Rancho Murieta Country Club Spa-Master with Steam and Sauna

Project Brief

Location: Rancho Murieta Country Club, gated golf-course home.
Year built: 1992.
Scope: Full spa-master rebuild — convert master suite into a personal spa with Mr. Steam steam shower, Helo dry sauna, freestanding soaking tub, custom walnut double vanity, and a private patio door from the bath to the back-yard hot tub.
Timeline: 16 weeks demo to walkthrough.
Investment: $185,000.

Existing Conditions

A 1992 Rancho Murieta Country Club master with serious bones — 285 square feet of bath plus an adjacent 110-square-foot walk-in closet that could be borrowed from for sauna placement, separate water closet, and a 9-foot ceiling. The original was a textbook 1990s luxury master — drop-in spa tub on a beige travertine deck (with original Roman three-handle filler), 48-inch alcove framed-glass shower, double-sink oak vanity with green-flecked granite top. Travertine was beat. Granite had dated badly. Original Moen Posi-Temp shower valve was at end-of-life. The walk-in closet was generous but the millwork was original builder-grade.

Behind the surrounds we expected the typical 1992 story — green-board with no waterproof membrane, two zones of mold near the tub deck, original Milgard windows that had failed at the seals. Slab was sound. The exterior wall behind the planned sauna had structural integrity confirmed by the County reviewer for an exterior vent and 220V circuit penetration.

Design Approach

The brief was a true personal spa with both wet (steam) and dry (sauna) options. The drop-in spa tub gets demoed. In its place we set a Victoria + Albert Mozzano freestanding tub on a polished-porcelain pad. The original 48-inch shower gets expanded into a 96x48 frameless walk-in shower with curbless entry, full porcelain-slab walls and a sloped ceiling for steam, integrated heated tile bench, dual recessed niches, multiple shower zones (rainfall plus body sprays plus handheld plus steam aroma head). Mr. Steam i450 steam unit with chromatherapy and aroma is fully installed and active.

We borrow 35 square feet from the adjacent walk-in closet to build a 4-person dry sauna with Helo Cilindro stove, custom cedar bench framing, dedicated 30-amp 220V circuit, and a glass door overlooking a private garden patio that we add via a converted window to a French-door pair. Floor throughout is heated 24x24 polished porcelain (Daltile Marble Attache Lavish in Calacatta) with Schluter Ditra-Heat radiant.

The vanity is custom — 84-inch double-sink walnut by a Sacramento millshop, with Cambria Brittanicca Gold quartz top, two Kohler Verticyl rectangular undermounts, brushed-gold Brizo Litze widespread faucets, and Robern PL Series medicine cabinets recessed with integrated lighting.

Build Notes

Four meaningful build notes across 16 weeks. First, the steam shower ceiling slope (1/4 inch per foot toward the steam head) required us to drop the ceiling by 4 inches in the shower zone and frame a new flat ceiling — clean transition with a recessed reveal. Second, the dry sauna required a dedicated 30-amp 220V circuit run through a new sub-panel because the original 1992 panel was at capacity; we added a 60-amp sub-panel in the garage to feed the bath. Third, the patio-door conversion required a new structural header and a HOA architectural-review submission for the exterior window-to-door change; ARC approved in 11 business days.

Fourth, the porcelain-slab installation by our specialty subcontractor took an additional week because the steam-shower ceiling required custom-cut Neolith pieces to wrap the slope without visible joints. The result was worth the patience.

Materials List

• Shower walls and ceiling: Neolith porcelain slab in Estatuario, polished, 5mm
• Shower floor: Daltile Marble Attache 2x2 mosaic in Calacatta, matte
• Bath floor: Daltile Marble Attache Lavish 24x24 in Calacatta, polished
• Heated floor: Schluter Ditra-Heat with programmable thermostat (phone-controlled)
• Heated bench: Schluter Ditra-Heat under tile bench, dedicated thermostat
• Shower glass: 1/2" frameless tempered, full enclosure for steam, brushed-gold hardware
• Linear drain: Schluter Kerdi-Line, brushed-gold grate
• Steam unit: Mr. Steam i450 with ChromaSteam chromatherapy, AromaSteam, and SteamLinx control
• Steam head: Mr. Steam aroma steam head in brushed gold
• Shower valve: Brizo Litze thermostatic with two-zone diverter, brushed gold
• Rainfall head: Brizo Litze 12-inch ceiling-mount in brushed gold
• Body sprays: Brizo Litze (four), brushed gold
• Handheld: Brizo Litze with slide bar
• Sauna: Helo Cilindro electric heater, 6kW, 220V dedicated circuit
• Sauna interior: custom cedar bench framing and ceiling, sized for 4 people
• Sauna door: Helo full-glass tempered with cedar frame
• Tub: Victoria + Albert Mozzano freestanding soaking tub
• Tub filler: Brizo Litze freestanding floor-mount in brushed gold
• Vanity: custom 84-inch double-sink walnut by Sacramento millshop, soft-close everything
• Vanity top: Cambria Brittanicca Gold quartz
• Sinks: Kohler Verticyl rectangular undermount (two)
• Vanity faucets: Brizo Litze widespread (two) in brushed gold
• Medicine cabinets: Robern PL Series, recessed, integrated LED lighting (two)
• Toilet: Toto Neorest NX2 smart toilet
• Lighting: Visual Comfort Bryant pendants over each sink, Cedar & Moss Akron sconces, recessed LED cans on dimmers, vapor-rated cans in steam zone
• Patio door: Marvin Essential French-door pair replacing original window
• Exhaust: Panasonic WhisperGreen Select 150 CFM with humidity sensor (bath); separate 220V exhaust for sauna
• Electrical: 60-amp sub-panel in garage feeding new 220V circuits for sauna and steam
• Waterproofing: Schluter Kerdi-Board on all wet walls and steam ceiling
• Glass coating: EnduroShield (included)