It only took a few hours on the Modenus BlogTourKBIS for me to be nicknamed Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. It’s true. I’m kind of an alternative health nerd, always reaching into my purse for an essential oil to cure whatever ails you. I’ve learned through my own health journey that it’s possible to address stress and health challenges naturally and achieve better results than what most drugs can accomplish.

As a designer, I’m always looking for ways to integrate this passion for healthy living into my approach to luxury residential design. To me, home should be a sanctuary, a place where the stresses of the world melt away as we restore and refresh. We’ve all been striving to recreate the look of a spa bathroom in our own homes with beautiful design finishes, but what if we could recreate the spa experience too?

Image via Le Scandinave

BRINGING OUR SPA RITUAL HOME

For years now, our favourite spa ritual as a couple has been to head to Le Scandinave to celebrate our anniversary. It’s a 2 hour drive from home, but entirely worth it. We haven’t found anything that equals the decompression we experience there, and we always walk away breathing better, thinking more clearly and glowing from the inside out.

Image via Le Scandinave

Based on the Scandinavian hot/cold bathing ritual, we start by spending 10-15 minutes in something hot (either the dry sauna, the outdoor hot tubs or the eucalyptus steam room) and then plunge in ice cold waters for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Next, we find a quiet place to rest for about 10 minutes in one of the adirondack chairs scattered around wood burning fires on the property, and then we do it all over again. It’s nothing short of magical, and I’ve been dying to recreate it at home since I first experienced it years ago.

Image via Le Scandinave

FROM FAILED DREAM TO DESIGNER DREAM HOUSE WISH LIST

Not one to let a dream like this just waste away, we invested in an infrared sauna a few years ago thinking we could achieve the same detoxifying, decompressing and rejuvenating hot/cold experience at home. I’m sad to say it was a total designer fail. I would sit in the heat and then shower off with ice cold water and wait for my breathing to get easier and the stress to melt away, and it just didn’t happen. 

What I didn’t realize (until my recent Hammam experience on BlogTourKBIS) is that it’s the specific kind of heat that matters most. You see, I always spend all my time in the Eucalyptus Steam Room at Le Scandinave. I’m just naturally drawn there and always experience the deepest health benefits when I spend all of my “hot time” in that beautifully foggy round room.

Image via Le Scandinave

I was reminded once again of the power of steam during our Hammam Spa experience on BlogTourKBIS. I walked away with the that same powerfully decompressed, de-stressed, rejuvenated and fully alive feeling I get when we go to Le Scandinave. The common denominator? Both spas are outfitted with Mr. Steam.

Image via Mr. Steam

This is wonderful news for all of us, because in addition to creating commercial steam units for spas, Mr. Steam allows us to bring the beauty of healthy living home.

I wish you could have seen my (designer nerd/health nerd) face light up as Martha from Mr. Steam explained to me how easy it is to install a Mr. Steam unit in a home environment. The steam unit can be stored in a closet or even an attic space as much as 120 feet from the enclosed shower space, can be integrated into an existing enclosed shower, and the cost is very approachable with units starting at 1000 USD and costing only pennies a day to operate.

FIVE REASONS TO BRING STEAM THERAPY HOME

Turns out my body was leading me in the right direction all along. Here are just some of the incredible health benefits to be experienced from steam therapy:

Image via Mr. Steam

1/ BREATHE BETTER My experience of breathing better after steam therapy isn’t all in my head. It’s a real thing. In fact, steam therapy can help dramatically for those who suffer from asthma, allergies, bronchitis and sinus infections. Choose a unit that includes the dispensing of essential oils for even greater health benefits.

2/ GET YOUR GLOW ON My skin never looks better than after a steam therapy experience. My pores are smaller, my skin glows and it is perfectly balanced and hydrated. Like a good facial, the steam opens up my pores and uses my body’s largest organ – my skin – to detoxify me from the inside out, releasing toxins from head-to-toe while relieving my skin of blemishes and my body of impurities.

3/ RELIEVE YOUR PAIN As someone who lives with rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I can tell you that steam therapy is incredible for relieving pain. My muscles become pliable and agile again, and my circulation is always way significantly improved. The night we went to the Hammam Spa on BlogTourKBIS I was beyond spent. My muscles were screaming at me after days of walking the show floor, and our exciting but exhausting itinerary was catching up with me both physically and mentally. Magically, I left the spa feeling alive and totally ready to engage in our next event. This is just one reason why steam therapy has to become a part of my daily at-home health ritual.

4/ LOSE WEIGHT On average, steam therapy burns 150 calories in 15 minutes. Who couldn’t use a little boost to their metabolism? Lose weight while relaxing? I’ll take it!

5/ SLEEP BETTER I am here to tell you that I never sleep better than after a steam therapy experience, and this is coming from someone who struggles with sleep. After a steam spa experience, I always sleep deeply and wake feeling truly rested and refreshed. Knowing that getting REM sleep nightly is one of the most anti-aging, health-promoting habits we can have, I’m dying to recreate that experience every day!

Image via Mr. Steam

After reading all I’ve shared, I’m sure you can understand why a Mr. Steam steam therapy unit is officially at the top of my Designer Dream House Master Ensuite Wish List. Oh yes, and we sold our infrared sauna this weekend. Why hold onto what’s not working? Time to make room for what we really want.

Here’s to your health and design dreams coming true! Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll share the most important elements to consider when designing your dream kitchen.

xx
s.