Savour the warm relaxation and recovery of a steam room. Steam therapy has been practised since all the way back in ancient times, with early cultures choosing moist heat for a wide range of benefits. Today, steam rooms allow you to calm your mind and body in a quiet space.
Step into a steam room and feel the warm air and gentle condensation embrace your body. Within this slow, calming space, you can let go of all tension as the steam eases your mind and lifts your mood. The warmth supports your well-being, flushing out toxins and encouraging blood flow to sooth tired muscles. When you leave the sanctuary of the steam room, your body is more relaxed, with your skin benefiting from a healthy glow. Reconnect with yourself, and discover the many comforts of steam therapy in our guide below.
What is a Steam Room?
Steam rooms are enclosed spaces warmed with steam from boiling water which fills the air with a rich humidity. Humans have been long searching for these enveloping clouds of warm, moist air for centuries, seeking them out as sanctuaries for rest and renewal. For over 12,000 years, travellers gather at hot springs to cleanse themselves and enjoy the comfort of warmth together. As the centuries passed by, steam baths were built within caves and as cultures developed, more purpose built sanctuaries were created.
The Romans embraced steam baths at the height of their empire, with public bathhouses’ becoming an essential part of the everyday Roman experience. These spaces became more than places to wash up, they were vibrant centres for those seeking rejuvenation and social connection, with the experience all designed to invigorate mind and body. The Romans also worshipped deities of healing at nearby temples and springs.
The benefits of steam have also been embraced by other cultures around the world. From the Japanese, who have swam in tranquil, spring-fed onsen since 1000 CE and the Native Americans as well, who used sweat lodges to cleanse their tired bodies and muscles.
Steam remains a vital part of cultures around the world. Luckily today, it’s easier than ever to set foot into a steam room to enjoy the same rejuvenation people have enjoyed for centuries.
Steam Room vs. Sauna
Steam rooms and saunas offer similar experiences. Both are warm spaces created for relaxation, with the added benefit of supporting the body’s well-being. A sauna uses dry heat, created by hot rocks, electric heaters or wood-burning stoves. These experiences are usually much hotter than a steam room, often reaching 80 degrees.
By contrast, a steam room fills the air with moist heat. As you step inside, you’ll notice a thickness in the air, with the steam dampening your skin. In many steam rooms, the humidity is so rich you can watch water trickling down the walls. This thick humidity can gently restore both mind and body.
If you’re ready to embrace the warmth, here are 10 ways a steam room can transform your everyday wellness.
10 Steam Room Benefits
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Clears congestion and opens up sinuses
The humidity of a steam room helps open the mucous membranes in your nose and airways. This can ease congestion for deeper, more free breathing.
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Improves circulation
When you spend time in a steam room your blood vessels widen, helping to loosen up your joints for a smoother flow through your body. With better circulation, more oxygen and nutrients reach your tissues, leaving your skin glowing and your muscles feeling refreshed.
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Stress Relief and Relaxation
Just one session in the steam room can get you feeling mentally and emotionally refreshed. When you feel the warm air, your body releases those special “feel-good” endorphins. This can ground you in time, easing any lingering feelings of stress to invite a sense of true calm. The heat also soothes any tense muscles, giving your body the power of relaxation.
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Promotes mental wellness
Stepping into a steam room is like stepping into a slow, calming space. It offers a pause from the stresses of daily life, giving you the place to clear your mind and reconnect, with a focus on relaxation and mindfulness.
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Helps support workout recovery
Sore muscles can be an unavoidable part of any workout. Time in a steam room can ease this discomfort by improving circulation to the areas that need it most. Add steam sessions to your post-workout routine and leave feeling refreshed, ready for your next session.
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Loosens stiff joints
If your joints and muscles feel stiff, spending time in a steam room can help loosen them up. The heated moisture gently soothes stiff joints and muscles, relieving aches and improving flexibility, helping you get back to your workouts sooner. For those managing arthritis, regular steam sessions can also help to ease muscle pain and support greater mobility.
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Promotes cardiovascular health
When you’re in a steam room, the heat and humidity can cause your body to respond similarly to mild exercise. This raises your heart rate in a controlled, safe environment, helping your blood vessels dilate and lowering blood pressure. When combined with regular exercise, steam room sessions can support long-term improvements in cardiovascular health.
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Promotes skin health
Using a steam room can revitalise your skin’s health by gently opening up your pores, promoting deep cleansing, and improving overall hydration. The humidity that surrounds you helps to soften your skin’s outer layer, washing away any dirt, oil, and impurities. This leaves you with a healthy glow, making your skin look clean, fresh, and beautifully refreshed.
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Supports healthy aging
The combination of improved skin health, stress reduction, increased circulation, and enhanced cardiovascular function all work together to support healthy aging. As the steam room slowly opens your pores and deeply hydrates your skin, it helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles, slowing the aging process and leaving you feeling and looking refreshed and more youthful.
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Detoxification
When you sit in a steam room, you’ll feel sweat pouring as your body works to flush out harmful toxins and heavy metals. This deep, internal cleansing helps rejuvenate you from the inside out, leaving you feeling refreshed and renewed.
When to Use a Steam Room
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For relaxation and peace of mind
When life's got you feeling stressed and anxious, stepping into the soothing warmth of a steam room can offer mental and emotional rejuvenation. The warm, humid atmosphere encourages a deep relaxation, grounding you in the space to fully detach from the pressures of everyday life. This is the chance to slow down and breathe deeply as you reconnect with your inner-self.
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Preparing you for the bathhouse experience
Steam rooms offer that full-body and mind experience to begin your next wellness experience. The warm steam helps to relax your joints and loosen up your muscles, leaving your body perfectly prepared for a massage. Extra humidity works to cleanse your pores of dirt and toxins, readying your skin for a range of different skincare treatments. Beyond the physical benefits, the steam room’s thoughtful design helps settle the mind and sets a relaxed tone for the rest of your wellness journey.
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Before a workout
The slow cleansing of your body may help prepare you for your next workout. With a humid environment loosening up your muscles and joints for increased mobility and flexibility, this gentle warm-up can leave you feeling ready to take on the physical demands of training.
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After a workout
The moist heat helps to soothe any muscle soreness, which aids any lingering aches or tension through the body. While exercise naturally promotes detoxification through sweat loss, the steam room takes it a step further, boosting circulation and helping flush out those remaining toxins. As a nice benefit, the steam opens up your pores, leaving your skin refreshed and glowing in appearance.
How to Maximise the Benefits of a Steam Room
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Time wisely
The steam room can be a slow sanctuary, although it may help you to keep an eye on the time. Try beginning with a short session of 5–10 minutes, which gives the body time to ease into a sweat. If you feel uncomfortable after just a few minutes, it’s always fine to step out. Above all, the steam room is about comfort and enjoyment for your mind and body.
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Breathe deeply
When you’re inside the steam room, try to reconnect with your inner breathing. Inhaling the warm, humid air to help the body relax, encouraging blood vessels to open and the mind to clear. If this doesn’t feel comfortable for you, that’s completely understandable. Relaxation takes many forms for different people, and you may prefer to slow down and rest in the gentle warmth of the steam.
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Combine with other treatments
Combined with other treatments, a steam room can play a part in your own personal well-being. For those focused on post-training recovery, pair your steam session with a cold plunge to focus on supporting circulation. If your aim is to calm the system, follow up your steam room visit with a sauna for deep muscle relaxation. A steam room can also be the natural beginning for skincare, helping to open up the pores and softening the skin before a body scrub or LED therapy.
For thousands of years, civilisations have used the power of steam to clear the mind and relax muscles. From the Ancient Roman bathhouses to Finnish saunas and Japanese spring-fed onsens. These techniques have continued into the 21st century with modern steam rooms. These continue to offer a deeply restorative solution to improving your wellbeing. Not only can it help to clear feelings of stress and anxiety, but our steamroom sessions can hydrate your skin and detoxify your body.
Our team at About Time is proud to provide expert-led treatments. At our bathhouse in Torquay, we house modern steam room technology, with a commitment to revitalising your mind and body. Please contact us here for more information on our services and to book your first appointment.