I have an older model for my outdoor shower. for the money it is fine. I have incredible water pressure at my house and even with only half inch pipes leading to it it is a nice massage but if you do not have great water pressure it is not impressive. My parents' well water and 1/2 inch pipes make it's jets and multiple heads used simultaneously useless. Mine is atleast four years old and we did need to replace the rain head last year for the orginal rusted out but to be fair it is keep in the sun and rain for five months out of the year.

here is my older model after more than 4years of use

It was for a while my favorite shower but last year we added a master shower with hard plumbed jets, hand held and rain head with 3/4 pipes for even better pressure, a thermostatic valve to maintain temp and pressure control and three separate water control handles so we can use one, two or three water sources at a time. We have an instantaneous water heater so we never run out of hot water and try to remember to not use it for to long or too often as to not waste to much water and energy. This shower is my oasis! Water pressure I think is a woman's best friend and the jets are haven to me but this set up was substantially more expensive and not a retro fit like a tower is. I much prefer my hard plumbed set up to my shower tower but honestly it is like comparing a Kia to an Audi in cost and not an apples to apples comparison.

the set up I prefer.

for better therapeutic results if your budget supports this upgrade I recommend this.

Retro fit import panels are not what you should be using for a new bath build. Ever. You need to be using dedicated body jets, etc. with the proper in wall valves and transfers. All hard plumbed.

The novelty WILL wear off though. And quickly. It's the #1 most regretted expense in a bath remodel behind putting in the great white whale that never gets used. Find a boutique hotel that has a spa bath setup and spend a weekend every year.

Thanks for both your answers. Roarah about how much does hard plumbing cost? Closer to 600 or a couple thousand or more than that?

We're probably putting in an into shower which is acrylic will a plumber be able to work with it?

Thanks sophie for steering me away from a retrofit for a new.bath. I'm a disabled veteran and have a lot of issues from bad paratrooping accidents. I couldn't image the novelty wearing off if they work like roarah said.

I still use my jets every shower after a year and I found a jetted tub and a nice looking freestanding tub to be a dust collectors in my last two homes but YMMV and I have both great water pressure and a never ending supply of hot water.

As to expense, I picked very expensive fixtures for looks and those without install were in the thousands as opposed to hundreds but another brand might be less. The plumbing for the outdoor shower column was a retro fit by us so not sure how much more hard plumb would have been. For the master in our new build addition it was a minimal labor upgrade to add the hard plumbing because we had nothing to begin with.

I do know jets get a bad review here so I may be a freak but I honestly love my shower setup. Not sure if it is coincidental but I no longer have migraines and my neck is never tense now but I do not have any bad preexisting injuries. I had a jetted tub through out most of my life, my parents houses always had them and I hated sitting in them, hated the noise and hated climbing out. The jets give me easy and quick pleasure. I also like just cleaning my body with them while keeping my hair dry after a work out...

Where would I find shower jets to have my contractor install? I live in the sticks and people don't have things like horizontal massage jets in their showers. I've been to several local hardware stores and asked for them and I just get blank stares and the more I try to explain the more puzzled the response.

I found mine at a bath supply house. I have Grohe fixtures but there are more affordable lines that are just as good quality wise for certain. Make sure your plumber knows how to install a balance loop system to ensure equalized temp and pressure when using all combinations of fixtures. Also for better pressure use 3/4 fittings instead of standard 1/2. I have city water with great pressure and still used 3/4 th. I have an instantaneous hot water system with my gas boiler In addition to a 40 gallon tank for on demand hot water and have never run out. I think those who say they do not enjoy their jets might not have a proper set up to fully utilize their systems.

make sure if you go this route to have the jets placed to your specific body size and needs...