People often visit the gym to experience a relaxing steam sauna, but you can easily do it at home for free with very little preparation. Turning an existing bathroom and shower into a steam sauna provides you with an invigorating place to which to escape after a long day at work or running errands. It gives you the peace and tranquility that a public sauna offers without the publicity; which gives you the peace of mind to relax in total comfort.
Step 1
Tape a thick towel over the frame of any of the windows that may be in your bathroom. Make sure to tuck the material of the towel into every nook and cranny of the window frame. This prevents air from coming in and escaping from the bathroom.
Video of the Day
Step 2
Roll another thick towel, lengthwise, to create a thick fabric tube. Shove this tube into the crack between the bathroom door and the floor. If necessary, use the masking tape to hold it into place. After prolonged exposure to heat and moisture, the masking tape will peel away, but it holds up long enough for a 30-minute steam.
Step 3
Place a strip of masking tape along all of the edges of the bathroom door to seal the cracks.
Step 4
Turn on your bathroom sink, using only hot water. Place one or two scented candles on your counter, and dim the bathroom lights. Light the candles for ambiance.
Step 5
Fill the aluminum bucket with crushed ice and put the washcloth in it. Place the bucket at your shower door or next to your bathtub. Leave the shower curtain or door open. This allows the steam to fill the room more quickly.
Step 6
Aim your shower head down and inward, so the water doesn't hit you when you turn it on. Turn on the hot water only. In tandem with the running sink water, the heated shower water will help fill the bathroom with thick, billowy clouds of steam.
Step 7
Sit on your shower floor, or in your bathtub with the stopper unplugged so the water doesn't fill up around you in the tub. If needed, sit on a towel for comfort. If this impossible to accomplish without getting scalded, situate yourself on the bathroom floor with a towel or rug beneath you for comfort. Otherwise you can sit on your toilet for the steam session.
Step 8
Dunk your hand, holding the washcloth, into the bucket of ice. Get the washcloth wet with the ice water.
Step 9
Rub the cold, wet washcloth on your face, neck and body to invigorate yourself and create more steam as the heat contrasts with the ice water on your skin.