11 Best Shower Steamers for an At-Home Spa Experience

Scent(s): Eucalyptus, menthol, camphor | # Count: 5

Best of Beauty Winner: Bath & Body Works Shower Steamers

Why It's Worth It: These Best of Beauty-Winning Shower Steamers from Bath & Body Works cost way less than a spa trip and are a solid option if you want a more subtle aromatherapy experience. In her review, Allure senior editor Jesa Marie Calaor wrote, “The fragrance wasn’t intense, but it was enough to help ground someone who might be extremely stressed like me.” No need to worry about sulfates, parabens, or artificial dyes, because they're nowhere to be found in these tablets.

Scent(s): Eucalyptus, spearmint | # Count: 6

Best Value: Manna Kadar Beauty Sea Minerals Aromatherapy Shower Tablets

Why It's Worth It: Each of these little pink bricks contains seawater and minerals from the Dead Sea to help bring the ocean to your shower (sharks not included). Shoppers say they feel way more relaxed after placing one on the shower floor, breathing deep, and letting the fizziness fizz away. Plus, 10 tablets for $13 make these steamers a deal if we've ever seen one.

Scent(s): Pomegranate | # Count: 10

Longest Lasting: Twisted Tomboy Essential Oil Shower Steamers

Why It's Worth It: The Twisted Tomboy Essential Oil Shower Steamers, made with essential oils, salt, citric acid, baking soda, and kaolin clay, have a super satisfying heft to them. Better yet, these guys last multiple showers (depending on placement and shower duration). Uncommon Goods carries them in a few different scent options, but we love how Wake Up Call is a nice departure from the bedtime relaxation vibes of many other options.

Scent(s): Spearmint, citrus | # Count: 3

Best Single Wrapped: Whim by Ulta Beauty Shower Flower

Why It's Worth It: Ulta Beauty dipped its toe into the shower steamer game, and we're here for it. This single-serving steamer comes in a sweet flower shape and is packed with eucalyptus, peppermint, and tea tree oil for a fragrant, relaxing shower. Commenters say the steamer helped their stuffy sinuses, which is a major perk in the winter. If you've never tried shower steamers but want to see what they're all about, this is a good place to start. We're fans of Breathe, but the Rosé and Unwind scents are great picks, too.

Scent(s): Peppermint, tea tree | # Count: 1

Best Scent: Anihana Lavender Love Shower Steamer

Why It's Worth It: Listen up lavender lovers — Anihana sells a shower steamer that makes you feel like you're standing field full of your favorite flower. Expect relaxation, rejuvenation, and feeling fancy for cheap. If lavender isn't your thing, Anihana makes plenty of other scents to choose from, like Mint, Lemonade, and Mango. The steamers are handmade in New Zealand (fun) and dissolve over four minutes. We also love the packaging.

Scent(s): Lavender | # Count: 1

Best Variety: Body Restore Shower Steamers

Why It's Worth It: These as-seen-on-TikTok shower steamers are formulated with essential oils to help relieve congestion, chill you out, and make you feel pampered. The variety pack comes with six different scents, so if you have a partner or kids who want to try them out, you can each sample a different steamer. You might want to keep them to yourself, but sharing is caring, and you can always restock…and restock and restock.

Scent(s): Lavender, eucalyptus & mint, bergamot, jasmine, chamomile, citrus | # Count: 6

Best for Gifting: Uncommon Goods Calming Shower Steamers Gift Set

Why It's Worth It: If you're searching for a just-cause present or a housewarming gift for a loved one, add the Uncommon Goods Calming Shower Steamers Gift Set to your cart. You can opt for a set of five or 12, but both come in super giftable packaging that looks like a box of chocolates (please don't eat them though). Because these steamers are handmade in small batches, some scents may vary, but we promise they smell really good no matter what. Oh, and also, you can use these steamers as body scrubs if you want. Mind blown.

Scent(s): Lavender, eucalyptus, lemongrass, grapefruit | # Count: 5

Best Presentation: Cleverfy Shower Steamers

Why It's Worth It: Cleverfy's Shower Steamers has over 37,000 reviews on Amazon. Yes, you read that right. The good people of the Amazon comment section are smitten with this set of six dried-flower-embedded steamers that feature a disc for whatever you're feeling. Boost your mood with Vanilla & Orange, kickstart your morning with Peppermint, wind down with Lavender, etc., etc., etc. You get the idea, and the idea is really good. Pro tip: if you want to get more life out of these steamers, you can break them in two and use one half at a time.

Scent(s): Lavender, vanilla, eucalyptus & mint, watermelon, grapefruit, peppermint | # Count: 6

Best for Colds: The Herbal Zen Cold Kicker Shower Steamers

Why It's Worth It: Alright, if you are sick, give these a go. The Herbal Zen Cold Kicker Shower Steamers are there to save the day when you feel stuffed up and lethargic, and the chicken soup is running low. The minty menthol helps encourage clearer breathing when you're stuffed up and might even make you feel less sluggish. The brand recommends pairing a steamer shower with a hot cup of peppermint tea, which sounds lovely.

Scent(s): Peppermint, eucalyptus | # Count: 10

Best on Amazon: JoJowell Shower Steamers

Why It's Worth It: JoJowell Shower Steamers are the definition of “bang for your buck.” In addition to using these steamers in your hot shower, the 21-piece set comes with two mesh bags and two suction cups so that you can put them in your car, on your vanity, or on your desk in place of a candle. The individually wrapped super-fragrant steamers make for easy gifting, too. Put a few in a gift bag for a loved one, and keep the rest for yourself. Your secret is safe with us.

Scent(s): Eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender, rose, watermelon, grapefruit, citrus | # Count: 21

Frequently Asked Questions

Aromatherapy using essential oils has been around for thousands of years worldwide. Ancient societies used essential oils in cosmetics and perfumes (sound familiar?) for therapeutic, wellness, and hygiene purposes. Because of aromatherapy's myriad benefits, we're still using plant extracts to scent our spaces, wind down, and help remedy ailments millennia later. The practice has a ton of tried and true benefits, as evidenced by the diffusers that line shelves online and IRL.

"Aromatherapy can be beneficial in the management of certain symptoms such as anxiety, pain, nausea, and insomnia," Megan E. Voss, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing, explained to Allure in 2020. Although aromatherapy is a beloved way to feel better, it isn't proven to have medical use. " Aromatherapy is never used as a curative treatment for any illness," Voss adds.

Shower steamers are a safe way to enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy, in part because essential oils should always be diluted before use, which happens when the dissolving tablet meets the water and infuses into the steam. New York City-based dermatologist Joshua Zeichner added to Voss's explanation that essential oils used directly on the skin can cause adverse reactions. "…Applying the essential oil in its concentrated form to the skin can cause significant irritation."

Shower steamers function as a safer alternative and don't require you to go through the process of DIY dilution. Still, if you have particularly sensitive skin or past adverse reactions to aromatherapy, speak with your doctor before using products that contain essential oils.

We always enlist a range of testers for any review, but home products are another story. While some picks can be used across different spaces, many are created with specific consumers and their needs in mind. When reviewing home goods, we also take into account our testers' experience. For instance, a vanity light may be backed by notable makeup artists across the nation, but if our testers find its lights too bright, we have to consider this when determining whether it is worthy of a recommendation.

For our review of the best shower steamers, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, and contributors — who all have different scent preferences, relationships with aromatherapy, and desired uses for essential oils. Testers considered performance across scent, value, and efficacy. For more on what's involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors — in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon — is essential to reaching that goal.

Read more about our favorite shower companions:

• 9 Best Hair Towels for Smoother, Softer Post-Shower Strands
• Ouai's New Hair Gloss Makes Me Look (and Feel) Like a Hair Model
• I've Finally Found a Shower Shelf That Can Hold My Products Without Breaking

Now, watch Billie Eilish break down her music video “What Was I Made For.”

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