Akopi Builders project: a primary bathroom under construction in Santa Monica.
In Los Angeles in 2026, adding a steam shower to a bathroom remodel usually costs about $8,000 to $15,000 more than the same custom tiled shower without steam. That pays for the steam generator, a dedicated 240 volt circuit, a vapor-proof enclosure with a sloped ceiling, and a glass door that seals. A large stone enclosure with full-height glass, a bigger generator and spa controls runs about $15,000 to $25,000 more. In Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and Malibu, where parking, traffic and tight access add hours to every day on site, plan on roughly $10,000 to $20,000, and $20,000 to $35,000 for a large stone steam room. Akopi Builders (CSLB 1112420) builds high-end bathrooms and wellness rooms in Los Angeles, including steam showers inside a full remodel.
Your bathroom drawings already show the stone, the bench and the glass. Then you ask what steam would add. The generator price looks small, and it tells you almost nothing about what the shower needs behind the stone. Here are the ranges, what drives them, and what has to be settled before the walls close.
What a steam shower adds, by area
These are 2026 market ranges, not Akopi quotes. They are the extra cost over the same shower built without steam, inside a remodel that already pays for demolition, tile and glass.
| Steam shower | Most of Los Angeles | Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, Palisades, Malibu |
|---|---|---|
| Typical steam shower in a tiled enclosure | $8,000 to $15,000 more | $10,000 to $20,000 more |
| Large stone enclosure, full-height glass, spa controls | $15,000 to $25,000 more | $20,000 to $35,000 more |
The high-end column is higher because of time, not the zip code: where the crew parks, how stone slabs and glass reach a second-floor bathroom, and how long a delivery waits on a narrow hillside street. Ask any builder what their access allowance covers.
If you only see a whole-shower price, ask for the difference between the shower you already have priced and the same shower built for steam. Without it, you cannot tell whether you are paying twice for the same tile.
Where the money goes
The generator is one line, and usually not the biggest. These national component ranges help you read a proposal. They are not a budget on their own.
- Steam generator, about $1,500 to $4,500 for good residential equipment, before controls and installation. Mr. Steam, ThermaSol and Steamist are the common makers; compare the model and the package.
- Water and electrical rough-in, about $1,500 to $3,000. Most residential generators need their own 240 volt circuit. The quote should name it and say whether panel work is included.
- Waterproofing and vapor control, about $800 to $2,000, covering the walls, the bench and the ceiling.
- Tile or stone, about $2,500 to $8,000 for the enclosure, more for slab stone and a stone ceiling.
- Glass door and panels, about $1,200 to $4,500. A steam shower needs glass to the ceiling, or a transom (a small panel above the door that can open to let steam out).
- Exhaust fan, about $250 to $500, in the bathroom outside the steam enclosure, to clear the wet air afterward.
- Controls and extras: a fold-down or built-in seat, aromatherapy, chromatherapy (colored light), audio and auto-flush. Each should show as included or extra.
Then ask where demolition, the sloped ceiling, permits and any patching outside the bathroom sit in the price.
Why the enclosure costs more than the machine
An ordinary shower only has to shed liquid water. Steam is vapor, and vapor moves through materials into the studs and the ceiling cavity unless something stops it. That is why a steam shower needs more than a good shower pan:
- A low-permeance membrane on every surface. The Tile Council of North America’s steam room method (SR614) calls for a continuous bonded waterproof membrane. If that membrane lets through more than 0.5 perms of vapor and the steam room is used continuously, a separate vapor retarder goes behind it. Some common shower membranes are rated near 0.9 perms, so the product matters.
- A sloped ceiling. The same method slopes the ceiling 2 inches per foot, so condensation runs down the wall instead of dripping on the person on the bench.
- A sealed enclosure. Glass to the ceiling, or a transom, and a door that closes tight.
So an existing tiled shower is not ready for steam just because it has never leaked. Nobody can see what is behind finished stone without taking it off. If there is no record of how it was built, price the enclosure as a rebuild.
Decide on steam while the walls are still open.
Size the generator for the stone
The same size shower can need a bigger generator when porcelain becomes marble. Sizing starts with the enclosure volume in cubic feet, and makers then adjust for the finish and the ceiling:
Choosing shower controls at a showroom for an Akopi Builders project in Bel Air.
- Mr. Steam’s chart adds 110 percent for natural stone, marble or glass block, and about 15 percent for every foot of ceiling above 8 feet.
- Steamist’s sizing guide doubles the volume for stone.
- ThermaSol’s Pro Series sizing uses the raw volume and does not adjust for wall material.
There is no safe rule of thumb across brands. Before the generator is ordered, ask: has it been sized by its maker’s chart for this enclosure, this ceiling height and this exact finish? An undersized generator gives you a shower that never quite fills with steam.
Then give the machine a place on the plan. It usually sits in a vanity, a closet or the attic, and installation manuals limit how far it can be from the shower (Mr. Steam allows from 25 feet up to 60 feet of insulated steam pipe, depending on the model). Mark the generator and a service access panel on the drawings, so a repair in ten years does not mean taking stone off the wall.
Permits in the City of Los Angeles
In the City of Los Angeles, the new circuit is electrical permit work and the generator’s water line and drain are plumbing work under LADBS. If the bathroom is already under a remodel permit, ask your builder to confirm the steam work is included and that the fees are in the contract.
Have an electrician check the main panel before the circuit is priced as a simple add. A dedicated 240 volt circuit may drop into a panel with room in it, or the panel may need work.
Beverly Hills, Malibu and unincorporated LA County have their own building departments and their own permit rules.
Running cost and upkeep
National guides put a 20 minute session at about $0.50 to $2.00 of electricity. Treat that as the order of magnitude: your bill depends on the generator size, the warm-up time, how long you sit and your utility rate. Water use is small; Mr. Steam puts it at under 2 gallons a session, against about 40 for a bath.
Upkeep is the part people forget. Follow the maker’s water quality and flushing guidance (an auto-flush model drains the generator for you), and let the enclosure dry between uses, or mildew settles into the nicest room in the house.
How often you will use it matters more than any of this. A steam shower you use twice a week is a different purchase from one that looks good on the drawing. Our wellness rooms page covers steam alongside saunas and cold plunges, and the high-end bathroom remodel cost guide covers the rest of the room.
Before you approve the price
Ask one question: what does steam add to the shower I am already paying for, and what is still excluded? Bring the bathroom drawing and the stone you want to that conversation, before anyone orders a generator or cuts stone.
Akopi Builders is a licensed California general contractor in Los Angeles, CSLB 1112420. To talk through a steam shower inside a larger bathroom remodel, bring your plans to a project conversation.
Next step
Start with a conversation.
Tell us about your space and you'll get a clear, honest read on the work, electrical included.