Bathroom showers -- sleek, sexy and just plain fun -- are cleaning us up like never before.
Small wonder designers and retailers say that showers are where the smart money is these days.
"The shower is where we start our day," says Friedemann Weinhardt, an award-winning interior desinger. "A great shower in the morning and you're ready for anything."
Weinhardt, an avid sailor, designed his own shower with the bracing light and spaciousness of open water in mind. Glass walls and mosaic tile pick up natural light from the bathroom's nearby porthole-shaped window and help minimize the separation between the shower and the rest of the room. The surround of the adjacent, boat-shaped bathtub extends into the shower to form a bench, further integrating this stylish bathroom.
The shower includes multiple body jets, de rigeur in any self-respecting household and even more so in one that holds water in high esteem.
River pebbles embedded in the shower floor represent our spiral-armed galaxy. They suggest the expansiveness of deep space, the tactile reality of earthly stones, all the while offering a stress-relieving foot massage at the same time.
In planning this or any bathroom, says Weinhardt, "Often the shower stall drives the design of the rest of the room. It's the first thing I need to place because it's the most bulky thing. Even if it's glass, it has a large volume."
Large volume showers are high on the upgrade wish list of many new home buyers says decorator Mary Taggart.
"I'm finding the bathroom is a retreat. You want to walk in and get that feeling of 'wow.' " Many homeowners, she says, are getting that feeling by forgoing the bathtub and spending money on a sumptuous shower.
All-tiled showers are especially popular, says Taggart. Small tiles covering even the ceiling lend a Mediterranean spa feel. A matte marble tile gives a safe, non-slip floor and wears beautifully, she says.
Glass tiles are in demand, though Taggart recommends avoiding trendy colours and sticking with natural blues, sands and creams that won't fall out of fashion before you've finished your first shower.
It's also best to avoid the fussiness of 1980s design. Don't, for example, even think about a decorative glass door. "The shower has to speak for itself. When you decorate the door, it confuses the eye. The space of the shower is impressive enough.
"You can always scale back on the shower head and handle," she adds, "because you're really going to put money into tile and getting that spacious feeling."
A bench is essential, as are built-in shelves or at least wall dispensers for shampoos and soaps, says Taggart.
And, of course, two shower heads are a must -- preferably a gentle rain head in the ceiling and a robust head or hand-held model for rinsing shampoo and a revitalizing hose-down.
Provided they're willing to spend a little time online, serious shower fans can dress all this up with everything from waterproof stereo speakers to Kohler's WaterTile Ambient Rain shower head. The latter's a honking big fixture with umpteen spray jets and a built-in light system that colours the water and promises the benefits of something called chromatherapy. Get ready to spend $1,930 and up at www.faucetdirect.com or check out local plumbing shops.
Back in the real world, meanwhile, new buyers are asking for lots of shower upgrades, but with an eco-twist like water-saver shower heads and body sprays that use less water. For example, Delta (www.deltafaucet.com) is one manufacturer whose products use less water by mixing air with it while still giving a strong, satisfying spray.
An extra tankless water heater, which saves energy by heating water only on demand, can help if multiple body sprays are overtaxing the regular hot water system. (For body jet systems, some shower suppliers recommend a 100-gallon hot water tank rather than the standard 40-gallon size.)
Some buyers are also opting for showers with seamless glass walls and doors at $750 to $2,000. Others are keeping down tile costs but upping the design factor by blending less expensive tiles with pricier accent varieties.
In the custom home-building and renovation market, glass block shower stalls are making bold and lighthearted statements.
Glass block showers look stunning in old log homes and in modern surroundings. Usually designed without a door, a glass block shower costs $25 a block installed (each block measures eight by eight by three and one-eighth inches). The mortar is treated with a mould-resistant sealer.
With showers said to release natural endorphins -- those feel-good, opiate-like compounds that surge through us during orgasms and exercise -- it's hardly surprising that folks are adding shower heads everywhere they can.
-- Canwest News Service
Cool gadgets for your bathroom
Every thing from manly poufs to neat shampoo organizers:
* Banish goose bumps forever with an LED Shower Light: a shower head with a built-in turbine that powers an LED that glows blue when the water's cold and turns red when it's 32 C. $49.99 at www.thinkgeek.com
* In-shower lights ($425 to $495) and speakers ($195 a set) from ThermaSol (www.thermasol.com): just what every stylish shower needs. Top it off with a MAXX (www.maax.com) fog-free shower mirror ($42).
* If warm lights and soft music have you and your shower companion in the mood for more than just a quick hose-down, you need The Shower Power. A suction cup handle grips the shower wall, giving you and your beloved something to hang on to when emotions get serious. $6.99 at www.shopinprivate.com.
* Shower caddies: If you forgot to order inset shelves in your shower, retrofit it with a shower caddy that dangles from the shower pipe or grips the wall with suction cups. IKEA's minimalist BLANKEN line starts at $2.99. The tonier Bamshoo in Natural by Umbra goes for $39.99 at www.organize.com.
* The Axe Detailer Shower Tool ($19.95 at amazon.com) is a manly pouf that looks tough enough to clean your whitewall tires after you've used its two-sided design to scrub tough areas, like hands and elbows along with more sensitive zones. The website says guys who bought this thing also bought Iron Man and Incredible Hulk DVDs.
