Go Green with Steam Planet!

Conserving water use is one of the most important things a household can do in an effort to Go Green. It is important for us to consider going green in our homes because not only are we helping protect our world’s depleting natural resources, but it also helps lower the economic impact of wasteful water usage. 75% of the water used in our homes comes from bathroom showers, toilets, and sinks. Americans often think that going Green means sacrificing the things we love, but at Steam Planet going Green means adding luxury.

In a regular shower, up to 80 gallons of water are consumed during a 20-minute shower. A “low-flow” showerhead sprays about 50 gallons of water in a 20-minute time period. This saves 30 gallons of water, but individuals often complain that they don’t get enough satisfaction from a low- flow showerhead. With Steam Planet’s steam showers, you can luxuriate as long as you want and sacrifice nothing. Steaming for 20 minutes consumes only 3-5 gallons of water! Steam showers only generate steam for a few seconds at a time, while regular showers have constant water flow. This saves you and the earth A LOT of water!

Steam Planet now offers top of the line Infrared Saunas that do not require any water to generate heat. This new technology helps decrease the toxicity level in the body and contributes to better health and strength.

Walk-in Bathtubs: Being Safe And Independent

Walk-in bathtubs are just what the name implies. They are tubs for bathing that are designed for easy accessibility for the elderly or handicapped, no matter what their age.

Mobility Problems

Anyone who has had a knee or hip replacement are usually warned by their doctor not to sit down in a conventional bathtub, no matter how mobile they are after the surgery. People who suffer from arthritis find it hard to step over the side of a regular bathtub, and may have trouble rising from a seated position in the tub as well. Stroke victims, anyone with mobility problems, balance problems, or any sort of lower extremity disability have found walk-in bathtubs a godsend.

Something as simple as taking a bath can be a real challenge to some elderly folk as well as anyone who must use a wheelchair in order to be mobile. People who suffer from morbid obesity have trouble getting in and out of regular bathtubs. Mothers and fathers who must care for their adult handicapped children also have a huge challenge facing them every time their loved one needs a bath.

Independence For Handicapped

Anyone who is handicapped wants to feel that they are independent. They do not want to be a burden on other family members when the time comes for their bath, and have a hard time maintaining their dignity when they always have to ask someone to help them do something as personal as bathing.

Some of these people are unable to stand for long periods of time, so anything other than a quick shower is out of the question. With a walk-in tub, they can walk in without fear of falling, sit down, and enjoy a few quiet moments that a lot of us take for granted. It is well suited for anyone who has difficulty in moving.

Arthritis sufferers have found that walk-in bathtubs can help them to become more mobile. Some models come equipped with whirlpool jets and a heater, giving them the option of receiving hydrotherapy every time they take a bath.

Easy To Get Into

It is easy for anyone to get in and out of a walk-in bathtub. They are made with a low entry height, and instead of having to scale heights of over a foot to enter, as you must do with a regular tub, you merely step up a few inches. The door latches securely to prevent any of the water from leaking out. There is a built in seat in the tub, and grab bars to help you maneuver your way in and out. The inner surface is made from a non-slip material.

How To Find Them

Walk-in bathtubs are not big and bulky like you might think. Most models will fit in a 3 foot square space, in a corner or along a wall, so they are compatible with almost any sized bathroom.

Where can you these types of bathtubs? Your best bet is to investigate online if you want a quality product at a lower price than what you might find at a medical supply company or other dealer. There are several reputable manufacturers on the Web who offer to the public many styles, sizes and models of tubs. They offer generous guarantees and warranties, and most will help you find an installer for your tub, too. Your tub will be shipped directly to your door, ready for installation.

Walk-in bathtubs can make a relaxing bath possible for everyone.

Steam Benefits

Most people associate steam baths with relaxation or skin look-and-feel improvements, but steam room benefits also include:

• relief from muscle tension and stiff joints


• boosting the immune system


• lymph detoxification


• blood circulation improvementsinus congestion relief

Steam baths not only relax you and renew your energy, but regular use of a steam room can possibly improve your health and appearance. Read on to understand why...

Unique Steam Room Benefits

Both sauna and steam baths are therapeutic, but the high moisture content in a steam room is especially good for respiratory problems. For generations, doctors have recommended breathing steam for all kinds of respiratory issues. Do you have any respiratory ailments? You should definitely give steam bathing a try. Of course if you have high blood pressure or other conditions, make sure you consult your doctor first. Steam baths have been proven to be effective for conditions such as... asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, and allergies.

Steam can help clear allergens and mucus from your lungs.

Vaporizers don't compare. Why? Because a steam room exposes you to a higher concentration of steam, making it more effective for providing relief from breathing problems. Breathing passages are soothed because of increased moisture content in your lungs, throat and nose. Dr. Darrell L. Wolfe, Ac, Ph.D, wrote a good article about the therapeutic health benefits of steam rooms.

Skin Benefits

Nothing is better for your skin than a heavy sweat. Dermatologists recognize the value of steam in creating a beautiful, healthy glow. Heavy sweating cleanses your skin more thoroughly than soap and water. How? Because it opens your pores and allows deep-seated grime (yuck) and dead cells to be flushed out. This is one reason steam baths can be helpful for acne treatment and some other skin conditions. Also, the heat causes an increase in blood circulation, bringing more oxygen and nutrients to your skin surface. Over time, this can help contribute to a healthy, glowing appearance.

Pain Relief

Heat has been known to be effective against joint and muscular pain. It causes your blood vessels to expand, which increases blood circulation. As a result, more oxygen and nutrients can reach damaged parts of your body. This has the double effect of temporarily reducing or stopping pain and increasing your body's healing rate. Spend 10 or 15 minutes in a steam room after you exercise for example, and you'll help speed up healing of damaged muscle tissue.

Effects on Stress

Many peoples lives are filled with stress, and we all know what stress can lead to... high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, migraine headaches, muscle tension, ...and the list goes on. Relaxing in a steam room is a great way to unwind and relieve stress. The heat tells your muscles to relax, and the cloud of steam surrounding you provides the perfect soothing atmosphere for calming your mind. High stress levels is probably one of the reasons more and more people are installing home steam rooms. Have you ever taken a steam bath before bed? If so, you already know that it promotes deep, restful sleep which is so important for recharging your batteries and healing your body. Spending time in a steam room regularly can quite possibly have a noticeable impact on your health, appearance, and your state of mind.

Buying Steam Showers Online - A Consumer Review

It's very difficult to determine how to purchase a steam shower online. Reviews are almost impossible to come by, descriptions are highly biased, and manufacturers' names are never given. In this review I'm going to try to give you some information to help with your buying decision.

I purchased a steam shower on the internet in the fall of '06 from a website who’s name I wont mention, and while the experience wasn't awful, there was a lot of information I wished I'd had prior to making the purchase.

It won't surprise you to learn that just about all of the steam showers offered on the internet are made in China. While there's nothing inherently wrong with that (almost everything is made there these days), the problem here is that the manufacturers do not have a US presence. This means you are at the mercy of the seller for warranty coverage, or if something goes wrong during installation. Because of this you should not expect feedback from all sellers of steam showers to be reliable, even though there are some reputable online retailers, such as www.steamplanet.com, who will provide you with sufficient information and customer service.

The shower I purchased was a 53" quarter round (installed in a corner) shower/steam/whirlpool unit with the manufacturer's name listed as "Koral". However, there is no mention of the manufacturer anywhere on the product or the meager manual that came with it. I suspect this is a name made up by the seller. The shower ships in several cartons (the largest holds the tub, but the heaviest is the door glass). When I received it I was at first impressed by the build quality, but this lessened as I unpacked further.

The movement of the doors on the tracks is not as smooth as a high-end shower door, but it's better than the base models that you get at Home Depot, and is more likely to stay on the track because it's locked in place. The tub is fiberglass, but the material is relatively thin. Construction quality is not nearly on par with a smaller Koehler whirlpool tub I have. Interestingly, the tub has several legs that need to be leveled; this is different than a standard tub which just sits on the floor or on some sort of aggregate. This is probably an advantage since you can adjust for uneven floors. However, again, the frame is fairly cheaply made. The walls sit on the edges of the tub (be sure to caulk) and then the cover sits on top of the walls. I had a contractor do the installation (part of our whole-house renovation) so I wasn't around for most of it, but here are a few notes (note that these will apply only to the tub I have, but hopefully you can extrapolate some useful info):

1) This tub required a 30 amp, 120V circuit. I am a dedicated DIYer so had no problem running a wire, but if you're putting this on the second floor and your circuit breaker panel is in the basement, it could be an issue for you. I believe larger tubs require a 220V circuit, which is really no more difficult to install. I highly recommend a GFCI circuit breaker, since you're mixing water and electricity here.

2) The drain connection is nonstandard, and probably isn't to US or Canadian code. With a standard tub you plumb a 2 inch drain directly to your plumbing underneath the tub, using a P-trap. This drain connection has a flexible hose (similar to the type that is used with aboveground pools, but thinner) which will not connect up to any standard US plumbing without some creativity. I discovered that the inner diameter of the hose was the same as the outer diameter of 1" PVC pipe, so I connected a short piece of PVC to my drain system. However, due to the thinness of the hose, it does take a bit longer to drain than a standard tub. This the first bad design issue. It would not be possible to install a standard drain in this tub, at least not without a LOT of modifications.

3) All plumbing runs through the steam generator. Connection to your plumbing is via thin hoses with FIP connections. While it's not really standard for shower hookups, you can find the correct valves at Home Depot. However, here is bad design issue number two: since the hoses are fairly thin, it does not provide enough pressure to run the steam generator and the shower at the same time, which means you get a burst of hot water through the showerhead every time the steam generator turns on (about once a minute). If you think you're going to want to run the shower and steam generator simultaneously, I recommend running a separate cold water line (the steam generator uses the cold water supply) for the shower and capping off the output to the shower head from the steam generator.

4) The tub is not UL approved (although it is CE approved). Take that for what it's worth.

Here are some other problems I have with the unit's design:

1) The LCD display is almost useless. There is a 4 digit numeric display along with some silly animations (bouncing lights when the radio plays, and a picture of a woman with rising steam when the steam generator is on). However, rather than displaying something useful, like the time or the radio station frequency (which apparently can be shown, but it's not obvious how), it displays some sort of temperature reading (in Celcius only, no Fahrenheit). I have not yet been able to figure out the purpose of the temperature readout; it seems to be ambient temperature, but you can adjust it using the up/down buttons, so this absolutely makes no sense. In addition, some of the icons for the functions are not obvious.

2) The water selector that lets you choose between shower, rain, foot massage, tub (labelled "out put") and back spray has markings that indicated the selected function; however, there is NO pointer on the knob to indicate what function you've chosen. Lets you think you can add your own pointer to the knob, the diagrams around the knob are almost unreadable when it's dry, and become completely unreadable when they're wet. This might be a good time to break out the P-touch...

3)There is a fan in the ceiling, but it's useless, as it has almost no power. I don't even bother with it; I have a powerful fan in my bathroom ceiling, and it removes all the steam as soon as I open the shower doors.

4) The radio's sound quality is abysmal. While I wasn't expecting anything great, this is really awful. Think portable AM radio quality.

5) The whirlpool tub is not nearly as powerful as the pump in my American Standard whirlpool tub. This is a big disappointment.

Now, having said all this, I'm not totally unhappy that I bought this. The steam works well, and it's especially useful when I have a cold or my allergies are bad. The tub looks nice (it actually looks better set up in my house than it did in the pictures), and it was a pretty good deal when you consider you're getting a tub, surround, doors and shower body, all of which you'd probably have to buy separately.

After having used the shower for about a year, some updates:

1. The steam generator has gotten rusty inside, and drips rusty water when you start it. This happened about 6 months ago. I wrote the seller and they gave me some convoluted procedure for cleaning it out, which involved diluted citirc acid and disassembling the steam exit pipe. I tried it but the rust came back afterwards.

2. Both the handheld shower and the hose that connect it to the wall have broken. First, the selector on the stopped working and we were stuck with a single setting. Then the hose started to leak where it connected to the handheld, and one day just separated completely. Luckily it uses standard fittings so we were able to replace it with a WaterPik handheld unit. However, I would have expected it to last longer than a year.

3. The knob that controls the air in the whirlpool has loosened up, and I will have to pull out the shower in order to tighten it. Suggest you check this before installing.

4. The display has been somewhat flaky and stops responding to button presses. A reset of the circuit in which it's plugged into has cured it each time. This has happened maybe three times.

Walk-in-Tubs

As people reach their senior years, they need to be more careful about their movements. This is particularly true during bath time. While they can still use the conventional bath tub, it’s advisable for seniors with ailments to avoid it and instead use the walk in tub.

The walk in tub, also called the step in tub, elderly bath tub and senior bath tub, provides easy access for older people including those with physical disabilities and ailments. At least with this tub, they can still enjoy their independence in their home without the need for any assistance. For the caregiver, this kind of tub also takes away additional burden in lifting or supporting a person when using the regular tub.

So what’s the big difference between a conventional tub and a walk in type? Using the regular tub requires a person to climb over the side wall. A walk in tub, on the other hand, is usually higher and has a door so you can just easily walk right in and exit it. This then makes it a safer alternative to the traditional tub.

A distinct feature here is that the walk in tub’s door is positioned very low reaching the floor and is uniquely sealed to keep the water tight. So while you’re inside, you just need to sit on the built-in bench and fill the tub with water.

If you’re planning on purchasing a walk in tub, you will have to consider several factors. The door is a vital consideration so you have to choose between a right-handed door or a left-handed one or those that open inwards or outwards whichever is convenient for you and your family. Take note, though, that the outward swinging door is more expensive. Also ensure that the door latch is just easy to use.

Find out if height is an issue such as if the bather is comfortable with the ledge at the entrance. If not, do request for an additional ramp. Don’t forget also to check the height and contour of the tub seat. When buying, be sure to try sitting in it to make sure that it’s comfortable for every one in your house.

Of course, safety of the elderly walk in tub is of utmost importance. The tub should have slip resistant floors, water temperature gauges and safety bars. These safety features are what make walk in bath tubs popular in health care facilities and home cares. In fact, additional accessories can be fitted to this tub such as shower heads and therapeutic jets.

The safety features here have essential benefits. The raised seat makes for easy access when entering and exiting while the safety rails or bars allow for the safe transfer of bathers using wheelchairs and walking frames. You can also use slide boards when moving from a wheelchair to the seat of the tub.

These senior step in tubs are available in various colors and shapes. And although this type of tub is best suited for the elderly and disabled, it is also great for just about anybody.

Steam Showers

In addition to acting as a normal shower, a steam shower produces steam using a humidifying steam generator. These types of showers are becoming increasingly popular in many countries.

Steam showers are generally found in self-contained enclosures that prevent the water vapour from escaping into the main part of the bathroom, avoiding damage to drywall, paint, or wallpaper.

Most steam shower rooms are sold as stand-alone shower units with between 6 and 32 jets located above the head, along the back or behind the lower legs. Modern steam showers may provide additional features such as foot massagers, ceiling rain showers, television, radios, telephones, audio input from an MP3 or CD player, chromatherapy or aromatherapy.
Steam showers are often available in gyms, but have also become a more common bathroom fixture in recent years, primarily due to falling costs.
The water vapour produced by these shower units is often referred to in common speech as "steam," but this is a misnomer. In physical chemistry and in engineering, steam is a completely invisible gas and would result in serious burns if applied in the shower.
A steam shower consists of many parts, so buyers should consider a warranty as a consumer safety issue.