What is a Steam Room Good For?

Trying to find a way to relax? Spending some time in a steam room may be a good option for you. Steam rooms are heated rooms and used for relaxation and to relieve some medical conditions.

You may be wondering how a heated room can help you relax. At Unique Day Spa in Dublin, we have steam room facilities so let’s dive into the benefits below.

How do Steam Rooms Work?

Steam rooms are created when a water-filled generator pumps steam into an enclosed space, so there is moisture in the air when people sit in it. The temperature inside a steam room is usually between 110°F and 114°F (43/45 Celsius and a humidity level of 100%).

7 Benefits of Steam Rooms

There are many health benefits to using steam rooms, including:

Helps reduce stress

Everyday life can be very stressful, for example work obligations, money issues and keeping up with a family. But this consistent and ongoing increase in heart rate, and the elevated levels of stress hormones and blood pressure, is very bad for the body. This long-term ongoing stress can increase the risk for heart attacks, hypertension, or stroke. This is why stress management is very important.

A steam room can decrease the level of cortisol (the hormone released in response to stress). When the cortisol levels drops, people can feel more relaxed and in control. Being in the heat of a steam room can make the body release endorphins (the ‘feel good’ hormones), helping decrease the feeling of stress in the body.

Can help with your cold

Steam rooms can help break up the congestion in the sinuses and lungs, which can help treat colds, unblock sinuses, and aid breathing. The heat helps open up the mucous membranes around the body and help you breathe deeply and easily. Please note that you should never use a steam room if you have a fever.

Improves your circulation

Improving your circulation not only helps lower your blood pressure, but can also make your heart healthier. It can also promote healing of broken skin tissue. Studies have shown that sitting in the heat of a steam room can improve your cardiovascular health and improve circulation, especially in extremities.

Boosts your immune system

Using steam rooms regularly will boost your immune system and lead to you to getting sick less often. Exposing your body to warm water stimulates leukocytes. Leukocytes are cells that fight off infection. Please note that there is no proof that steam can kill a brewing infection so sitting in a steam room may not get rid of your current cold. But it can definitely give your immune system a boost.

Helps muscle soreness

Spending some time in a steam room can help your muscles recover after working out and reduce soreness. Delayed onset muscle soreness is the pain felt in muscles several hours to days after exercise. The soreness is felt most strongly 24 to 72 hours after the exercise. A study done in 2013 showed that the immediate application of moist heat after a workout can help reduce pain and preserve muscle strength. The heat helps soothe nerve endings and relaxes the muscles.

Helps you perform better during workouts

Using a steam room before you workout could help you reach maximum mobility during activities such as running, yoga, and pilates. Adding steam room use as a part of your warm up could actually improve your workouts and prevent injury.

Burns calories 

You may be thinking this is too good to be true, but not only do steam rooms help improve workouts and recovery, but they also help you burn more calories. When you use a steam room after a workout, your elevated heart rate can be prolonged which can therefore help you burn more calories. There is no scientific evidence that steam rooms can help you lose weight/burn fat. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be used as a tool to help burn a few more calories after working out.

How Often Should I Use a Steam Room?

There are a lot of benefits associated with steam rooms. However, people using them should do so with caution and be aware of the risks. There is a risk of dehydrating the body, due to the high heat.

For this reason, steam rooms should only be used for 10-20 minutes, two to three times a week. Many people choose to do their 10-20 minutes in intervals instead of sitting in the room for the whole time. 

While there are many benefits to using a steam room, it is important to only use them in moderation. Using a steam room regularly, combined with a healthy lifestyle and stress management can help significantly improve your well-being. 

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We hope this helps in providing more clarity around the benefits of steam rooms.

If you’d like to book into our steam room, or experience other benefits of our day spa in Dublin, contact us here.