I have LONG THICK hair...and I LOVE our shower head. It's a rainshower type, but so strong I don't ever put it on full stregnth and it's always enough flow to handle a good shampooing. (Is that a word? heh heh) Anyhoo, We've been using it for about six months and both DH and I love it. For a more focused rinse it also has a hand held sprayer (which I love for washing down the shower). I bought mine from Signature Hardware. (I've provided the link to the exact same one we have which is also thermostatic) Great service, fabulous products! I think you'd love it and it comes in several finishes. Here is a link that might be useful: Abbington Rainshower

Sara, I have a little 1991 California tract house. I just got my guest bath remodeled and I went with all chrome fixtures, including my towel bar and vanity light. I saved quite a bit with the fixtures and of course all chrome goes together. I was afraid of being matchy-matchy, but it just doesn't affect me that way. It's not like you see them all in one eyeful anyway. Chrome has a clean look, like a 1950s car. I don't particularly like cool/blue colors and the perceived blueness of chrome doesn't bother me at all. I have a brushed nickel door knob (existing) and floor register, the best color for my floor. Honestly, it's all fine together.

Dream, In your original question, you were looking for a separate volume control. This allows you to control the volume of water coming out of the shower head. A theromostatic valve manages the temperature of the water. It allows you to set a temperature and just turn on the shower and the water will always be at that temperature. If you have a pressure change, in a thermostatic shower, rather than changing the temperature, you get less water but the temperature is constant. I am not sure why it would be more to install than a pressure balanced valve though. The functionality is in the valve and the installation is the same as a pressure balanced valve. The cost of a Thermostatic valve is more than a pressure balanced valve. I will post a video once I find it from a hansgrohe explaining the valve set up in the bathroom. I found it useful to understand the functionality.

Thaddeus Weakley, the best hand-held shower head I have used is a very small and basic wall shower head, like you find in gyms and such. Mine was from Ace Hardware and it was solid brass. Using it with a shower hose meant that I needed to buy a male-to-female brass fitting to hook it up, so that gave it the perfect length to hold in my palm. Wherever I pointed my fingeers got a good, strong spray. I had it in our bathtub, connected up on the wall shower head pipe, so the 5 ft hose did not reach the floor of the tub. It hung there until I needed it. It was perfect for washing dogs because when I let it go, it just swung back to the wall and continued to spray straight down. I have not gotten the same shower head for my current hand held because it CAN reach the floor, and I could drop it on my toes or even make it spray out of the shower stall because we have no curb and no glass enclosure. The plastic, hand-held I have is a bit eassier to grab if it should fall. If I had the hose coming from above, though, I would go back to the brass head in a minute. As for Rubinet, try calling them. They are in Canada. I have their Raven lav faucet, which I love. When it was first installed, it would loosen over time as we used it because the single handle was on the side. The force of always pushing it there would make it turn in its fittings and get loose. I called them and we determined that my installer must have left off the rubber gasket that would have grabbed it and kept it from loosening. They sent me a new one without even asking for my receipt. Hubby looked, and they were right. Contractor had left off the rubber gasket. He fixed it in a couple of minutes.