What do you mean by “spa shower”? Tile and glass? It can be done in that space. The most important thing is the waterproofing. You should read up on it.

I also don't know what you mean by "spa shower".

I remodeled my condo and replaced the tub/shower combination with a shower that follows the footprint of the tub/shower.

I have a wonderful built in bench at one end which I really relish because I can relax while sitting especially if there are conditioners or masks that need to be on the hair for a few minutes. I have an additional hand held shower head by the bench so that I can access it while sitting down.

I don't know if my shower is a "spa shower" but I splurged on high end finishes including marble, very expensive tile; frameless shower glass with Showerguard; thermostatic shower valves that were quite expensive. I also splurged on other aspects of the bathroom as my vanity has a lot of custom details for the way I want to use the space. I splurged on a top of the line Toto washlet which I enjoy every day as well as other finishes - mirrors, sconces etc.

A good designer knows more than you even think you don't know - if that makes sense. Stuff about placement of everything and how to make the best use of space.

You woud benefit from a designer who would provide a design in collaboration with you. That design plan would then be sent out to GC in order to get a quote on doing the project. Often the designer will have leads to good GC which is how I found my great GC. I also went to visit projects he was working on to get a sense of the quality of his work. You really want to make sure that you find a super qualified GC who uses high quality tradespeople because a bathroom is a room that probably requires the highest level of expertise and there is a lot that can go wrong.

I appreciate your input. Thank you sounds like what I am looking for. If you care to share pics I would love to see. I will seek out designer good advice

@Emily

wedi system and Schluter system are my considerations associated with wayerproofing

@Donna Mccurdy - I am not sure whether pictures would be helpful as my design is not at all what "spa bathroom" conjures up as to me that is the very modern bathroom with gray/white marble and very modern vanities and my design is the antithesis of that.

However I did achieve what I think of as a "luxurious" bathroom in a relatively small space as I live in a high rise in a metropolian area and it isn't large but with the help of my experienced designer I made the best use of my space and it feel luxurious to me.

It is also incredibly comfortable to use. I did a gut remodel of my unit and while I appreciate much of what I did in terms of aesthetics and function, I think my shower including the bench; my Toto washlet and my adjustable bed with great mattress are probably the things I would miss most if they disappeared 😂 I love my built in bench by the way - there is ample space in a shower that follows the footprint of a normal shower/tub combination and it is so much better than a moveable one. I did need a shower seat after an operation and I hated the portable one. It took up space - it was difficult to clean around - and with a small bathroom there is no place for it to go except in the shower. 🤷🏼‍♀️ For some reason built in benches are controversial on houzz but my shower would be less than ideal with one of those portable teak benches or other alternatives.

One of the great things about a small space is that one can get to splurge on higher end finishes because you need less of them. A few times I priced out the actual difference in what my dream tiles were versus the compromise tiles and it made no sense to not get the tiles I loved because everything else like labor to install would be the same so the savings for the square footage wasn't that high.

Short answer - yes. There's a WORLD of difference in how a shower "feels" when you are standing in a tub with either a curtain or a glass door, vs a flat pan that extends all the way out, flat, and you are not in a "bucket" that you have to step out of - a bucket, where the bottom is much less area than the actual footprint.

You can make a very nice shower in the space. I recently installed a Kohler shower pan that is 66x36 and it feels HUGE.

@Helen, I don't want o hijack the thread but would LOVE to hear more about your adjustable bed!! We're also shopping for a new King adjustable bed but feel overwhelmed by the many choices and the inability to try them out and/or compare between models and brands. Thank you!!

@Julie K - I spent a LOT of time researching my adjustable bed and mattress when it was replaced and I am super happy with my choices.

After reading a lot I went with a adjustable bed frame from Legget & Platt. I bought in Fall 2017 and got the Prodigy 2.0 which was then their top of the line model. I would probably get whatever is the top of the line model now because they have added adjustable lumbar support feature as well as the standard head and foot adjustment features.

Leggett & Platt Adjustable Beds

I also spent a lot of time physically testing mattresses and wound up with a latex mattress - or more accurately a mattress which has the "comfort" layer made of latex with a top layer of merino wool for temperature regulation - or so it says. When I have to replace the mattress I might go with 100% latex but my current mattress is like sleeping on a supportive cloud. FWIW latex is completely unlike memory foam/Temperpedic which I also tried but didn't feel comfortable sinking in as it made it more difficult for me to shift positions - but that is me as friends love their Temperpedic which is why physically testing mattresses is so critical.

If anyone is buying a mattress in Los Angeles I really recommend Legacy Mattress on Overland near Venice Boulevard. It is not a chain store and the owner (Joseph) is incredibly helpful and knowledgable. When I walked in and told him what I thought I liked he made a few suggestions and although I test all of them by lying on them I wound up with the one he thought I was going to find the most comfortable - he is kind of like the mattress whisperer.

Legacy Mattress

@Helen, thank you so much for the great tips!! I'm going to do more research tonight. We like to sleep on a super firm mattress and currently have a nonadjustable Temperedic memory foam knockoff. It's good for the first 12-18 months, then gradually gets too soft for us.

Coincidentally we're headed to SoCal (Orange County) this weekend to visit my parents. I'll have to see if we can fit a trip to your "mattress whisper" if he can drop ship to NorCal. Thank you again!!

OP - apologies for sidetracking your thread. We love the Toto Nexus with S55e and auto-flush. We also love our Graff thermostatic shower valves! For our primary bathroom we purchased the Toto wall-mounted RP with washlet and auto-flush and splurged on Dorenbracht shower fixtures including a couple of thermostatic valves for our hand shower and wall shower fixtures. We also purchased an Amba towel warmer that's compatible with a Google-assist switch so we can turn it on/off with our voice while in bed as well as program dates/times we want it on. We did the same with our Ditra electric underfloor warmer. Hope that helps!

@julie. It is all good. Thank you for the nuggets on Toto and Dorenbracht fixtures

@Julie K He is well worth a visit even if it turns out he can't ship to you since he would probably be able to provide you with some recommendations. When I went to the chain stores that sell the widely advertised brands, most of the salespeople seemed to know less about the construction of mattresses than I did as they couldn't answer my questions. Joseph was able to answer all of my questions without consulting a manual or calling the manufacturer for basic information.

He is not open on Saturday as he is religious.

I second the recommendation for a pure latex mattress! They are required to have a fire resistant cover, so most have a wool cover.

@Nancy in Mich Not to wildly hijack but when I was researching mattresses, some of the most highly rated latex mattresses were composed of layers so you could custom order exactly how you wanted the mattress to "feel". You could also swap layers or buy additional layers after the purchase.

@Helen, I'm going to see if I can squeeze in a visit to your "mattress whisperer" in LA this weekend! Thank you @Helen and @Nancy in Mich for all the great advice! I started a new post in case you think of anything else and/or have additional insights to share. ;-)