Steam Therapy: It’s Getting Hot in Here!

Find out the Benefits of Indulging in Steam Therapy

Steam rooms have been used for thousands of years to open the skin’s pores and cleanse the body. First used by the Turks and Romans, steam treatments produce a moist heat (similar to that in the rainforest) which is fantastic for making you sweat. The skin is our largest organ and the body’s largest exit route for salts, toxins, and metabolic wastes. Entering a steam room is a great way to prepare for a spa treatment; it helps warm up the muscles for a deeper massage, and opens your pores to make salt and detox scrubs more effective. But it doesn’t stop there! Steam therapy is also great after a treatment; the steam helps speed up your body’s ability to release toxins following a massage and gets rid of lactic acid build-up so your muscles aren’t sore the following day. It is recommended to finish a steam treatment with a cool shower to stimulate your circulation, increase your energy levels, and close your pores. Alternating hot and cold water treatments has a gentle pumping effect on your blood and lymph circulation and most people find it pleasantly invigorating. When your steam therapy is all said and done with, you ’ll feel relaxed and relieved of any stress!

Steam Therapy Benefits

Specific benefits from regular steam treatments include:

How to Use a Steam Room

Steam therapy can be experienced in a steam room (where a number of clients can relax together) or in a steam cabinet (where the individual client sits within the enclosed cabinet, but with their head outside so they can breathe the normal air of the room). You do not need to join an expensive health club to enjoy the benefits of steam. Some public swimming pools have steam rooms, and they are very reasonably priced. You may be surprised to find one at the gym you currently attend as well. There are always clear instructions on using the facilities, and you should check with your doctor if you are in any doubt about enjoying steam therapy (pregnant women, children, senior citizens, and those with heart conditions should consult a doctor prior to use). If you haven ’t tried one before, start with only a couple of minutes and build up the sessions to five minutes or longer. If you can’t get to a steam room, don’t worry, you can do your own at home version for free!

How to Turn your Bathroom into a Steam Room

In order to create the effect of a steam room in the comfort of your own bathroom, begin by making sure there are no gaps around the window. Then turn the shower on to the hottest temperature and close the bathroom door. Roll up a towel and put it along the bottom of the door so no hot air can escape, and leave the shower running for a good ten minutes. This will fill the bathroom with steam (and is also a great tip if you are ever stuck in a hotel room with a creased outfit and no iron). Find a comfortable seat in the bathroom and lay a towel down for you to sit on as the steam begins to form. Once the bathroom begins to get hot and steamy, you ’ll begin to notice the heat and the sweat dripping down your forehead. You may not sweat buckets like you would in a steam room, but it’s not a bad alternative for cleansing the skin. You may want to scrub a salt scrub on you as you sweat to increase cleansing. Once you’ve been in the steam for a good ten minutes, take a cold shower to close your pores and increase circulation. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water afterward since you were so busy sweating most of your body’s moisture (along with all those toxins) out!

Now that you've learned about steam therapy, you can sit back and indulge in one of the oldest detox practices around. Ready for more detox tips? Learn more about the benefits of sweating here.

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Article Written By: Nicola McGeorge; Nicola was born in London, England and is a freelance writer and model. She covers a wide range of topics, and has been published worldwide.