A Walk-In Shower sounds great in theory, but there are some practical challenges to having an open shower area in your bathroom.
Remember when every fancy bathroom had those gorgeous open showers with no doors? Well, people are realizing there’s a downside to all that pretty minimalism – your bathroom gets soaked, you freeze the second you step out, and forget about enjoying a hot, steamy shower without fogging up the whole room. Now homeowners are going back to fully enclosed shower rooms that trap all that glorious steam, let you add eucalyptus oils without stinking up the bedroom, and basically turn your morning routine into a mini spa session. Sometimes practical beats pretty.
Turn your bathroom into a spa
Can you have the experience of a steam room in your home? You can, if you choose an enclosed shower in your bathroom. Although traditional showers have open areas on top, which steam up the entire bathroom, making it difficult for others to use the space while you’re in the shower, creating an enclosed glass box shower that can be your personal steam room. This gives you a great place to trap the steam and add your essential oils to enjoy the experience.
Open the bathroom to your partner
Can your wife or girlfriend do her makeup at the sink while you’re in the shower? Can your husband or boyfriend fix his hair while you steam up the shower area? Many people have learned that walk-in showers don’t make this possible. The entire bathroom gets steamed up, and if you use the vent fan while showering, you’re likely to freeze the moment you step out. This means the bathroom is a single-person experience, unless you have an enclosed shower that keeps everything inside the space. When you have one of these closed showers, your partner can do their mirror business while you’re in the shower without turning on the vent fan and sending all that wonderful steam away.
The never-dry feeling of a walk-in shower
Walk-in showers are basically wet rooms. Some are large and full of great features, such as several shower heads, while others are simple, but ultimately they all get the bathroom wet. You can’t have items in your bathroom that you want to stay dry when you have a walk-in shower. Instead, you need a separate preparation room for things that need to stay dry. If you don’t want everything in your bathroom to get wet during your shower, an enclosed shower is the way to go, which many people have learned.
Benefits of walk-in showers
Although many homeowners have learned that showers that are open and without curtains or doors have their downfalls, these showers still have some benefits, including:
- Clean lines and a spacious feeling in the bathroom
- Easy mobility and access for all ages and abilities
- Low risk of slipping with no door or lips
- Seamless design with no tracks or hardware
- Easier to clean and maintain
- Great for small bathrooms
- Gives you more light in the shower
Why you might not want a walk-in shower
We’ve highlighted some of the downsides to these showers, but there are a few more things you should know, including:
- Always water on the ground after a shower; it never seems to go away
- Forget privacy, you won’t have any with a walk-in shower
- It’s hot and steamy in the whole bathroom, making it hard to get dry
- More expensive that step-in showers
- Slip hazard, water splashing on a slippery floor raises this risk
- Colder shower experience; doors, walls, and curtains of other shower styles trap in the heat
- More opportunity for mold to grow
- Requires extensive waterproofing
Which type of shower do you want?
As you can see, walk-in showers have pros and cons, which you need to consider. They come in various shapes and sizes, and can be great for small bathrooms, but if you like to be warm during your shower, you’ll probably want to go with an enclosed or traditional shower with a door or curtain that will keep the steam and heat in the shower area, keeping you warm and toasty during your time in the shower.
When you install a walk-in shower, you probably want to have a professional do the job. If you’re going to use tile and a floor drain, specialized skills are required and make a huge difference in building your shower. This means a much higher cost compared to traditional step-in tub/shower combinations. Still, the added cost can also add up to the increased value of your home, giving you a boost in this area.
Walk-in showers are great if you want to have multiple shower heads installed. Of course, you should be able to do this with an enclosed shower room as well. This is a spa-like option that provides you with an amazing experience while in the shower.
Enclosed showers are the way to go
A fully enclosed room of glass is your shower is much better than a walk-in shower. These rooms have the same benefits as walk-in spaces, without most of the negative qualities. Many homeowners have figured this out and transitioned to enclosed spaces for their shower experiences; will you?
