The integration of a steam shower is one of the most popular luxury amenities to hit the housing industry. After all, it is a bathing ritual that has been historically practiced from Turkey to Russia, Finland and even by the American Indians.
The Turkish Steam Bath, or Hammam, serves as a social gathering place and ritual cleansing site, as well as an architectural structure. It is a cultural fusion of community, design and the art of relaxation. In a Turkish bath, one relaxes in a warm room and moves to a hotter room, before they conclude the ritual with a splash of cold water.
Similar to the Turkish Hammam, the Russian Banyas (steam houses) usually have three rooms: entrance room, steam room and washing room. The entrance room, called a predbannik or pre-bath, is a room in which to de-robe. Before bathers enter the steam room, a bucket of water is poured over heated rocks in the stove. Bathers often add aromatherapy scents to the water. The washing room features a hot water tap that uses water heated by the steam room stove, as well as a tap for cold water so that it can be mixed to a comfortable temperature for washing.
In the cultural steam bath traditions mentioned above, there are usually several steps taken to fully benefit from steam bathing. Many luxury steam shower manufacturers today have simplified the process through advanced technological know-how, stylish design and a half century of experience in the current culture of steam bathing. This means no more moving from room to room. Today, the steam shower is integrated into an existing shower stall. All one has to do is simply push a button and within seconds the steam session begins. Some steam shower packages even feature technologies that learn a bather’s ideal steam room temperature and maintain it throughout the duration of their session. And instead of dispersing aromatic plants into a bucket of water, all one has to do is pour aromatherapy essential oils directly into the steamhead. The bather can rest back and let the automatically circulating aromatic oils rejuvenate them.
Add in chromatherapy and the music or sound of one’s choice and the steam shower experience has been completely transformed into the ultimate residential spa retreat.
The Roman Bath
The history of the Roman bath began during the height of the Roman Empire. Ancient Roman baths served many community and social functions within Roman society. Everyone in Rome used Roman public baths, regardless of socioeconomic status. Drawing on natural hot springs from beneath the ground, a system of pumps brought water up and into the large pool areas, wherever springs existed. Heaters were also created to maintain warm temperatures in the baths.
Today in Bath, England – the Thermae Bath Spa offers travelers a place to experience the spa culture of years past. The historical parts of the spa – Roman, medieval, Georgian and Victorian – have been refurbished and returned to life, but there’s also an astonishing new 21st-century spa complex that offers
a full range of treatments, complementary therapies and steam rooms, not to mention the opportunity to bath in a rooftop thermal pool open to the skies. In fact, Thermae Bath Spa is the only place in Britain to offer bathing in natural spring waters, believed to have fallen as rain around 10,000 years ago. Over 1 million litres of mineral-rich water flow from the thermal springs each day, at an average temperature of 113°F. The thermal waters were used for many years in Bath to treat rheumatic and muscular disorders, as well as skin ailments and respiratory problems. The Cross Bath and Hot Bath are fed by the Cross Spring, while the New Royal Bath draws water primarily from the Hetling Spring. The King’s Spring supplies the Kings Bath in the Roman Baths.
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