What is Steam Bath Good For

Has your friend recently shown off their new steam bath to you? Or perhaps someone at your local gym or health club has been hailing the benefits of their home steam bath while you enjoyed a Sauna with them. So what is Steam Bath good for?

What is Steam Bath Good For?

Actually steam bathing has been around for centuries, the Greeks, Romans, and many other European and Middle Eastern cultures have used steam baths to simulate fever which has been well known for curing many diseases. These ancient cultures rightly believed that steam baths have excellent healing attributes, particularly to relieve respiratory troubles.

Today we know that health issues in the lungs such as bronchitis, asthma and allergies can be relieved by the elevated moisture levels created in a steam bath or sauna. Doctors advise patients with such symptoms to breathe steam through a vaporizer to remove allergens and mucus, and to soothe the throat, lungs and nasal passages. Steam baths are particularly good as they generate moist rather than dry steam. It should be noted though that steam baths and vaporizers do not cure such respiratory diseases and conditions but provide temporary relief form them, allowing the sufferer to gain a level of control over their health issue for a short period and feel soothed.

Another health benefit of steam baths is that they generate excessive sweating which cleanses and tones the skin, leaving the skin feel supple and soft, and therefore the bather feeling energized and rejuvenated. Sweating actually washes the skin better than soap and water because skin pores open up during steaming letting deep seated dirt and dead skin cells be removed from the skin. Blood circulation is also improved giving the face and skin a healthy glowing sensation.

Heat is also used in pain management so a steam bath can aid with muscular pain in particular. Specifically after a vigorous work out a steam bath helps with the muscle healing process and relieves pain in the muscles throughout the body, allowing you to relax and enjoy a period of healing following your exercise.

This brings us to a further benefit, that steam baths are excellent for relaxation, allowing you to unwind, enjoy a period of tranquility to relax your body and mind. While the heat of the steam bath relaxes your muscles, the tranquility of the moment allows you to relax your mind, especially when accompanied by calming music and perhaps aromatherapy.

For those who suffer from restless nights or poor sleep patterns, a steam bath just prior to bedtime can aid with this, because the mind and body have already relaxed and you will probably find that you start to feel sleepy while in the steam bath anyway.

So whether you suffer from respiratory problems, want to cleanse your face and body, need to find a way to relax your body and mind, or want to aid your healing process after exercise, a steam bath has many benefits for the active person who enjoys time to relax.

To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.