Steam rooms for Mauritian villas and resorts, in basalt or tile

Waterproofing first, then air that leaves

Every surface that will see steam is coated with a liquid waterproofing system, turned up onto the ceiling and reinforced at each internal corner, over a bed that falls 1:50 to the gully; the basalt or tile goes on only after it has been flood-tested. A sloped or vaulted ceiling sends condensate down the walls instead of onto the bench.

The part that is specific to this island is the air. A steam room here gets ducted mechanical extract on a humidistat, sized to clear the room several times after a session, because the outside air is already close to saturation and will not dry the room for you overnight.

Basalt and coral stone

Dark basalt is local, dense and superb in a steam room, and thermally heavy — it absorbs the first ten minutes of every session, which is a generator sizing question rather than an aesthetic one.

Coral stone benches are warmer to sit on and lighter on the structure. We use both and we price the difference rather than choosing quietly.

Resort steam rooms

In a resort the steam room is usually the most-used room in the thermal suite and the first to fail when plant is undersized. We specify a commercial generator with a softener or a descaling plan matched to the water test, duplicate it where the suite must never close, and leave a spares kit with probes, seals and a heating element on site.

Water and scale

Island mains water varies and some properties are on borehole or rainwater supply, which changes the chemistry entirely. We test at the property before specifying the generator and put the descaling interval in the handover notes.

Budget and delivery

A two-to-three-person steam room sits at 250 to 390 thousand rupees indicative; a four-to-six-person room in basalt with a domed ceiling runs 410 to 790. The generator, controls and benches are made and bench-tested in our Istanbul factory and shipped to Port Louis, and our own crew installs and commissions them. Send us the room dimensions and the water source for an itemised quote.

In short

• Waterproofing flood-tested before basalt or tile goes on
• Extract sized for several air changes after use — the room will not dry itself here
• Local basalt is dense and thermally heavy; coral stone is warmer and lighter
• Water tested at the property, including borehole and rainwater supplies