Here in Vancouver we build custom steam showers and have not done one yet with a tub. There is very little building code surrounding steam shower construction. Be careful who you hire to build one. Consider Nobel TS when building your next steam shower the perm ratings are top shelf and the membrane itself lends itself to premium setting materials - unlike it's Orange counter part. Good luck. Would love to see completed pictures. JW

We'll be putting in both a steam shower and an air tub, so I'll let you know in a year how they compare. ;) I have been using the whirlpool and steam at the health club for years. Usually both in that order. The whirlpool is nice to relax for a bit, maybe work out a knot with the jets. But the steam seems to work better for me. The heat penetrates your whole body. Work up a sweat pretty quick. And it really seems to work out the deep knots & cramps. A steam room is much hotter. I can sit a long while in a hot tub, but only 5-7 minutes in a steam. Maybe part of it is it's an enveloping heat. You're literally breathing it in. After the tub I feel relaxed, but after a steam I feel like I've melted. A steam room is more efficient with resources. I'm told a steam shower only needs very little water, like just a gallon, to make a room full of steam. A bath tub takes what, 75-100 gal to fill?

Kohler makes a cast iron receptor that will fit in the place of an old tub. The Kathryn - I think it's called. We installed one in our house and it was quite nice. You can also have a teak grate made for it if you want a spa vibe.

You are very nice to help this friend. But I found when picking my bath materials it took about the same amount of reearch as the kitchen....I was surprised. I am on the Kitchen Forum all the time. Folks are helpful on this one too. I'll post a thread I read first in it's entirety, printed it otu and highlighted things I wanted. I believe it was "My best bathroom remodeling decision". Link below is a plumber's website of toilet reviews. It led me to pick a Toto--very efficient and fills quickly, does the job in one flush. For the tub, I believe the thread I'll link in my next post here mentioned the Kohler Archer the most. Here is a Bathroom Forum thread about the Archer. I ordered it online from Home Depot's website, did the chat function first to ask about it and the chat person gave me a link for a discount code. Steam shower....use the search function to find posts. Your friend should visit a kitchen and bath showroom if at all possible. Here where I lived I visited Ferguson, Plumbing Plus and Thomas Somerville. Vignettes of sinks, showers, countertops, vanities, shower doors, radiant underfloor heating....there's no replacement for seeting it all in person. Each place I visited would have filled my whole order for a discount but I had already started my online shopping. I'll link to a great site for Faucet recommendations. That and lighting took a lot of time. Then there's medicine cabinets, towel bars, hand safety bars in the tub/shower that need to be designated before the wall studs get recovered, etc. etc. Archer tub Garden Web Bathroom Forum thread http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg121518495783.html?14 Thread 'Do grab bars have to look ugly?' http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg0711240417257.html Here is a link that might be useful: toilet ratings and reviews from a plumber