SEARCH
FIND A DEALER
Robin Wilson is an eco-friendly designer whose passionate belief in the therapeutic power of steam is rooted in her own difficult experiences as a life-long asthmatic. As she notes in the following conversation, the “steamtherapy” of her childhood was the primitive ritual of running a hot shower for long hours, while her mother kept her preoccupied by reading children’s books aloud.
Fast-forward four decades to find that steam showers made by Mr.Steam have become an important health amenity in the interiors that the adult Robin Wilson creates for her clients. Among the latter is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who contributed the foreword to her 2010 book, Kennedy Green House: Designing an Eco-Friendly Home from the Foundation to the Furniture.
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a master’s degree in real estate finance from New York University, Wilson is now CEO of Robin Wilson Home, the design firm she launched in 2000. Besides providing interior design services for select clients, Wilson has developed the Robin Wilson line of licensed bedding and bath products and hypoallergenic pillows for sale at retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond; as well as a line of eco-friendly kitchen cabinetry available at 400 independent Holiday Kitchens dealers nationwide.
Wilson carries her concern for healthy interiors beyond her various, Manhattan-based business ventures. She is a board member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council.
Mr.Steam: How would you define your mission as a professional designer?
Robin Wilson (RW): I am an eco-friendly designer, who happens to suffer from asthma and allergies. I believe that when you are authentic in your business life and in what you advise your clients to do, you enjoy your profession all the more. It’s not a job.
If any client of mine has allergies or asthma, it is critical that they have an alternative to always relying on strong medicine. Whether this alternative involves holistic practices, such as yoga, breathing exercises, neti pots — or steam — those clients enjoy a better quality of life than they would rushing to an emergency room every time their cortisol levels drop and problems begin.
Mr.Steam: Is steam is one of those “alternatives” to what’s inside the medicine cabinet?
RW: I believe that steam – specifically, Mr.Steam steam showers – is one of the best products on the market for several reasons.
First, it is a self-contained system. As a result, if the system is properly ventilated, you need not fear mold inside or outside the shower.
Second, the system uses a minimal amount of water, so it is eco-friendly.
Third, whatever your age, it is a therapeutic tool for life. For example —
- For a child who has a wheezing/sneezing moment in the middle of the night, take him or her into the steam shower, rather than steaming up your bathroom by running the shower, wasting a lot of water and energy.
- For a senior with asthma, steam is a great tool to relax the body and the lungs.
- For any older person, sitting in a steam shower helps the body to absorb moisture more readily. That, in turn, lessens the discomfort associated with aching bones and thinning skin.
All of these health benefits are in addition to the pure and simple pleasure of relaxing in a steam shower. And if you want beautiful hair, rub in some conditioner and sit in the steam.
Mr.Steam: What was your own, personal introduction to steam?
RW: I discovered steam as a child, trying to cope with asthma. Back then, my parents didn’t have the budget for a steam shower; they just steamed up the bathroom and made the wallpaper peel to get me breathing again. I was often in the bathroom in the middle of the night with my mom, the shower running hot and her reading books to me.
Today, after I work out, I use the steam room. When I entered into the design world, I had clients who wanted me to find the best products for them. Mr.Steam comes up over and over and over again. So I put it in client homes, and it has become my go-to product.
Mr.Steam: How many bathrooms with steam showers have you done in recent years?
RW: The first time I put in a steam shower was in 2008. I don’t usually publicize client names, but I can tell you we installed a steam shower in the private residence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. I would say I’ve specified it eight to ten times since that first one, so at least one per year. That’s a significant number, since I have time for only two or three projects annually.
Mr.Steam: Has steam become a "standard" feature in your bathroom designs?
RW: Steam specification depends on the client, so I cannot say it is “standard.” Then again, we also don’t confine steam to the master bathroom. Some clients have spa spaces in their homes, with massage and steam facilities near a pool area, for example.
My approach is to let people know the options, including steam; I don’t define what they should get. But I do make strong recommendations.
Many clients come to me because they have allergies and want an eco-friendly, hypoallergenic lifestyle with high design. I am not your designer if you want tassels and frills; I design spaces where you can live healthily. It will be a sanctuary, a retreat that will be nontoxic with few dust catchers.
Mr.Steam: Do your clients know much about steam going into a project? Do any resist the idea?
RW: I would say 90 percent know about steam, but most think they can’t afford it. Or they believe that it would require a huge renovation to their existing spaces. But the game changes when they learn that they could have steam with some simple modifications to the shower stall, tile, ceiling and glass door. We do a bit of an educational job with clients, but it’s not difficult, and the Mr.Steam team is quick to help us by answering questions.
Mr.Steam: Do you specify more than one brand of steam showers?
RW: I’ve never specified anything but Mr.Steam. It is very important to help people understand the safety issues with steam. A cheaper steam unit might cause burns, which is why I recommend they buy the best unit they can afford.
We are currently doing a bathroom renovation in an apartment in the Lincoln Center area of Manhattan. This bath includes a 10-year-old Mr.Steam unit, and we are not replacing it — we’re designing around it. The owners see no reason to remove it, because they’ve had no problems with the unit in all that time.
And I agreed with their decision. The situation is a great testimonial to the quality of Mr.Steam products.
Mr.Steam: Thank you, Robin!
Here are a few resources you may find helpful as you think about Robin's comments about the therapeutic power of steam:
What questions do you have about the benefits of steam and the eco-friendly design that Robin creates?
