Shower cabin with sauna: types, device, how to choose

If in the last century people visited the bathhouse for the obvious and understandable purpose of washing themselves, today going to the sauna has become both a therapeutic and hygienic procedure and a form of pleasant pastime.

At all times, people considered the bathhouse a means by which they could get rid of a whole list of health problems. It is not surprising that one would like to constantly have such a “medicine” nearby.

But how can you make this dream come true if the dimensions of the bathroom only allow you to install a shower and a corner sink with a corner toilet. A shower cabin with a sauna is the solution to your problem, which we want to tell you about today.

Advantages and disadvantages of a bath at home

If doctors do not forbid you to use the bathhouse, then you should not deprive yourself of such pleasure. But we never have enough time to go to the sauna. After all, to take a steam bath for your own pleasure, you need at least two hours of free time.

A shower cabin with a sauna, which you can install in your own apartment, is an excellent way out of the situation.

A compact shower cabin with a sauna is an achievement of modern science, allowing you to receive full bath procedures without leaving your own home

The home sauna will always be at your disposal, and you can use it any time you have free time.

Let us list the main advantages that we get from using this equipment at home.

This is a compact structure that will fit perfectly into the bathroom of the most ordinary apartment.
We get the opportunity to operate the system with many useful functions.
The characteristics of a home bath are largely the same as a traditional sauna.
A regular shower cabin and a shower with a sauna differ slightly in terms of purchase costs.

Bath procedures have a beneficial effect on the immune system and tidy up the skin. A neat and compact design, as a rule, serves as a real interior decoration.

Often these cabins are equipped with dispensers for aromatic oils, which means that you can enjoy aromatherapy at any time.

This is an excellent opportunity to prevent colds and protect yourself during the season of mass diseases.

Regardless of the style of your bathroom interior, you can always find a shower stall with a sauna that will decorate it

Another function of the device is hydromassage. For this purpose, the shower stall is equipped with special nozzles. How wonderful it is to relieve fatigue and muscle tension with the help of hydromassage after a hard day at work!

Complete relaxation is what a shower with a sauna can provide you with.

However, in addition to the obvious advantages, this design also has disadvantages that you definitely need to know about before you buy this model.

A shower stall with a sauna is not cheap: if you come to buy it, first calculate your financial capabilities.
If something breaks in such a cabin, it is very difficult to identify the cause of the breakdown. Difficulties in maintenance lead to significant repair costs.
Numerous electrical appliances with which this design is literally packed consume electricity, so be prepared for additional costs for this type of resource.

Buying a shower stall with a sauna only makes sense if you are not financially constrained. Otherwise, this expensive equipment will sit like a dead weight in your bathroom, reminding you of wasted money.

Reviews

Vitaly, Moscow : “I want to say my opinion about the Frank F901 R closed cabin, as its active user. Stylish and comfortable. The dimensions of 110x170 allow it to be installed in an ordinary apartment. There is a hydromassage, an imitation of a Finnish sauna and a Turkish bath, aromatherapy, a radio and a touch screen for settings. There is everything you need plus rounded sliding doors.”

Anatoly, Moscow : “I live in a country house and decided to arrange a bathhouse for myself. I installed the corner box Potter A-901A L. The dimensions are rather large (1.2 x 1.8 m), but two people can walk around. There is an overhead and regular shower, hydromassage, sauna and bathhouse. There are stones on an electric fireplace in the corner. Every week I enjoy and relax.”

Types of booths, their main differences

When you visit a plumbing store in search of a shower with a sauna, you will see two types of cabins that differ from each other in design:

shower combined with sauna;
shower cabin with sauna effect.

These two options differ from each other not only visually. They are designed differently. The effect that can be achieved using one or the other model also differs.

In the first option, two devices with different functions (shower and sauna) are adjacent to each other through a partition, forming a single structure, and in the second case, the functions of these two products are combined in a single housing.

It is in vain that there is an opinion that shower cabins are used only when there is not enough space for a bath: a shower with a sauna effect is a luxurious purchase

Let's take a closer look at the differences that exist between these two types of plumbing fixtures.

Principle of operation. A cabin with sauna functions is equipped with a steam generator, and a sauna, which is combined with a shower cabin, is usually equipped with electric or infrared heating elements.
Functions of models. A shower cubicle combined with a bathhouse can be considered a full-fledged home sauna. It has a large list of functions. A shower with a sauna effect has much less potential.

In this shower stall, the sauna is separated from the shower compartment by a partition, it is finished in wood and looks very attractive

Of course, the right to final choice of model belongs to the homeowner. And he, giving preference to one or another model, must be guided by his own needs, preferences and financial capabilities.

Dimensions

You must determine the size of the steam room yourself, based on the dimensions of the bathroom. Classic models look like this:

Width:

Min. width – 75 cm (only asymmetrical cabins).
Min. length – 80 cm.
Max length – 180 cm.
Max. corner length – 110 cm.

Height:

Min. shower cabin height - 198 cm.
Min. the height of the curtain or corner is 190 cm.
Max. cabin height - up to 230 cm.
Max. the height of the curtain or shower corner is 200 cm.

Features of the main models

To help you better understand the models of plumbing equipment offered by modern manufacturers, let’s take a closer look at them.

Shower cabins with sauna effect

As a rule, these models are equipped with steam generators. They are almost no different structurally from standard shower cabins: they also have doors, trays and other elements.

They are simply additionally equipped with steam generators. Using this device, water evaporates, after which the steam is cooled to 50˚C.

Externally, a shower cabin with a sauna effect is similar to a regular one, but its additional functions make it an excellent “doctor” and “massage therapist.”

When buying a model with a steam generator, you need to pay attention to:

hardness of water; When operating the model in conditions of increased water hardness, a special filtration system must be used. Otherwise, the steam generator nozzles will be blocked by salts. If this is not taken care of in a timely manner, in just a couple of years you will have to replace the expensive steam generator.
water pressure; The requirements for water pressure in the water supply may vary. They depend on the equipment model and are no less than 3-3.5 bar. If the system pressure is insufficient, the steam generator will not operate efficiently. Then instead of pleasure you can only get stress. The only way out of this situation is to purchase an additional pump. With its help, the required pressure will be created in the pipeline.

So, when using steam generators, you need to be sure of the quality of the water and the serviceability of the plumbing system.

Combined shower cabin

This model allows its owner to use a product in his home that closely resembles a natural sauna. In fact, a full-fledged miniature sauna is simply attached to the shower stall.

The equipment compartment that is reserved for the sauna is usually lined with wood.

Wooden cladding is not created from any wood, but from Scandinavian spruce, Canadian fir, African oak, pine, cedar or other species with low thermal conductivity.

This is necessary so that the person in the booth is not afraid to lean against the compartment’s lining: he has practically no chance of getting a thermal burn.

A shower cubicle combined with a sauna does not always look compact. In this case, it is a full-fledged bathhouse, on the bench of which you can lie down at your full height.

These models have a control panel. It is usually located outside the sauna. On it you can set the desired temperature in the range of 60-120˚C. In the sauna compartment you need to control not only the temperature, but also the air humidity.

For this purpose, in addition to the thermometer, a hygrometer is also installed. The data obtained as a result of the measurement is transmitted to an electronic display on the control panel.

Installation

Booths that only imitate the effect are installed with your own hands, just like regular ones. But models combined with a pair have some nuances, precisely related to this additional compartment due to its energy intensity.

Let's look at them:

Order. The shower stall is always assembled first, and then the sauna compartment. You should know that there are models with a separate entrance and with access to the steam bath through the shower.

Build process

Tightness. The manufacturer has already thought of everything for you: all electrical parts are carefully insulated from water supply lines, and heat leaks through cracks in the housing are excluded. The main guarantee of success in this part is the instructions. Follow it carefully during assembly without your own additions, and the complete tightness of the object is guaranteed. The connection of water supply pipes must also comply with all available drawings. Check all joints for consistency and fit into each other. When tightening the nuts, be careful not to strip the threads.

Connecting the water supply

Electrical safety. The most important thing here is to ground the booth itself, all metal objects in the room, and even the frame of the housing. Remember, this object is characterized by high humidity, electrical appliances that create heat, and your presence inside it all. It is better to play it safe at this stage than to give a chance for tragedy to happen.

An example of self-implemented grounding

Nutrition. For such powerful equipment, you should carry out separate wiring with your own automatic meter. In this case, choose a cable with a thick cross-section.

Connecting a shower-sauna

In all other respects, the assembly is identical to the installation of a classic cabin equipped with a shower.

Finnish, Turkish, infrared

The most popular modifications of home saunas are the Finnish sauna, Turkish bath and infrared model. They differ from each other in the type of heating element used in them.

Let's take a closer look at these types of equipment.

For dry heat lovers

Connoisseurs of sauna relaxation are well aware that a feature of a real Finnish sauna is the use of dry and hot air, as well as the wooden decoration of the sauna room itself.

As a rule, the walls of the shower stall are made of glass or acrylic. There are expensive models in which both the walls and ceiling are made of wood.

The Finnish sauna uses dry hot air; the walls and objects in the sauna are decorated with wood. Just imagine what a pleasant smell these surfaces literally exude

The Finnish sauna is separated from the shower using a partition or door. The sauna room is heated by an electric stove. This model requires special care:

surfaces are cleaned with a soft cloth;
When caring for wooden sauna seats, no cleaning agents are used: the surfaces are simply rinsed;
A soap solution is used to wash floors.

Not everyone can use a Finnish sauna. Your doctor will tell you about existing contraindications.

For those who like to steam

Steam and high humidity are characteristic features of a Turkish bath. A steam generator is used to create the necessary conditions.

In a Turkish bath, the temperature reaches 50˚C and the humidity is 100%.

The Turkish bath is distinguished by the presence of hot steam, which literally envelops you, driving away all illnesses and bad moods

The Turkish bath comes in two modifications:

with a sauna as an additional section;
with built-in steam source in the shower cabin.

A Turkish bath can consist of two compartments separating the shower and sauna, or of one compartment, as in this case, which successfully combines both functions

The steam generator is turned on from a special electronic panel. It also displays other functions that are available in the model.

You can see how it works in this video:

Special infrared radiation

In this model, unlike others, it is not the air around a person that is heated, but his body. This happens due to infrared (IR) radiation, which comes from special panels installed in the sauna cabin.

The cabin itself does not require significant heating. You just need to connect the lamps to a power source. The radiation emanating from them will warm up your body.

The advantage of an infrared bath is that the air in it remains unchanged, your breathing will not be difficult

The advantages of this model are as follows:

an infrared sauna is used as a health and preventive remedy;
There are no age restrictions for its use, but you should definitely consult a doctor about how safe it is for you;
it is impossible to get burned in it due to the absence of hot elements; it is easy to breathe unheated air with normal oxygen content;
under infrared rays the body sweats more actively;
Cellular metabolism is enhanced, resulting in a rapid restorative effect and calories are burned.

Any influence on the human body changes its condition. This means that before you buy an infrared bath, you need to make sure that your health will not be damaged during the procedures.

Selection of materials

When a person has a question about how to make a sauna in a house, he thinks about what material to cover the interior walls of the steam room with.

The best option would be to use non-resinous wood that is not heated above 50 degrees. It is better not to use varnish to coat wood; when heated strongly, it can release toxic substances. It is better to use special water-repellent agents.

The most common species for sauna cladding are:

Oak. It is not resinous, does not heat up much, but is quite expensive.
Cedar. Not susceptible to rotting or moisture. In addition, it contains essential oils that fight bacteria and promote a surge of strength.
Linden. It has a healing effect and a pleasant aroma. The most common option for finishing steam rooms in the country.
Larch. Resinous wood, which has great strength and contains phytoncides that have a beneficial effect on the body.
Pine and spruce. Extremely durable wood, has a pleasant double aroma, and does not allow fungus to develop.
Aspen. Inexpensive material, but requires the use of special impregnation to prevent disease and darkening.
Birch. Dense and durable wood helps replenish strength.

Rules for using a shower with a sauna

Of course, manufacturers try to make their equipment as convenient and safe as possible for users. They also develop operating rules that must be followed.

Emitters and heating elements should not be subjected to extreme loads.
RCD - residual current device must be present in any model.
You cannot operate the equipment without grounding all electrical appliances.
The electrical wiring and outlet must be rated for 16 A.
Work on dismantling and installing heaters should be carried out only after turning off the power supply.
Elderly people, disabled people and children should not be left alone in the cabin.
The electrical cable should not come into contact with heated surfaces.
It is prohibited to pour any liquid, including water, onto the heating elements.
Do not place foreign objects behind the protective grille.
It is prohibited to remove the protective screen from the heating elements.
To illuminate the shower stall, do not use incandescent lamps with a power of more than 100 W.
Do not install homemade or faulty machines.

If you have enough money to afford such a pleasure as a shower cabin with a sauna, you can only envy: this is an excellent purchase

If you follow these simple rules, then you will be able to absolutely safely operate wonderful equipment that will allow you to carry out a whole range of various health-improving activities at a time convenient for you.

In fact, you are acquiring for yourself and your entire family the opportunity not to get sick or to quickly restore your health. You will feel invigorated, which will help you work effectively and rest fully.

In the basement or basement

A sauna in the basement of a private house is suitable for those who have the opportunity to use a large space for a sauna.

The construction algorithm remains the same, but some features are added. For example, for interior wall cladding, you can use both lining and wall tiles. If space allows, you can equip additional entertainment and recreation areas.

It is advisable to lay communications already at the time of construction of the house. An additional advantage of this arrangement of the sauna is that it saves space on the site itself.

In the cottage

A wooden house is ideal for installing a sauna. This is due to the fact that the walls of the house can be made into sauna walls, which will help create the necessary atmosphere and climate in the steam room.

Concrete and brick homes require the frame to be built from scratch and sheathed. And installing a barrel sauna or cabin inside the house is not at all difficult.

Construction Tips

The threshold of the steam room must be made high to prevent heat loss from the room, as well as to ensure lower air humidity.

Ensure water drainage to prevent unpleasant odors.

To prevent the steam from burning the nasopharynx, the temperature of the stones should reach 400 degrees. This temperature of the stones can be achieved in a closed oven or in an electric heater.

If you visit the sauna frequently, you need to completely replace the stones. This manipulation must be carried out in accordance with the number of visits to the steam room per week: one visit - one change of stones, two visits - two changes per year, and so on.