Are rain shower heads and body sprays worth putting in?

10 years ago

I need to buy shower fixtures for our master bath remodel that is supposed to start at the beginning of August. We are putting a walk-in shower in place of the current tub/shower combo. It is in a 3-sided alcove that is 59" wide x 41" deep x 8' high. The 59" back wall has a 3' W x 18" H window. The front 59" "wall" is glass. I already purchased a Thermasol steam generator at a great price when a local chain went out of business. We used a Hansgrohe Raindance hand shower on a 36" slide bar in our last house and loved it, so we are using one of those again. DH thinks that is all we need since that set-up worked for us before. I think it might be nice to have a second shower head, since we have to take turns under the water on the mornings that we shower together, and I get a little chilly waiting for my turn in winter. I am also considering body sprays, because I have a lot of pain in my lower back.

Do shower body sprays actually help with back pain like hot tub jets do? I am not interested in horizontal sprays of water if all it does is get me wet from a different angle. I can slide the hand shower down the bar and tilt it to massage my back and that works pretty well. I don't know if the small body sprays have the same forceful water pressure.

I have never tried a rain shower head. Is it a really gentle spray? I want to make sure there is enough water pressure to get shampoo out of my long hair. (I really like the pressure of the Raindance 5" hand shower head.) Kohler offers identical looking models of both rain shower heads and body sprays with "soothing spray" or "stimulating spray." I have no idea which to pick without trying them. I want a decent amount of water pressure, but not a pelting or stinging spray. It would be nice to have a shower head or body spray where you can adjust the type of spray.

The rain shower head will cost $660 in parts and 3 body sprays will cost almost $500 in parts, plus extra plumbing costs, so I have to decide if it is worth it to put in one or both extra features. As I am typing this, I am starting to talk myself out of getting either, because I am not sure how often we will use them. The main reason for getting them might be re-sale, as I wonder if it would seem strange to have a steam shower in a master bath that has only 1 shower head.

To put things in context, the house is expensive because of the neighborhood and view. The master bath was a real sore spot when we bought the house 2 years ago, because it is small and not at all luxurious. (When you walk in, there is a toilet, then a 42" vanity, then the tub/shower.) We are stealing a little bit of space from the bedroom so that there will be a 6' vanity with 2 sinks, and the toilet and shower will be separated from the rest of the bath by a pocket door. There is no way to make the bathroom large enough for a tub (there is one in the hall bath). I am considering whether adding some "luxury" items to the shower, like body sprays and a second shower head, will make the house easier to resell when the time comes. I don't want to waste money with items we don't need, but it sure is a lot easier to add items now while the walls are open.

WWYD? (Thanks if you read this far -- sorry for rambling.)

Featured Answer

roarah

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I have four body jets, a ceiling rain can and a powerful hand wand and I love it. I will say a few important bits about the difference between liking your system and not is water pressure, a balance loop and temp abilities.

I have city water with almost too strong pressure and still went with 3/4 inch pipes instead of 1/2 inch which I have in my jetted outside tower and the difference is amazing. I also have an instantaneous hot water system for this shower. My plumber did a proper pressure loop to ensure even pressure and temp when using multiple shower heads. This loop is very important! Here is a picture of my loop at install

I used Grohe products. I have a thermostatic pressure valve and three separate volume controls, one for rain head, one for hand held and one for jets. I can use one head, two heads or all heads simultaneously without losing temp or pressure to any head. I had the plumber install my jets according to my size and where I wanted to target this also made my system better than others I have tried. Here is how I ended up placing my jets and controls, it is a bit busy but feels great.

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Comments (17)

kmcg
10 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I've been wrestling with this question, and my husband - like yours - thinks we need just the handshower on the bar. Having recently stayed in a lovely hotel with a ceiling-mount rainshower plus the wallbar set, I can definitely see the allure. This rainshower was quite gentle, but felt good! The handshower was more versatile. I used both. Despite how nice the rainshower was, I decided not to install one in my new shower. I'm going with the handheld on a bar (also Hansgrohe) and a fixed wall-mount showerhead. A 6" Raindance showerhead from Hansgrohe can be about $110, plus you spend a bit more getting the 2-function valve and trim. For that money, it seems like a reasonable investment for resale, and added options for our showers. I may be wrong, but I feel like we can have a similar feel with the showerhead coming out of the wall as when it comes out of the ceiling.

I tested the Hansgrohe and Kohler showerheads at our local Fergusons showroom, and thought the Hansgrohe performed much better. The 3-function Raindance ones are wonderful!
sas95
10 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Before we did our remodel I asked around extensively about shower heads and sprays. To a one, no one I knew who had body sprays used them regularly. We skipped those. My husband REALLY wanted a rain shower. I wanted a hand shower. So we did both, with the hand shower mounted shower height. My husband loves the rain shower and uses it every day. I find the pressure too light for my liking and have only used it once. My husband doesn't like the hand shower for some reason, and I really like the way I can change spray settings and get a concentrated spray.

If I were you, I'd think about the way members of your family like to shower and choose accordingly. Body sprays and rainshower heads will not sell your house in the future. Get what you think will please and make sense to you.
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My set up is (1) 10" Hansgrohe rain head (no built-in diverter), (2) Hansgrohe handheld on a slide bar and (3) three body sprays. I have three separate valves. I use the rainhead and the body sprays at the same time because I love the rain head and I also like the feel of being surrounded by the water. I rarely use the handheld, except when I want to shower without getting my hair wet or to clean the shower. In theory, I could use everything at the same time, or use just the rain head and the handheld at the same time but it would never occur to me to do that. That would not be an important feature for me.
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Rainhead. The term "rainhead" has sort of been corrupted over the years. You really need to feel the output yourself and figure out what type you prefer. In my own shower I wanted a traditional rain head. Simple water droplets, so to speak. Mine is a 12" head, and I do consider that to be the smallest size for a decent rain shower, and without a doubt, that is my personal opinion. You want the head away from the wall, so if you have a large rainhead, consider a bracketed or support arm of some sort, the added support can come from the wall or from the ceiling. Something along the lines of this: For your hand shower, have a hose long enough so you can spray down the corners of your shower. Body sprays. The same. Good showrooms have spray displays where you can feel the spray of water. Once upon a time I was intrigued by body sprays, Then I tried them and thought them to be the silliest thing ever. Some folk put in two heads, stacked vertically, one one wall. It's a little more common to want four body heads. Usually on two opposing walls, stacked vertically. You don't want them spraying towards the door. Usually chest and waist height, so figure that out when plumbing. You will have to figure out flow and hot water supply issues, from your water heater to the shower drain. Shower supply valves allow a certain amount of "pass through". You need to make sure each valve can actually supply the water needed to feed the heads that you want it to supply, or you could end up with insufficient flow. With body sprays, I recommend a "loop" supply to feed them, so the last head has pretty much the same flow as the first head. For your shower drain, it needs to be sized to the number of heads you have in the shower. Doesn't matter if only a few of them can or will be on at one time. It's a simple counting of the shower heads. A 2" drain can accomodate a shower with up to three heads. With four or more heads, plan on two 2" drains or a single 3" drain. If your plumber says you don't need to upsize to a 3" drain with four or more heads, he's not complying with code. If you want a "car wash" shower with five or six heads going at once? Your half inch pipe may not be adequate. Sure, with adequate feed pressure behind it it might be able to feed all those heads. But high water velocities through the tubing can actually erode copper from the tubing, potentially resulting in leaks. It's not just a matter of the 1/2" tubing being able to supply the needed water volume. You can crank up the water pressure and get volume. But cranking up the pressure to get the volume increases the water's velocity through the tubing, and again, too high of a "feet per minute" flow through the tubing can actually erode the tubing away. So do be wary if your "contractor" tries to soft talk away all of your concerns. Half-inch supply tubing can work. But it should work because your shower was designed to work with 1/2" tubing, not because, as your contractor told you, "everybody else is doing it". You can help yourself by drawing out a diagram of your shower. Doesn't have to be fancy. Each body spray and each shower head will have a GPM rating. Same with each valve. Make sure the valves and/or diverters that feed those heads can pass through the needed volume of water. Very basic numbers here, but 1/2" can comfortably flow about 5gpm. For hot and cold, that's 10gpm combined. For a comfortable temp out of the shower valve, that gets derated to about 7.5gpm of shower-temperature water. If your body sprays are 1.8GPM, four sprays is 7.2gpm for the body spray set only. You can figure different GPM combinations. Then figure that GPM out of your water heater to see how long your heater can maintain shower temperature. Oh lord. I need coffee...good luck! Edit: I never proof read this after posting it. Egads. Edited to clean up the weird formatting too. This post was edited by mongoct on Tue, Oct 21, 14 at 17:47
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We had a Hansgrohe Tower installed last year. It has spray, shower or spray/shower modes. When both are on, the output from each is reduced (by 30-40% maybe ????) This unit has 5 jets rated at 1gpm, and a showerhead rated at 2.5gpm ,,,,,, total max flow would be 10gpm at 65psi. Perhaps because of this lower output the jets donÂt "sting" at all, which would turn me off. My water pressure is a consistent 67-70psi and I wouldnÂt want it any higher. Buy a $5 gauge and find your systems pressure then check your towers requirements. I thought I read somewhere that you can buy pressurizing systems that bump it up .... KC
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MongoCT
10 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I can only offer my opinion.

First I think body sprays are a waste of money. I've used several types/variations, they don't appeal to me in the least bit. I'm done with that topic.

I do recommend two shower heads in a "couples" shower. A true rain head will give a different shower experience than a regular shower head. Gentle. Soothing. But not enough force to scour shampoo from a head of hair in a timely manner. The problem (well..."a" problem) is that rain heads have been twisted into everything besides a rain head while still being called rain heads.

I do like real rain heads. It's not terribly often that I'm in a "shower mood". Usually I'm in and out. But turning on the rain head is a nice experience. My wife loves it and uses it much more than I do. A 12" head gives a nice shower, 10" is about the smallest I'd recommend.

I really like handhelds. The heads these days are the same as the fixed heads, they're just mobile. You mentioned your back. Our handheld has four spray patterns, it's on the generic shower pattern 90% of the time. My wife does have neck issues, she'll sometimes put on the massage spray pattern and lower the head (on a vertical slide bar) to neck height and blast away at her neck for a few minutes.

Handhelds, when "hand held", can also help rinsing hair faster. A hose of adequate length can help ashing down the shower walls too.

You can usually buy additional wall brackets for a handheld. I'll sometimes mount one lower on the wall for folks who shave their legs.
EngineerChic
10 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
We had a shower with body sprays and almost never used them. I did use the hand shower and wall mounted shower head often enough, but I think many of us are too busy to spend a long time in the shower.

The body sprays were no stronger or more effective than aiming the hand shower at my back after spending too many hours weeding or hacking at brush/trees. YMMV, of course!
live_wire_oak
10 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Rain heads do not offer a great deal of pressure. Think about getting caught outdoors during a thunderstorm. They will not be great at rinsing out shampoo. It's about the experience of water gently cascading down your body, not rinsing shampoo out. Rinsing shampoo is what the regular shower head or handheld is for.

Body spray are not therapeutic. They are just other wetting ports. Therefore, they are never used 95% of the time for most people. A bidet with heated water is more useful for "targeted cleaning" if you've got that thought in your head as well about body sprays.
kaysd
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
OK, at this point I have abandoned the idea of body sprays. I don't want to waste the money or the water if they are not therapeutic for a bad back. I am still debating the idea of a rain shower head. Neither DH nor our designer thinks it is a good idea for a 42" x 59" shower, especially since I have to fit a 10" square light and sound unit for the steam shower on the shower ceiling. I would consider putting a rain shower head right in the middle of the shower so I could use the rain shower and aim the handheld at my lower back at the same time, but if I center the rain head there is no good place for the light panel.

Kmcg, I am glad to hear you are enjoying the Raindance shower heads. A fixed wall mount showerhead sounds like agood option for a 2nd head if I don't go grazy with a ceiling mounted rain shower head.

Sas95, it's interesting that you don't like the rain shower. The lady at the showrooom also told me that it is often the men who like the rain shower and the women like the handshower. My husband has disclaimed any interest in the rain shower, so if I don't like it, it will be a real waste.

Mongoct, I do use the handheld on the slidebar for my back, and will just stick with that, since it sounds like the body sprays are a waste. Which "real rain heads" would you recommend?

EngineerChic, good to know the body sprays don't add anything to the experience for the added costs.

Live_wire_oak, I really had not considered contorting myself to try to use the back height body sprays for "targeted cleaning." Thanks for that mental image, lol.
sochi
10 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Just to cement your argument: we just had a hand held and a rain shower installed in our master bath renovation. We had the body sprays from the previous shower removed in the reno - they were not therapeutic and we never used them. Ours seemed unfortunately placed too - the POs were shorter than us, perhaps that is why.

When I was doing my research on rain heads a couple of months back I received many recommendations here for Hansgrohe, that is what we had installed.
panzer1
10 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hey Kaysd, I'm going to give you a totally different opinion about the shower sprays! I had them in our house and I loved them! We could turn the pressure down or up , I had 3 for the back (2 on the upper back and one on the lower) and two for the front (these ones we always had the power turned low, we liked to have the water keeping the front of us warm!). I loved loved loved them! By no means did it replace a good massage, but it always felt good. When I was pregnant with my twins, I could stand in there until I ran out of hot water! We are in the process of rebuilding our home and body sprays will definitely be added again!

We also had the handheld and rain shower, the only thing I would say is basically what has already been said, the hand held makes rinsing shampoo much easier, the rain shower worked, but wasn't quick by any means.
pbx2_gw
10 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
We are in the same position as the OP in our build /fixture decision at this time.
& all the above comments are spot on with our thought process also!

The rainshower is more a show than go item for us.
My wife wants it, but I'd rather have an angled shower hand from the wall for more water pressure.

But I had to compromise since the handspray serves that purpose esp. when hung the wall clip.

Since our shower system will be the exposed pipe vintage looking type, most come with rainshower type heads.

The positive byproduct out of all of this is that with our doorless shower entry, the rainshower will have less chance for a splash flooding issue :)
61612
7 years ago
We are putting in Kohler 5 inch shower head katalyst air induction k16244kcp large droplets 2.5 gallons pressure makes a big difference in power. With a low mount shift wand k10257-a-cp 2.5 gallon pressure. Low mount hand spray with a 6 ft hose with give you hose length to shower and clean shower walls. 6 Master Shower Round body spray 2.5 gallons pressureK8509-cp . Line up 2-2-2 . the body sprays without obstruction of the control Handel. You can get closer to the message pressure. Master shower round body spray are more forceful. You have a choice of spray heads...Bigger the holes in spray heads ...greater the force. Agree the katalyst air induction 14 inch Rain Head 2.5 gallon water pressure is great. Wish we could put in a doorless entry.
Michael Carton
6 years ago
I have multiple body sprays and use them every day. I cant imagine showering without them.
Cynthia Johnson
5 years ago
We are doing a remodel as well and I figure that this may be the one and only time I get to 1- customize the shower to be personal for us and 2- get to put in the little extras that will make it feel more luxurious. I also do not want to later regret not adding something that is small at this point (as we are in the remodel process) just because I want to save a buck or two.

Once the walls are closed up that will likely be it for us one does not remodel their bathroom very often. I opted for the whole 9 yards and will be putting in 4 body sprays of 2 different heads, a rain shower head (in the middle), 2 regular shower heads (one for each of us), and a hand held on a slide bar.

I think it may also depend on how long you plan on being in the house how much you put into the shower as well as like others mentioned what type of shower you prefer.

We also opted for the steamer and as I have seen on other sites and this one if you are going to upgrade the bathroom upgrade it. you wouldn't remodel your Kitchen and buy all generic cabinets and flooring and then add a Subzero fridge. I was told that as far as return on investment that if you are selling your home and do things like this it tends to stand out.

Hope your shower turns out great!
dbaker777
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Thanks for the information everyone. I am a few weeks out of a bathroom renovation and was wondering the exact same thing as kaysd. Cynthia Johnson and panzer1, can you tell me what brand of components you went with? I am considering Brizo or Delta because their body sprays have massage heads and are interchangeable. I was told by my contractor that Hanagrohe was a lower quality product, but they seem to have nice options, plus the reviews are good. Our master bath is 6x12 w/ the shower at the back wall. I'm feeling overwhelmed with the options, especially since this will be the one and only time we'll be remodeling it. I appreciate any advice!
enduring
5 years ago
I don't believe that Hangrohe is a lower quality product. But Delta seems to be well regarded too. Here is a review of faucets by StarCraft Builders. I don't know them, and I'm not advertising for them. I just find that they have helpful info on their web pages.

Faucet review:

http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets2.htm#.WgcGRoZrx0J
dbaker777
5 years ago
Thank you roarah and enduring. Your input is helpful!
PRO
FaucetList, Inc.
5 years ago
Delta Shower Systems are really great. We deal with them every day and they are really an industry leader. All Delta products have a lifetime warranty on both operation and finish so you really can't go wrong. They have a great parts replacement department to help if anything goes wrong.

It's a little tricky to put together a shower system with everything needed for installation. Here's a guide we wrote we can help: https://faucetlist.com/blogs/buying-guides/shower-systems

With regards to body sprays, Delta has a new style called HydraChoice Body Spray Jets. HydraChoice body sprays automatically pop-out of the wall when you turn on the water.. It is also possible to angle them as you choose once they are pop-out. Read more about these body sprays and watch a video of them in action...they are really cool! https://faucetlist.com/blogs/buying-guides/delta-shower-system-hydrachoice-body-sprays-with-video

In regards to whether they are worth it, there are a few things to consider. If you are often cold when you take a shower or have a drafty bathroom then body sprays can help make sure you stay warm. They are designed to surround you with water which is very pleasant.

I suppose worth it could also mean do they add value to your home. Well a shower system in the master bath have been shown to increase home value. So why not enjoy your shower while you live there and sell the house for more if you ever move!

These images show a shower system with HydraChoice Body sprays, a handheld shower, and a showerhead

Are rain shower heads and body sprays worth putting in?

roarah

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Are rain shower heads and body sprays worth putting in?

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