Among the different types of bath equipment available, steam showers, steam baths, Turski Hamma and Russian Banya remains very popular. Most people confuse steam baths with saunas. However they differ in the fact that a steam bath is dependent on both steam and heat while a sauna depends on heat only for sweat inducement. Both steam showers and steam baths use steam, but they are different in a certain way from one another. This article looks at the different types of bathing equipments, mostly concerning the modern home baths and saunas.

The use of steam bath is becoming very communal at the present time. To prevent steam from escaping and interfering with paints, walls, and wallpapers, steam rooms are enclosed within using special materials. The enclosures can be made from acrylic, stone, tile, fiberglass or wood.
 
Banya-traditional Russian steam bath
Banya varies in size; some are large with multiple rooms while others are similar to wooden steam room. Banyas usually have a room for entrance, washing room and steam room. This means that those who use them go through the entrance where they hang their clothes and rest on benches.
 
Then they proceed towards the washing rooms to clean themselves. Tap water is mostly heated using steam from the steam room. There are other separate basins or taps with cold water to help in mixing the water to get an ideal temperature.
 
It is believed that sweating before having a steam bath protects your skin from steam and hence most of the people who uses steam bath makes use of hot water to activate the process of sweating while in the washing room.

A Turkish steam bath

The  Turkish steam bath is also called a Hamman. This is the Middle East version of steam bath. This type of bath plays a major role in especially when someone is taking a bath during rituals. Those who are using it, they would at first need to go through a warm room heated with warm and dry air. They have to sit and perspire before moving to another room which is more heated compared to the warm room. At first, they splash in cold water before getting a wash and massage. They then rest in a cooling place. However, with more and more people getting their own steam rooms, Hamman is getting a few customers during recent times.
 
Steam baths are more popular among the Romans and the Greeks. A Roman or Greek steam is known as a Laconia. Such steam baths were kept in a circular room with a large domed roof. Today, steam rooms are more modernized but the concept of providing a relaxing atmosphere still becomes the utmost goal of steam baths and saunas. The only thing that has changed is that people are now ceasing from using public steam baths and instead are buying their own steam bath or cabins.
 
But whether you go for a gym or fitness center, steam bath or have it at home, the overall experience of getting relaxed, accompanying with the soothing feeling would simply make one feel pleased. Ask those having an experience with steam rooms and they will tell you the benefits that you accrue from it.
 
Article written by Andrew Ellis from steam and shower, experts in home sauna heat therapy. For more imformation or steam shower health articles visit us at www.steamandshower.co.uk