New Steam Shower Buying Tips for North American Consumers

Steam showers have become very popular in North American homes over the last 20 years. When most people think of a steam shower they think of a custom tile or stone room similar to a small scale Roman bath. This isn’t the case however. Modular steam cabins are becoming very prominent in New Construction and recently remodeled homes. Modular steam rooms have been all the rage in Europe for years are starting to make their way to the North American market. For the price of a regular tile shower or acrylic unit consumers can have a luxury steam shower with features they never knew they could afford such as chromo therapy lighting, FM radio and sound system, hands free telephone and the list goes on. With all new products on the market there is some buyer skepticism and with good reason. There are many unscrupulous importers out there who run sub-par operations selling products that are not certified and are made with cheap materials. Here are some tips to help consumers on their way to making a well informed decision when purchasing a modular steam shower: ”Many experts’ recommendation is: ’Do Not Buy Steam Showers Off eBay.’ This cannot be stressed enough, over the last several years there have been countless customers call trying to buy parts for steam generator rooms they purchased off eBay. If you are going to purchase a steam shower off eBay at a discounted price, buy two or three. Hopefully one will arrive undamaged and then you will have extra showers to pull parts off of. The problem with eBay is there are so many unscrupulous dealers. You may get great customer service when buying the product but afterwards you are on your own.” c ETL us Certification is a must. ETL is an electronic safety certification that is well known throughout the United States and Canada. The vast majority of building inspectors will not allow a non-certified unit to be installed. There are countless horror stories of customers installing a non-certified steam generator and then having to remove it after it fails the building expectation. Glass thickness is also plays a big part in the quality of a modular shower. Cheaper steam rooms will have between 4 and 5 millimeters. Good shower systems have a thickness of 8-10mm. You can easy tell the thickness of the glass by knocking on a solid wall (not a door) if you hear a metallic sound it’s probably 5mm glass if it has a lower tone its 8-10mm. Acrylic VS Fiberglass - Fiberglass is the cheaper of the two materials. A fiberglass shower doesn’t have the luster or finish of acrylic. Fiberglass doesn’t last as long and will become brittle over time. Acrylic steam saunas are your best bet. Many of them will have a fiberglass backing; this is for added strength and durability. One of the best ways to tell a good steam shower and a reputable company is the warranty. Most steam shower dealers offer a 1-2 year warranty. The best steam shower warranty is on the Oasis line of steam showers which is a 3 year warranty on the steam generator. So you may ask, what is the best brand of steam showers? The Oasis line of steam cabins from American Steam Showers is by far the favorite among American Consumers. They have been completely re-engineered for the North American market and are fully ETL certified and come with a 3 year warranty on the steam generator. They also have the best after sale customer service around. Visit http://www.bathroomgetaways.com for more information on Oasis Steam Showers