Thickness - Typically, it is suggested that a tempered safety glass of 5-6mm would provide optimum safety, below which the risk of breakage increase.

Edge Protection - The risk of tempered glass breakage heightens if knocked at its edge. Therefore, the glass edge should be protected within the aluminium profile.

Break Test - One safety standard states that a 120mm square piece of tempered glass should break into 45 individual pieces. Spring Wave glass surpasses this and will break into 60 small pieces with no sharp edges. The smaller the pieces the safer.

Pipe Clips - To minimise the risk of water leakage, stainless steel clips provide stronger and longer lasting protection to water leakage over the plastic clips used by some manufacturers.

Valves - The flow, temperature control and water pressure within the shower will be valve controlled. To ensure the longer life of those valves check they are made from ceramic as opposed to plastic.

Water Testing - Water leakage can be costly and a hassle. Make sure your shower has been fully water tested before shipping and fully checked for functionality of its steam, plumbing, water tightness and electrics.

Thermostatic Temperature Valve - As a safety consideration and to reduce the risk of scalding a thermostatic valve will offer a non-fluctuating water temperature. Every modern shower should be equipped with this safety valve that will eliminate those huge fluctuations in water temperature while allowing you to select your desired temperature. Some thermostatic valves also provide a temperature restrictor for the safety of younger users.

Corrosion Testing - The last thing you want is to receive your shiny new steam shower and then find that after a couple of months the chrome plating starts to deteriorate and peel off. Look for a company who will test the anti-corrosion level and protective layer of the materials used with salt spray equipment.

Door Rollers - Door rollers or runners often go unnoticed when they are functioning perfectly. However, if misaligned or damaged they can become a headache. Although, seemingly a simple part - quality should be evident in the detail.

Operational Testing - The best way to check that both electrics (e.g., lighting, radio, jets) are fully operational and water does not leak is to assemble and fully test a product before it leaves the factory. Why not check whether each individual product has been fully water tested with an electrical supply.

Are they aluminium? - Check that the profile that holds the glass is not simply plastic with a metal coating. The profiles coating may come off and is definitely not as strong.

What is the profiles thickness? - To save costs some manufacturers have a 0.5mm thick aluminium profile and whilst being weaker is also more prone to dents. Spring Wave use 1.2mm-1.6mm aluminium profiles.

Aluminium Quality - Some companies use recycled aluminium and perhaps a composite of other metals. This effects the aluminium's hardness and likelihood of being dented.

Structural Frame Support - The strength and durability of the support frame is essential as it forms the foundation of your shower or bathtub. Typically, a metal frame that doesn't rust (like stainless steel) will offer the optimum support as opposed to a wooden structure.

Residual Current Device - This is a device that will shut-off the steam shower as soon as a malfunction or overheating is detected. When using a 3KW steam generator or 220V product this is essential.

Electrical Components - A steam shower often contains a complex electrical box that controls steam production, radio, CD, telephone, massage jets and many other functions. Some manufacturers do not test the electric box used within their products, while others may do for just 1-2 hours. In contrast, each function within the Spring Wave electrical control box is run for 72 consecutive hours to ensure the reliability and durability of each electrical component used.

Certification - Check for the CE safety mark, conformity to which means that the essential health and safety requirements set out in European Directives are met. In addition ISO14001, an internationally accepted accreditation for an Environmental Management System (EMS) and ISO9001:2000, which identifies factors that a manufacturer must fulfill if it is to achieve customer satisfaction through consistent products and services that meet customer expectations. Other certificates to which Spring Wave products also adhere are the TUV and Intertek ETL.

Trust the Brand - With many options in the market it is important to buy from a reputable brand so as to ensure that you get the necessary customer care and after service support. Spring Wave receives telephone calls on a regular basis, from people who require parts for unknown steam showers that have malfunctioned or proven faulty. If the brand is unheard of, it's simply impossible to find parts that are compatible. Spring Wave stocks a majority of spare parts and components for all of our units in our Leicester based warehouse. In the unlikely event of any part failing, you can expect a swift response and resolution to the problem. Our technical support team has been working with steam showers for over ten years, so we are aware of most common problems and how to solve them quickly.

Interior Height - A costly or uncomfortable mistake may lead to you or your guests not being able to stand up straight inside your shower! This is an important design requirement and one which some manufacturers may overlook. Please be assured that each Spring Wave steam shower has an interior height of at least 1.92m or higher.

Steam Leakage - Have a look at the gap between the door and the base. The amount of steam leakage varies greatly between manufacturers and whilst you will usually have a little leakage you want to keep this to a minimum. Like Spring Wave use, please check for good seals that are designed to reduce the escape of steam.

Door Handles and fixings - Beware of plastic fixtures that have a chrome coating. These are liable to wear away more quickly and needless to say don't give a quality feel.

Delivery and VAT - These may be hidden extras, not shown to give the impression of a lower selling price. A steam shower is both bulky and heavy and delivery could add as much as £50-£200+ to your final price. Make sure you buy from a company who offers you transparent pricing.

Stock - To cut costs some companies will hold very limited or no stock and simply start manufacturing a steam shower on receipt of your payment. Typically, this will result in a delay of approximately 6-12 weeks until your steam shower is ready. Make sure you check availability sooner rather than later.

Guarantee - Buying cheap may result in little or no after-service support. Check that you are supported in the event of a breakdown and for how long your product is guaranteed.

Showroom/Warehouse Viewing - It may be difficult to fully ascertain a products build quality and sturdiness without being able to feel and touch the unit. Where possible try and view a unit either in the companies showroom or perhaps they can show you in their warehouse. Make sure that dropping a bar of soap won't mean the end for your new steam shower!

Weight Test - Simply put: the thicker the acrylic/ABS, glass, aluminium and frame (is it a wood or stainless steel frame?) the greater the amount of material required in manufacturing. In addition, solid metal fixtures are far heavier than their plastic counterparts. Not only will this result in a more sturdy, stronger product but consequently the weight of the combined delivery boxes will be heavier. For peace of mind, why not check the weight of the product in which you are interested?

Features - Once you are happy with the build quality you will want to double check the shower you have chosen provides the features you require. Most steam showers offer a handheld shower, overhead shower and body jets. A feature such as ozone sterilisation that will purify and kill bacteria after using the unit may be a differentiating factor. Other differentiating factors may be aromatherapy, foot massage or a thermostatic valve.