Steam Shower vs Sauna: Which is Best for Weight Loss?

sauna shower vs steam shower

Steam Shower vs Sauna for weight loss? Is this what you’ve been wondering? Great, let’s have a chat!  

Basically, both steam showers and saunas are bathing techniques that aid in weight loss.

Aren’t you wondering how bathing can help in weight loss?

Well, it’s the vapor that actually finishes the job. These bathing techniques make use of hyperthermia to relax your mind, body, and soul.

We’re gonna bring the heat up so that we can discuss steam shower vs Sauna thing. Here, let’s see what benefits these two offer. 

Steam Shower vs Sauna Health Benefits – Let’s Have A Look!

When we compare Steam Shower vs Sauna, we can say, both of them rely on heat and have several similar health benefits. 

Both steam room shower and sauna aid in common benefits like:

  • Weight loss
  • Boosting blood circulation
  • Muscle relaxation
  • Relieving pains and aches

However, the difference between temperature and humidity is important. Let’s have a look at the health benefits of both techniques. 

Steam Shower Benefits

The major benefits of a steam shower that differ from sauna are:

  • Hot vapors of steam shower flush out toxins from your body
  • Improves blood circulation
  • Clears congestion
  • Burns calories 

Sauna Benefits

Sauna has several health benefits. Some of the major ones are:

  • Reduces muscle soreness & eases body pain
  • The heated vapor of Sauna promotes relaxation
  • Improves cardiovascular health
  • Treats skin problems & asthma

Steam Shower vs Sauna: Heat Benefits You Get From Both 

Heat benefits of Steam Shower

  • The steam bath opens airways that improves breathing and relieves congestion
  • The moist heat dilutes and opens the mucous membranes of the body & relieves pressure
  • It’s useful for people with asthma and bronchitis

Heat Benefits of Sauna

  • The heat from the sauna calms the nerves making your mind and body cool
  • It warms and relaxes the muscles, relieving body tension and minimizing the joint pain
  • This is especially useful for people with conditions like arthritis, painful migraines, and headaches

Steam Shower vs Sauna – Installation Time

The Sauna and steam room experiences are superficially similar, but the installation’s practical aspects differ significantly. Let’s have a look at the difference in installation between both systems.

What are the Requirements for Steam Shower Installation?

Steam shower requirements are a bit complex. For a steam shower, water is the primary factor. Apart from this, there are other requirements as well which I’ve mentioned below. 

  • The floor, walls, and ceiling of the shower must be waterproof before tiling
  • The shower ceiling should be low enough as high one would overload the steam generator
  • The ceiling should be tilted so that it can assist the condensed particles to roll sideways and resist them from sticking to the ceiling 
  • The steam shower must be surrounded by a closed team-tight door which can pave a way for an absolute leak-proof room 

What are the Sauna Installation Requirements? 

The Sauna is entirely autonomous. The requirements of a Sauna are also quite intricate. Let’s see what those are!

  • No additional drainage or vent connections are required for Sauna (except for some exceptional Sauna systems)
  • Sauna systems are generally heat resistant and don’t give off enough moisture to cause flooding, mold, or mildew
  • They can be installed indoors or outdoors and are often sold in kits that you can easily assemble on your own 
  • The whole process of building a sauna is easy and minimally invasive, except for plugging in a stove because an electrician would be required for that sort of task 

Steam Shower vs Sauna – Space Requirement

After analyzing Steam Shower and  Sauna & their space requirement in many areas, we’ve found the following information that might help:

  • Steam Shower: The Steam shower system is built compactly to be a part of a huge project
  • Sauna: Sauna’s installations are made with insulated walls that make use of electric heat and require large space for four or more seats 

Steam Shower vs Sauna – Cost

  • Steam shower cost: $2000 to $4000 (installation included)
  • Sauna Cost: $3000 to $6000 (complete setup)

Steam Shower vs Sauna – Heat Production

Heat production is the main difference between Steam Shower vs Sauna comparison. 

  • Steam Shower: High humid heat production of the steam room takes good care of respiratory problems, breathing, and clears throat & sinuses as well 
  • Sauna: Higher temperatures and dehydrated conditions are needed in the Sauna because you will sweat excessively in a steam room 

What Type of Heat Does Steam Shower Produce?

The appropriate temperature that is usually kept for a steam shower is 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. You can regulate the humidity and temperature the way you want. Keep in mind, general thumb of rule for humidity is 100 though.

However, as per personal preference, the temperature can be regulated. The steam room’s humid environment makes the body sweat without the evaporation or the skin drying out.

What Type of Heat Does Sauna Produce?

As you know, Sauna is dry – In that case, sweat and toxins can dry out on the skin due to the natural evaporation process. So users like to keep the temperature around 176 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Steam Shower vs Sauna – Risks

No method can be perfect. At some point, it would show some side effects. So, here are some risks that are involved in a steam shower and sauna. Make sure you have a look at them and tread carefully before using these techniques for weight loss.

Risks involved in Steam Shower Sauna:

  • Feeling sudden humid and anxious when the room gets too hot 
  • Excessive thirst

Risks Involved in Sauna

  • Dizziness if you have a low blood pressure
  • Vertigo
  • Excessive thirst 
  • Rapid heartbeat

Final Winner

Want to pick between a steam shower or sauna? Well, it all depends on the skin texture you have.  For example, Sauna is a better option for greasy skinned people.

On the other hand, those who have dry skin should spend time in the steam room.

But remember, just a steam shower or sauna won’t make you lose massive weight, you need to club it with diets and exercises.

Maintain a healthy diet, strenuous exercise, and lifestyle as these things will help you get fitter and leaner over time.

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