“A Spa in Your Shower? The £3k Upgrade No One Talks About.”

There’s a growing shift in the homes I design. Families are no longer asking for “more space” or “more storage” they’re asking for something deeper. A sense of calm. A way to unwind that doesn’t involve escaping to a spa or carving out half a day. A place to breathe.

Enter the home wellness suite, which lives in your shower!

If you’ve ever stepped out of a sauna or steam room and felt that familiar full-body exhale, you’ll understand exactly why these spaces are becoming the quiet-luxury interior design essential in Surrey and south London homes. And after spending time with the team at Effe learning how their systems work from steam generators to chromotherapy, I’m more convinced than ever that a well-designed wellness suite is one of the most transformative additions you can make to your home.

Good design shouldn’t just look gorgeous; it should give you that spa-day feeling every time you step out of the shower.

A Ritual That Starts With One Button

One thing I loved about the demonstration was how incredibly simple the system is. There’s no elaborate routine, no confusing controls. You turn it on much like waiting for a shower to warm and the space quietly begins its transformation. Steam fills the room in around 10–20 minutes, the lights shift to soft colour therapy, and suddenly the outside world feels miles away.

It’s seamless. Intentional. Almost meditative.

Aromatherapy, Thoughtfully Integrated

There’s a small tray for essential oils, which sounds like a tiny detail, but actually changes everything. A few drops of eucalyptus when you’re congested, lavender after a long day, or citrus for a morning reset the steam carries it throughout the space.

It upgrades the experience from “hot, steamy room” to ritual

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“My essential oil of choice is Neom’s ‘Happiness’ , one breath and it transports me to a sun-drenched stretch of Mallorca coastline.”

The Practicalities That Make It Work

The behind-the-scenes elements matter just as much as the mood. The space needs to be fully tiled, the doors sealed, and the ceiling built to cope with humidity. After your session, a built-in extraction mode clears the space a small but vital detail that keeps everything functioning beautifully It’s not glamorous, but it’s the backbone of longevity.

Bulkhead or Camouflaged? The Design Choice That Shapes the Room

During the demo we looked at a bulkhead containing a horizontal shower head. It’s a strong architectural feature almost sculptural.But if you prefer cleaner lines, you can choose the camouflaged panel version instead. Minimal, discreet, beautifully integrated.

Both options can take essential oils, though only the full-size option shown below includes chromotherapy and Bluetooth audio. It really comes down to personality: immersive experience or quiet minimalism.? Either way, the room’s energy changes the moment the steam begins.

Entry-Level Options for Smaller Homes

One of the most surprising things the Emma Merry studio team learned was that you can add a steam function to a standard shower no major remodel needed.As long as the space is fully tiled, sealed, and has room for the generator, you get all the wellness benefits in the footprint you already have.

This is perfect for new properties where space is precious and every centimetre matters. Small space, grand experience it’s very in keeping with how I design.

The Generator: The Quiet Hero Behind the Calm

If the wellness suite is the heart of the home, the generator is the heartbeat. Effe’s systems sanitise the water, maintain even temperatures, and create that soft, enveloping cloud of steam that feels luxurious rather than aggressive. It’s a detail almost no one sees but everyone feels.

Again, it’s highlighting the difference between “installed” and designed.

The Garden Wellness Pavilion: A Sanctuary at the Bottom of the Garden

Now, let’s talk about the idea that really excited me: building a dedicated steam and sauna retreat in your garden. A standalone building, purpose-built, beautifully insulated, and designed with intention, gives you complete freedom. This option is especially popular with clients who are reworking their exterior landscaping alongside the interior, as you’ll need access to the services below.

• Mains power

• Mains water

• An enlarged free-flow water pipe

• Enough room for the generator

And suddenly your garden becomes your own spa

These systems start from around £12,000, but what you build around them is where the magic happens. Picture a gym on one side weights, treadmill, timber floors and a wellness centre on the other, complete with steam room and your choice of sauna.

You can choose between:

• Traditional sauna (classic coals, high heat)

• Infrared sauna (gentle, deeply restorative warmth)

• Or both, if space allows

A glass front with warm-toned cladding. A pathway lit softly at night. Towels stacked in woven baskets. A quiet bench outside to cool down afterwards. It becomes an everyday sanctuary not an occasional luxury.

Infrared Sauna: The Gentle Heat With Serious Benefits

Infrared saunas have a completely different feel to traditional ones. Instead of heating the air, they warm the body directly like standing in a patch of morning sunlight rather than next to a radiator.

It’s gentler, more accessible, and a wonderful option for families.

Deep Muscle Relief

The warmth reaches into tight muscles perfect for sporty teenagers, those with desk-bound jobs, or anyone who regularly says “my shoulders are up by my ears.”

Improved Circulation & Skin Clarity

Clients often mention a sense of lightness afterwards, improved glow, and fewer tension-related breakouts.

Calming for the Nervous System

Because the temperature is lower, the experience feels nurturing rather than intense — ideal for anxious minds, busy parents, or those sensitive to heat.

A Truly Everyday Ritual

Perhaps my favourite thing: an infrared sauna feels usable.Short sessions, daily routines, year-round comfort. It blends beautifully into a garden wellness building or home spa suite — another part of the home that quietly supports your wellbeing.

If reading this has sparked ideas for your own wellness suite — whether it’s a simple steam upgrade in your existing shower or a full garden pavilion with sauna, steam and gym — we’d love to help you shape it.

Every home and every family have their own rhythms, and designing a wellness space that truly supports your lifestyle is something we approach with both creativity and precision.

Reach out to us to begin planning your own quiet-luxury retreat at home.

A special thank you to West One Bathrooms and Effe Perfect Wellness for providing the product imagery and insights that helped bring this vision to life.