above plus a sealed shower enclosure. Steam and a shower in the same footprint.
- A small infrared cabin in the bathroom: compact cabins like the JNH Lifestyles Joyous 1-Person ($2,199, 35.5 × 35.5 in) or the Dynamic Saunas Barcelona 1–2 Person ($3,499) plug into a regular 15 A outlet. Brands don't say how they handle a humid room on the pages I read, and Golden Designs, which makes Dynamic, voids its warranty if the sauna is installed outdoors, so ask before you put one next to a shower. More compact cabins on our indoor saunas page.
- A traditional sauna next to the shower: the classic Finnish setup, with a shower between rounds. See our dry saunas page.
A hot shower can't stand in for a sauna: it gives you neither sauna temperatures nor a steam room's saturated air.
Wet sauna vs steam room
A "wet sauna" is a Finnish sauna where you throw water on the stones. Humidity jumps for a few minutes, then falls back. Every one of the 12 electric sauna heaters in our database is rated for both dry and wet use. A steam room stays near saturation the whole time at a much lower temperature. Heaters are compared on our sauna heaters page.
Outdoor steam saunas
Outdoors, "steam sauna" almost always means a barrel or cabin with a sauna stove that you pour water on. Electric and wood-burning models are on outdoor saunas and barrel saunas; stoves and what an inspector asks about them are on wood-burning sauna stoves.
Infrared and steam combos
There are no combined infrared and steam units in our database yet. The closest thing is a hybrid: Finnmark's Trinity cabins pair infrared emitters with a small stove you can pour water on (see the dry saunas page).
Benefits and risks
Steam rooms have far less research than Finnish saunas; the large long-term studies are all on dry saunas (Laukkanen and Kunutsor, 2024). And humid heat isn't gentler: in a small study, a humid sauna at 59°C raised core temperature and heart rate more than a dry one at 91°C (Pilch, 2019). This is a summary of research, not medical advice (see our medical disclaimer).
Questions people ask
What are the benefits and disadvantages of a steam room?
Research is thin and small. Many people find warm, humid air pleasant; on the downside, humid heat strains the body more than dry heat at a higher temperature (Pilch, 2019).
Is there a sauna with a built-in shower?
I didn't find one. The usual answers are a steam shower (a generator and a sealed enclosure) or a small infrared cabin placed in the bathroom.
Can a shower work as a sauna?
No. A hot shower doesn't reach sauna temperatures or a steam room's saturated air.
How do I clean my HoMedics steam sauna?
Follow HoMedics' manual; I haven't found it online to quote. Our portable steam saunas page has what HoMedics does publish.
Is a steam sauna good for your skin?
Good studies are lacking, and claims that steam "opens pores" or "detoxifies skin" have no source I could find.
What toxins come out in a sauna?
Sweat carries traces of metals and other compounds (Sears, 2012), but no study has shown that sweating them out improves health.