If you ask people about their preference in a sauna vs.a steam room, you will get different answers from different people and you will never be able to reach a final conclusion as many feel one or the other is best.
Before going deep into the debate of sauna vs. steam room, it should be made clear that both of them are principally based upon the same property called hyperthermia, but the process to achieve this property is different in a sauna and a steam room. We use the Hyperthermia to mean nothing more than the temporary increase in the body temperature. The two different processes to achieve this property are beneficial for different groups of people having different requirements. If you are suffering from respiratory allergies or infections, then you should go for the steam room rather than a home sauna, as the moist air used in the steam room helps in clearing the respiratory tract from infections. As the inhalation of steam is also found to be very useful in the elimination of certain diseases, like asthma, sinusitis, coughing, bronchitis, etc.; the steam room has proved to be quite helpful.
Then there are people who might theoretically prefer steam but can't withstand the hot humid environment of the steam room, so, while choosing an option from sauna vs. steam room, these people choose saunas. These kinds of people include those who are suffering from active tuberculosis or acute rheumatoid arthritis. Even those people who are suffering from increased cardiovascular activity and have many health issues should avoid using steam rooms on a prolonged basis before consulting with a doctor. Common sense should guide those will health issues.
There is a steam shower generator in the steam room and its function is to heat the water to a level that creates water vapors instantly. In a sauna, there is no generator of any kind at all. Now what might be a confusing concept in the debate of saunas and steam rooms is about dry saunas and wet saunas. In a dry sauna the temperature could be as high as 200° F and humidity as low as 10%. While you're in a dry sauna, the body counters the heat efficiently in the form of perspiration to cool you. But in wet saunas the hot rocks are splashed with water and this water imparts up to 20% humidity to the room. So, one can get quite confused, when trying to differentiate the wet sauna from a regular steam room. But, it should be remembered that the level of humidity in the steam room is far greater (almost to the level of saturation) than in a wet sauna. Many saunas can be used dry or wet.
When talking about temperatures in the sauna vs. steam room debate, then sauna leads steam rooms in terms of higher temperatures used. Despite higher temperatures in a sauna, it is more suitable for the dissipation of the body heat, as it does not have any water vapor as in case of a steam room. Water vapor resists the natural heat dissipation of the body because the body can't evaporate its heat in the form of vapor here. The reason behind this inability of the steam room to effectively cool the body heat is the water vapor saturation level in the air. Personal preference should end the date the debate for you, try both and see which you prefer.
