If you’re in London this week and you’re already feeling Olympic-overload, we suggest that you break from the festivities and visit one of London’s lesser known historical sites. The Kew Bridge Steam Museum  celebrates the power of water and steam, and the ways it revolutionized life in Europe’s largest city and has become a major point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. The museum has even starred in uniquely British television series such as Doctor Who and EastEnders, and films like Jude’s Law.

According to the museum website, by 1830 water quality coming from a public water pumping station in Chelsea had been deteriorating and so the Grand Junction Waterworks Company built a replacement pumping station at Kew Bridge, opening for operation in 1838. The station was powered by massive steam-powered engines, marvels of cutting edge engineering at the time, which drew water from the River Thames into London’s potable water supply. The power and capacity of these steam engines allowed city and regional planners of the time to supply the city with clean water, critical for fighting off persistent Cholera epidemics. Powered down in 1944, the pumping station became a national landmark and is preserved to commemorate the great change in sanitation and urban living made possible by man’s ability to harness and apply the power of steam.

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With regards to misconceptions in the bath and shower industry, the one where people think that steam showers and saunas are essentially, or even exactly the same thing is one of the biggest. The fact is steam showers and saunas have distinctions in areas including health benefits, heat emission and construction; distinctions to which you should pay close attention if you are considering adding either to your home bath environment. To help you better navigate the two products, the Talk Spas editorial team has put together the following list of the top 3 differences between steam showers and saunas:

3) Materials & Construction

One of the primary differences between steam showers and saunas is the materials utilized to construct them. Steam showers typically utilize a steam generator, like one made by ThermaSol, to pump moisture into an airtight enclosure often made of ceramic tile and glass. Since the moisture is intentionally trapped in the enclosure, typically the ceiling will be slanted to allow condensation to run down the side rather than drip directly down on you. Saunas on the other hand utilize stones placed under a heater to generate heat. The heat rises into a room, often made of wood and well insulated to trap the heat, where the occupant sits on a bench to enjoy the benefits of the heat.

A ThermaSol Steam Shower.

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