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When we started making shower steamers at ashbury BLOOM• in 2020, we never expected them to become one of our best-selling products.

At the time, our business was primarily focused on handmade soaps. Shower steamers were still relatively unfamiliar to many shoppers, and even today, we meet retailers at trade shows who ask us what they are and how to use them.

But something interesting happened as customers began trying them: they came back for more.

Over time, retailers started placing repeat orders, customers began asking for their favourite scents, and shower steamers grew into the product we now manufacture every day.

For independent gift shops, boutiques, wellness stores and other retailers, we’ve learned that the appeal of shower steamers goes beyond their scent. They’re compact, easy to gift, simple to incorporate into an everyday routine and suitable for customers who may never consider purchasing traditional bath products.

After six years of making and selling them, here’s what we’ve learned about why retailers are stocking shower steamers—and what helps them sell.

Why Shower Steamers Have Become a Popular Wholesale Product

Shower steamers offer something that fits naturally into modern routines: a small moment of self-care without requiring much preparation.

Unlike a bath bomb, which requires filling a bathtub and setting aside time for a bath, a shower steamer can be incorporated into a shower someone is already planning to take.

That convenience has been one of the biggest reasons we believe our customers return to them.

For some, it’s a refreshing way to start the morning. For others, it’s an aromatic experience after a long workday or workout. And for gift buyers, it’s a thoughtful self-care product that doesn’t require the recipient to own a bathtub.

The category has also become more established in wholesale.

Our wholesale retailers regularly reorder them, and many have expanded their selection after hearing positive feedback from their customers.

For independent retailers, this repeat-purchase behaviour is one of the most encouraging aspects of the category. Shower steamers aren’t simply products customers try once; in our experience, many discover a favourite scent and return for more.

From Three Scents to a Growing Collection

When we first introduced our shower steamers, we offered three varieties: Wake Up, Breathe and Keep Calm.

Each was created with a different moment in someone’s day in mind.

Wake Up offered a bright lemon essential-oil scent for mornings. Breathe combined peppermint and eucalyptus for a fresh, cooling aromatic experience. Keep Calm featured lavender for those who enjoy a softer, floral scent at the end of a busy day.

As demand grew, retailers began asking for more variety.

We listened.

In 2026, we introduced Focus, featuring rosemary and peppermint essential oils, followed by our seasonal Warm Up shower steamer with pine and orange essential oils.

That expansion wasn’t simply about creating more products. It was a response to what retailers and customers were telling us.

We’ve learned that offering different scent profiles gives retailers more opportunities to connect a product with a customer’s preferences, routine or gifting occasion.

What Makes Shower Steamers Attractive to Independent Retailers?

From our wholesale experience, several characteristics make shower steamers particularly suitable for independent stores.

They Appeal to More Than One Type of Customer

Although bath and body products are often marketed primarily toward women, we’ve seen shower steamers attract a much broader audience.

Women, men, younger shoppers, busy professionals, gift buyers and people without bathtubs all purchase them.

We’ve also heard from customers who enjoy using shower steamers after sports or workouts. Some women have even told us their male partners specifically ask them to purchase more.

This matters to retailers because the product doesn’t need to be presented exclusively as a traditional spa or beauty item.

It can be positioned as an everyday shower accessory, a small personal treat or a practical gift.

They’re Easy to Add to an Existing Purchase

Shower steamers are relatively small, making them suitable for checkout displays, gift sections and shelves featuring complementary bath and body products.

A customer buying a candle, handmade soap or gift basket may be interested in adding a shower steamer without committing to an entirely separate gift purchase.

For retailers, this creates an opportunity to introduce the product to customers who weren’t necessarily looking for it when they entered the store.

They Offer Repeat-Purchase Potential

One of the strongest indicators we’ve seen in our own business is repeat purchasing.

Retailers tell us that customers return asking for specific shower steamers, and those retailers continue replenishing their inventory throughout the year.

We also receive feedback from people who previously tried other shower steamers and were disappointed with their performance, but returned to ours after experiencing the scent.

Of course, results vary by store, assortment and merchandising. But for ashbury BLOOM•, shower steamers have become our most frequently produced and reordered product category.

That consistent demand has played an important role in the growth of our business.

What We’ve Learned About Making Shower Steamers That Customers Reorder

As more companies introduce shower steamers, retailers have more options to choose from.

We believe it’s important to look beyond packaging and scent names when evaluating a wholesale product.

Essential Oils and Menthol Crystals

Our shower steamers are made with essential oils and menthol crystals.

Menthol contributes a distinctive cooling aromatic sensation, while the essential-oil blends create the scent profile of each variety.

We use menthol crystals intentionally, even though they’re a more expensive ingredient, because of the aromatic experience we want to create.

Essential oils are central to our formulation philosophy, but we don’t present them as medical treatments. Research on aromatherapy is still developing, and a pleasant aromatic experience should not be confused with proven treatment for stress, congestion or other health conditions.

Compression, Size and Performance

We’ve spent six years refining our shower-steamer production process.

One important improvement was investing in a shower-steamer press.

Compressing the mixture consistently helps us produce a firm puck that holds together during handling and dissolves at a controlled rate when used correctly.

We also make our shower steamers relatively large, which contributes to the experience we’re trying to deliver.

Customers sometimes tell us they’ve tried shower steamers that dissolved almost immediately or produced very little noticeable scent.

Those comments have reinforced why we pay attention to formulation, compression, size and proper usage instructions.

For a retailer, the first sale may come from attractive packaging or an appealing scent. The opportunity for a second sale depends much more on the customer’s actual experience.

Which Shower Steamer Scents Sell Best?

From our wholesale experience, we’ve learned that familiar essential-oil scents are often a great starting point for retailers introducing shower steamers to their customers.

At ashbury BLOOM•, Breathe and Keep Calm are our most frequently reordered varieties, but each shower steamer offers a different aromatic experience.

• Breathe – Peppermint & Eucalyptus: Our best-selling shower steamer, featuring a refreshing, cooling essential-oil blend. Its crisp, invigorating scent makes it a favourite among customers and one of our most consistently reordered wholesale products.
• Keep Calm – Lavender: Our second most popular variety, featuring the familiar floral scent of lavender essential oil. A favourite for evening showers and customers who enjoy a calming aromatic experience.
• Wake Up – Lemon: Bright, fresh and citrusy, Wake Up is designed for a refreshing start to the day. Its lemon essential-oil scent also appeals to shoppers who enjoy fresh, clean home and lifestyle scents.
• Focus – Rosemary & Peppermint: Introduced in 2026, Focus features a fresh, herbal essential-oil blend. Created for moments when customers want an invigorating shower experience during a busy day.
• Warm Up – Pine & Orange (Seasonal): Our newest seasonal shower steamer, introduced in 2026. Combining the woodsy scent of pine with bright orange essential oil, Warm Up offers a cozy, winter-inspired aromatic experience and has already received an encouraging response from customers.

We’ve also noticed that different retail environments can influence which scents sell best. For example, lavender is particularly familiar to customers shopping in garden centres, making Keep Calm an approachable choice. Stores with a home and lifestyle focus may find that Wake Up’s citrus scent complements their existing assortment.

That’s why we recommend that new wholesale retailers begin with a selection of scents, observe customer preferences and adjust their assortment based on actual sales and reorders.

How Retailers Can Merchandise Shower Steamers Successfully

A good shower-steamer display doesn’t need to be complicated.

We’ve found that placement, product visibility and a little customer education can make a meaningful difference.

One display approach we recommend is arranging the shower steamers in stacked rows, with each scent grouped together and some variation in height.

This helps shoppers distinguish the different varieties without making the display feel crowded.

For stores introducing shower steamers, consider the following placements:

For smaller stores, even a compact display can work well when products are grouped clearly and customers can easily see the available scents.

Why Retailer Education Still Matters

Even after six years of selling shower steamers, we continue meeting people who have never used one.

At trade shows, retailers still ask us how the product works.

That tells us something important: the category may be familiar to some shoppers, but others still need a simple explanation.

Fortunately, it doesn’t require a lengthy demonstration.

A retailer can explain it in a few sentences:

Place the shower steamer on the shower floor, away from the direct stream of water and not directly over the drain. Allow some water to splash onto it as steam builds in the shower. The steamer will begin fizzing and releasing its essential-oil aroma.

Keeping it outside the direct stream helps prevent it from dissolving too quickly.

A small sign or knowledgeable staff member can make that explanation easy for customers to understand.

For anyone who wants more detail, we’ve also written a complete guide explaining what shower steamers are and how to use them.

Are Shower Steamers Seasonal or Year-Round Products?

For ashbury BLOOM•, shower steamers sell throughout the year.

We see interest around Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and other gifting occasions, but we also receive repeat orders outside the major holidays.

That’s one of the reasons we consider them a valuable core product rather than something retailers should carry only during gift-giving seasons.

They can serve different purposes throughout the year.

At Christmas, they work as stocking stuffers or additions to gift boxes. Around Mother’s Day, they can be paired with candles, soaps or bath products. During quieter retail periods, they can be positioned as an affordable everyday self-care purchase.

We’ve also received requests for dedicated shower-steamer gift sets, particularly around holidays.

It’s an idea we’re considering for the future, but we haven’t introduced a separate packaged shower-steamer gift assortment yet.

For retailers, this illustrates another opportunity: products that customers already enjoy individually may also lend themselves to thoughtful gifting combinations.

How Should a New Retailer Start Stocking Wholesale Shower Steamers?

After working with independent retailers for several years, our advice is to start with variety, pay attention to customer response and reorder based on what actually sells.

A simple approach is:

1. Begin with a selection of scent profiles rather than committing entirely to one.

2. Place the products where customers can easily notice and pick them up.

3. Make sure staff know how to explain their use.

4. Watch which scents sell first and which customers return for.

5. Replenish successful varieties before the display looks empty.

Pricing also matters.

We’ve put considerable research into our suggested retail pricing, taking into account our ingredients, product size, formulation and comparable products.

We’ve occasionally seen retailers price our shower steamers above our recommended MSRP. While every retailer must evaluate their own business costs and margins, we believe staying close to the suggested retail price helps maintain the value proposition we’ve worked to establish.

A shower steamer should feel like an accessible small purchase, not something customers have to think too hard about adding to their basket.

Why Canadian-Made Shower Steamers Are Worth Considering

For Canadian independent retailers, working with a Canadian bath and body maker can also offer benefits beyond the product itself.

At ashbury BLOOM•, we manufacture our shower steamers in small batches in Mount Hope, Ontario.

That means retailers are purchasing from a Canadian business with direct experience formulating, producing and improving the products it sells.

We understand the importance of product consistency, practical wholesale packaging, replenishment and responding to retailer feedback.

In fact, our expansion from three shower-steamer varieties to five, including a seasonal option, was influenced in part by what our customers and wholesale partners requested.

For us, those relationships are an important part of how our product collection continues to develop.

A Small Product That Became a Big Part of Our Business

When we first began making shower steamers in 2020, we were still primarily known for our handmade soaps.

We didn’t anticipate that shower steamers would become the product we manufacture every day, or that they would play such an important role in helping ashbury BLOOM• grow.

But the experience taught us something valuable.

Sometimes the products that resonate most strongly with customers aren’t necessarily the ones a business originally expected to lead.

For our retailers, shower steamers offer a combination of practical everyday use, gifting potential, familiar essential-oil scents and opportunities for repeat purchasing.

For us, they’ve also reinforced the value of listening to customer feedback, continually improving our formulations and creating products that fit naturally into people’s lives.

Interested in carrying Canadian-made shower steamers in your store?

Explore our essential-oil shower-steamer collection or learn more about becoming an ashbury BLOOM• wholesale partner.