What is a steam shower? The short answer is, it’s like taking a bath, but with much more steam and much less water. Steam showers can be used to ease tension in the body, detoxify your skin and lungs, relieve symptoms of minor respiratory illnesses. In addition, it can reduce stress and inflammation, improve circulation through gentle sweat, make you feel awake and alive by increasing your heart rate. The list goes on, but here are various reasons why a steam shower has some major benefits for everyone:
§ One of the best ways to treat yourself at home is with aromatherapy using high-quality essential oils such as peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, or tea tree oils. You can steam them by simply boiling water and adding the oil to a bowl with a towel over your head for 10 minutes 3 times per day. It helps clear up the common cold or flu.
§ Warms up stiff joints. If you have arthritis or other joint issues, using a steam shower for 15 minutes twice weekly can help increase blood flow to these areas, which loosens stiffness, lessening pain naturally.
§ Treats fungal infections like athletes’ feet. The combination of heat and humidity is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria that contribute to an athlete’s foot, so it will be much easier to treat if you take care of it at the source. Inserting an antimicrobial essential oil like tea tree oil into a steam shower after a workout can be an excellent way to address the problem. It will treat the infection after a short time.
§ Helps with body detoxification. One of the best ways to do a deep body cleanse is by taking a steam shower for 20 minutes every day for two weeks. This will help stimulate your lymphatic system, which helps flush toxins out of your cells and organs, decreasing inflammation in joints caused by arthritis, kidney stones, or gallstones, along with many other benefits.
§ In addition, steam showers enhance your mood. The humidity in a steam shower opens up airways, so you suck in more oxygen per breath than usual, increasing blood flow throughout the entire body dramatically, increasing energy levels, and great mental clarity. Add to that the invigorating aromas and steam, and you have a foolproof way to feel happier. It is one of the best reasons to build your own steam room.
§ Cures dry skin. If your skin is rough and cracked this winter, take a steam shower for 5-10 minutes daily. The combination of direct exposure to humid heat, which causes pores to open up, along with the soothing effects of essential oils like sandalwood, will help you regain smooth skin naturally.
The next time you’re feeling under the weather or want to take a moment for yourself, remember that there are some excellent ways to use a steam shower. If you need something stronger than topical treatments or antibiotics, taking a steam shower where you use activated charcoal soap can help pull toxins out from deep within the pores, reducing oil production and inflammation around breakouts; plus, it smells great.
