MABIS Facial Steamer, Steam Inhaler, FSA Eligible, Vaporizer or Vocal Steamer with Aromatherapy Diffuser and Soft Face Mask for Cleansing, Sinus Pressure, Congestion, Colds and Cough, 25mL

After a recent bout with allergies and inconsistent results from my Neti pot, I decided to look for other alternatives and thought a personal steamer might do the trick. As I looked for a consensus, I noticed there's a huge price disparity between many of them and all of them seem to have a large cadre of haters who have had bad experiences. After quite a bit of research, I decided on this unit and so far I've been very happy with the results. The MABIS is a pretty simple device. There are two water chambers. The first one is the water that gets heated and I only put distilled water into that. There's a little measuring cup that tells you how much to fill it but I usually put in a bit more which I will explain later. The water in that chamber is pulled through holes in the bottom into another section which then heats it to the point where it turns into steam, and the steam shoots out into the breathing tube. Pretty simple. The second water compartment is essentially a little plastic drawer you slide into the device and it is not heated. Instead a tube pulls the liquid out and shoots it in a fine stream into the steam from the other compartment as it rises. This 1) cools the steam so it isn't as hot, and 2) allows you to use aromatherapy with the steam. I personally only use the salt packets from my neti pot in this water compartment as the negative reviews made me nervous to try anything too fancy. I've had good results thus far. A quick note - the water 'drawer' actually has two sides. The bigger side is the one where you put the 'aromatherapy' laden water. The smaller side is under the drain and catches all the water that doesn't leave the device as steam. CARE AND MAINTENANCE - I've been worried since the beginning that the device would stop working but I've had no issues since I bought it three months ago. I'm probably jinxing myself but I've been doing a couple of things that might help others and I thought I'd share them as it took me a while to figure this out. First, I've seen people put the suction hose down into the drain section of the 'aromatherapy drawer' to get a longer run time. Don't do that! While that will work and it will allow you to run the device longer, I suspect the longer running time puts a strain on the device's heating element beyond its design. The device ships with a measure device for the 'distilled water compartment' and if you use it the two sections empty at about the same time. I stopped using the measuring cup but I think they include it as a reminder so people do not use the device for too long (they might also include it for legal reasons as without the 'aromatherapy water' to cool the steam, the steam hitting your face increases in temperature real quick). I overfill the the 'distilled section' because I had a couple of uses when it heated all the water out of the distilled section and I started to smell burnt plastic. That's never a good sign so I make sure the water in the 'distilled' chamber never runs out (which is why I put a little extra in). Then key is to only use the device for as long as the water from the 'aromatherapy drawer' isn't empty. Once it runs out (about 6-7 minutes) - turn off the device, unplug it, let it cool a bit, pull out the aromatherapy drawer and empty the drainage water. Then open the 'distilled chamber' and carefully pour the very hot water down the drain. The residual heat of the device will cause the rest of the water to evaporate, which should help its longevity as leaving water in an electrical device is never a good idea. I also make sure to allow it to completely cool if I feel the need to use it the same day. Perhaps I'm being overcautious but I've used this device almost daily for three months and been very happy. I can see where I may need to replace the soft plastic mask someday as I can't image it will take the repeated heating and cooling forever. I can see no issues with hard plastic warping that others have reported but even if it broke today I'd know I got my money's worth. This device cost less my last three months of allergy medicine and I think it has helped my sinuses more than pills or my neti pot. While I hope it isn't something that needs constant replacement, it's been well worth the price so far (and I know I've jinxed myself).

This was a great product for the first 5-6 uses. I used it after purchasing because I was sick and it did work very well. It brought relief and felt good on my lungs with bronchitis. I put it away, it hasn’t even been a year yet, and I’m sick with bronchitis again. So I got it out to use and it simply won’t work. Strange because I was very careful with it, put it all back in the original box, and didn’t even use it that much the first time. The light briefly came on, and now that went off too. It’s just done and I feel it’s practically new. I see other people had similar problems with this unit. I wish I had read the reviews better now. I’m not going to even try to return it because it seems this company is horrible about that, but I will never buy from them again. Update: my bad. I forgot you had to put water in the inside and the outside reservoirs. It’s working fine. I updated my post and increased it to five stars. Go to YouTube and look up how to use before using. There are great tutorial videos on there.

I used this steamer four times, following all "user instructions," before the purple aromatherapy tank melted slightly and fused itself to the back inside of the unit. Ridiculous! Why did this occur on the fourth time? The fourth time is the *only* time I did not partially remove the purple aromatherapy therapy tank, immediately after utilizing the unit. Every single time, of course, as instructed, I turned off the unit and unplugged it. Nowhere in this unit's literature does it say to "also pull out the aromatherapy tank." When I thought about what I did differently the fourth time, that was when I realized the problem. (I also came to Amazon to search through comments, and noticed that this was an insanely common occurrence. How in the world has this company not responded to the vast number of people with this complaint?) Can you use this unit without experiencing this problem? YES. If you make this mistake of buying this thing, after you've run the unit's full cycle, *immediately* pull out the aromatherapy tank, part way. Doesn't need to be all the way out, just partially. (Also, consider wiggling it, periodically during operation, for insurance.) Let everything cool off, and all should be well. Can you get the tank out *after* it fuses/melts into the back of the steamer itself? YES. I figured if I reran the unit, by doing exactly the same type of steaming routine (albeit without filling up the jammed aromatherapy tank), it would soften up whatever was melted in the back of that tank. After running its 10-minute cycle, I unplugged the unit, dumped out all the hot water, pulled off the top, stuck an unused pencil, eraser end first, into the hole at the top of the purple aromatherapy tank, and gently tapped with a hammer. (The eraser end was all the way down into the bottom of the tank, on the front face side.) After gently tapping for several minutes, the purple tank popped out. I cleaned it off super thoroughly, and will resume using it, since I have no choice and need to use this for health issues. Hopefully this helps someone. In the meantime, this company needs to get on the ball, and resolve this, or at least make a more thorough recommendation to "pull the aromatherapy tank out partially after using the steamer." Happy New Year!

This is a fantastic product, works just as advertised, seems of very high quality components, has a few great features, is easy to use, and gives a dramatic improvement in symptoms. So why only four-stars? Simple: it works WAY too well. I mean, it feels like I'm holding my face over an 8-qt pot of water which has been boiling rapidly for 10 minutes or so. I can't physically bear the pain to put my face fully on the mask for more than a second or two; my face burns, my lips burn, even the insides of my nostrils burn. I realize that this may better than others on the market that don't produce enough steam, but it was way too much for me. It does include a "variable steam control," however this doesn't seem to reduce the volume that much. According to the manual, this controls the "size of the steam particles," and suggest you choose based on whether you're inhaling through your nose or mouth. I'm not sure exactly what they mean by that, since, to my knowledge, you can't change the size of water vapor... but then again, there is a lot I don't know about the world, so maybe I'm wrong. Regardless, the control should have more effect on the volume of steam, or they should add a heat control. Sure it wouldn't be as simple, but everyone could find their exact comfort zone. Some people get on me about reducing star ratings in reviews for products that work too well. My question is: If your oven far exceeds the temperature you set it at, is that just working too well? What about a lighter that works so well it lights your beard on fire? I hate to go here, but what about the recalled Toyotas? Those worked a little too well... Back to the point: I think that product manufacturers need to take personal preferences into consideration when designing a product like this. Not everyone is going to like steam burns on their face more than they like their congestion.I really think a simple heat control, or a better steam control would make this product perfect for most folks' needs. That said, the situations in which I use it do lend themselves to not having my face crammed in the mask. If I hold my face a few inches away, I get the perfect amount of steam, and can still the computer screen and desk, so I can work on composing, homework, editing photos, what-have-you. Overall, unless you know you are extremely sensitive to steam, I would absolutely recommend this product. Even if you do have to hold your face a few inches away, it still works wonders, and is very durably made. EDIT: 10/17/10: I figured out that if you mix a saline solution to put in the aromatherapy chamber, but let the saline solution cool for a few minutes (or mix it cold, but that's not my thing) then the temperature of the steam seems to be a bit cooler. Not a massive difference, but enough so that I can put my face up to the mask for about 10 seconds at a time now.

I've purchased 3 of these now (1 as a gift and the others to rotate for use) here's why.What I learned about this steamer is that when using it, the "on" light is illuminated.Sometimes this light turns itself off when the water has run out and it's done steaming; this leads me to believe that the machine is turned off (without me having to manually switch it off). When I return to use it again, it's still warm to the touch and won't turn back on again. This is because it's always necessary to flip that "off" switch, even if the light has already turned itself off. The machine is still technically on and needs time to rest before starting back up. If it doesn't turn back on, don't panic... give it about 24 hrs in the off position before trying again. I purchased another, thinking that it konked out on me, but it ended up working again. Great buy for vocalists & voice artist.

I had a steamer that I used for probably 10 years, and I only had to part with it because I dropped the face shield and broke it. I have since bought two more steamers, both of which lasted less than 2 years each. This one in particular does a good job of directing the steam forcefully into the nose and upper sinus tract. The time is shorter than my older steamer, at approximately 6-10 minutes depending on maybe how much water I put in the tray. However, I just can't recommend this steamer because it started breaking pretty quickly. First a small piece of plastic broke off that latched the top to the base, and so I'd have to hold it down while using it. Then later a part broke on the stem, so I had to sort of hold that in place too. At some point the switch stopped working, so even though it was on, the light wouldn't illuminate. I always unplugged it and used it in its tattered form, but finally I had to toss it. It made it about 18 months, which I think is pretty ridiculous for something I wasn't using every day but desperately need when I don't feel well or when my allergies are out of control. There's no good reason why this couldn't be made better.

This gizmo does a good job of clearing my sinuses. Maybe not as good as really hot Chinese mustard, but who can do that several times a week? I get really frequent sinus headaches, which sometimes trigger migraines. When I feel a sinus headache coming on, I take a Sudafed and a couple of Excedrin, and then I sit down for a few minutes with this steam inhaler. I don't use oils with this unit, but if you do, there is a separate reservoir for them, which keeps them from gunning up the unit. Instead, I use a camphor solution, which is commonly sold under the brand name 'Vicks Vapomteam' and under various house brand names. These camphor solutions are designed to be added to the water in whole-room vaporizers--the have a consistency very close to water. I add about thirty drops to the main water reservoir in this unit and inhale the steam vapors for a few minutes. It works very well for me. I use my unit with the mask that came with it. The manufacturer sells a larger mask, but the one that is included is more than adequate to cover the nose and mouth. I simply breathe in and out through my nose, to get maximum effect from the camphor. There have been some complaints about the water reservoirs on these units cracking. I suspect it's because users are boiling the reservoir dry. Well before that would happen, the steam that is output by the unit will begin to tail off. That's the time to switch the unit off. If you want more time on the unit, simply refill it. I've used mine a number of times now, and I have never had any problem with it. In short, I can recommend this unit for people whose headaches respond to a steam vaporizer. It's a good value and is reasonably well constructed. I expect this one to last about a year, which is pretty good for a #30 item that gets frequent use.

Have used this for about a week and am very happy with the purchase. Short of having a prescription nebulizer with prescription medication for it, this vaborizer is an excellent choice for home care of bronchitis, etc. which is what I'm using it for. It's easy to use. There are two reservoirs; one for plain water and another for water/liquid steam medications such as Vicks or Equate generic. The construction materials seem to be appropriate -- nothing feels flimsy or cheap. I think it's a good value purchase. Cleaning is easy. Some commenters has talked about the "mask" that actually fits to your nose/mouth; perhaps it could be a bit larger. Well, I'm not so sure that's a valid complaint. On my first use, I attempted to keep my face/nose tight to the mask. I wouldn't advise that because you'll trap the vapor and make the inhalation too hot. I find it works best when I hold my face as close as possible but not actually touching. You can inhale two different ways: 1) mouth 2) nose. You either hold your nose within the "mask" or your nose above the "mask" with your mouth open. Accordingly you'll either breath in through your nose; out your nose or in through your mouth; out your nose. As you experiment, you'll get the hang of it. Instructions aren't perfect, but you do have a brain that'll figure it out. Without a doubt, I'd make this purchase again. Couple this device with a neti pot and I think you'd have a home nasal/throat/lungs therapy session. It's well worth the money. Only time will tell the longevity of the device. UPDATE: I've been using this for three years now, and my review hasn't changed. I have no problem with it's durability. It works!! I only use it when I feel a bout of bronchitis coming on. Some complaints talk about it getting too hot; come on!; it has to be hot to generate steam; steam is hot; I merely move my mouth/nose a quarter inch away and the problem is solved. Some have complained about water condensation where they don't think it should exist; come on!; steam condenses into water; water is fluid; when finished with my treatment I merely have a hand towel available into which I turn the unit upside down and let it rest there until the unit dries. Take the collection tray out before you do that and dump it down the drain. Durability? So far, so good for me. So, if it breaks, take a look at the price and buy another because you'll not find a better, inexpensive unit than this one. I call it a best buy. UPDATE #2: Bought in 2019 and it's now 12/2024. The little orange LED light indicating it's turned on stopped working. Now, I have to be careful with the on/off rotating click in-line switch to be sure whether it's on/off. Unit still works in every way otherwise. I've examined the case carefully and can't find any way to disassemble to get at the LED and doubt it would be a convenient fix anyway. Well past warranty and know a contact with customer service would likely be frustrating. I still must say this steamer is great to use. I like it. Seasonal weather changes, being on vacation with humidity changes, almost always leaves me with an onset of bronchitis. This little unit, along with a Pulmicort inhaler, and Flonase saves me from prolonged weeks of discomfort. Be careful with keeping it clean. My doctor leaves me on my own without a recommendation because he is concerned about breathing in contaminated steam. I clean the unit and boil the water to make a saline solution for use.