Steam Shower Kit vs. Custom System: What Is Included - and What Is Not?

Published September 27, 2026

Summary

"Steam shower kit" is not a precise product category. It can mean a complete prefabricated shower enclosure, or it can mean a matched generator-and-control package intended for a shower that your contractor builds. Those are very different purchases. Before comparing prices, find out whether you are buying the room, the steam equipment, or both.

A prefabricated steam shower is closer to a finished appliance

Some products arrive as a coordinated enclosure with wall panels, a base, doors, fixtures, controls, and steam equipment. HomeGuide prices the prefab unit and generator together at $2,500 to $6,000, plus $400 to $800 of installation labor.

That can shorten installation when the bathroom dimensions, water connections, drain, and electrical service already suit the unit. It also limits your choices. The enclosure size, door layout, finishes, control system, and replacement parts are tied to that product.

If you are considering a prefab unit, read the installation manual before buying. It will tell you far more than the product photos about access, rough-in locations, electrical requirements, and what the room must provide.

A steam package for a custom shower is not the shower

MrSteam, ThermaSol, Amerec, Kohler, Delta, Brizo, and other manufacturers sell steam equipment for enclosures built by the contractor.

What a package contains varies. Delta's SimpleSteam Kit includes the generator, an on/off control that also adjusts temperature, and a square steam head. Delta's SteamScape Classic and Brizo's Mystix packages come with the control and steam head, and the generator is bought separately. ThermaSol's Wellness Steam and Simple Steam packages list no generator either. The builder may still need to provide the waterproofed enclosure, tile or other finish, glass, shower valve, shower head, drain, seat, lighting, electrical work, and plumbing.

That distinction matters because a package can look complete on a retailer page while representing only the steam-producing part of the project.

Check the exclusions before you compare two prices

Do not assume that every package includes the same pieces.

Amerec's GLACIER package adds an automatic drain valve and a drip pan to the K2 control and steam head, but the AK generator is sold separately, and a ganged generator setup needs extra steam heads, drain valves, and drip pans. Among MrSteam's packages, only BLISS lists a shower valve.

Make a simple inclusion sheet for each option. List the generator, control, steam head, drain or flush hardware, cables, trim, enclosure, door, waterproofing, ordinary shower fixtures, freight, and installation. Empty boxes become your real additional cost.

Service is worth thinking about before the wall is closed

A custom system built from replaceable components can be easier to service one part at a time, especially when the manufacturer has current manuals, parts support, and local dealers. A prefabricated cabin can be simpler to buy, but repairs may depend more heavily on model-specific parts.

The question is whether you can get documentation and replacement parts several years from now.

Some of this is published. Amerec's downloads page carries a 2026 steam parts price book and a parts diagram for AK generators made from March 2017 on. ThermaSol's PRO Series comes with a two-year in-home warranty on parts and labor that then becomes a lifetime factory warranty. MrSteam's service locator lists independent service companies and states that they are not agents or employees of MrSteam.

Sources

Specifications, prices and installation requirements are as the makers published them on these pages on the date above and can change. Check the current manual and the retailer before you buy.