Home › Sauna types › Steam room
Steam room: humid instead of hot
In a steam room the air is almost completely saturated with water vapour. In return it's far less hot than a sauna. Its roots go back to antiquity.
Updated: September 2026 · independent guide, sources linked
A steam room needs a steam generator rather than a sauna heater. What a sauna heater does when water is thrown is explained in our heater comparison.
Wood or electric heater guide →At a glance
| Temperature | around 50 °C |
|---|---|
| Humidity | close to 100 % |
| Steam | from a steam generator, sometimes scented (e.g. eucalyptus) |
| Forerunners | Roman sudatorium, hammam, banya |
| For comparison | Finnish sauna usually 80–90 °C with dry air |
What makes a steam room
In steam baths such as the hammam, humidity approaches 100 percent. The temperature is therefore set much lower, at around 50 °C. The steam comes from a steam generator; some operators add a scent such as eucalyptus. The photo above shows the old steam bath at Laugarvatn (Iceland).
History at a glance
- AntiquityThe Romans had a moist sweat bath, the sudatorium – more under Roman baths.
- Middle Ages to todaySteam bathing lives on in the hammam of the Islamic world and in the Eastern European banya.
- JapanThe early temple baths, the mushiburo, were steam baths.
- TodaySteam rooms are part of many public sauna facilities – as a cabin with a steam generator.
A steam room in the garden?
A pure steam room is rarely the first choice for a garden: the constant moisture calls for waterproof materials, a water supply and a drain. If you like humid heat, a garden sauna with a combi heater is usually better – it also allows a mild, humid bio sauna. Or take a Finnish sauna with generous steam. Tips on water and drainage are under location & foundation, heaters in our heater comparison.
For a sauna in the garden, each canton handles the building permit differently, for example Zurich, Aargau and St. Gallen. All 26 cantons: Building permit.
A steam room needs a steam generator rather than a sauna heater. What a sauna heater does when water is thrown is explained in our heater comparison.
Wood or electric heater guide →More sauna types: Finnish sauna · Smoke sauna · Wood-fired sauna · Electric sauna · Barrel sauna · Sauna cabin · Infrared sauna · Bio sauna · Kelo sauna · Kota sauna · Mobile sauna
Sweat baths of other cultures: Banya (Eastern Europe) · Roman baths · Hammam · Sweat lodge (North America) · Temazcal (Mesoamerica) · Qargi (Yup'ik & Inuit) · Steppe nomads (Scythians) · Hanjeungmak (Korea) · Mushiburo (Japan) · Sweathouses (Ireland)
Compare quotes from your region
Describe your project once – up to 3 suitable suppliers will contact you. Free and without obligation.