The bath vs shower debate has been a hotly-argued topic in households across the country. While some people love the idea of starting or ending the day with a long soak, others can’t fathom the concept of sloshing around in a tub full of water.
Both showers and baths have some pretty brilliant health and well-being benefits, but which is better for you in the long term?
As they say, Showers are better as they don’t strip your skin of natural oils, but baths are great for people with aching muscles, skin issues, or for stress relief and sleep aid, as you can soak in a bath with different Bath salts and bath oils or Milk. Always moisturise well afterwards as a long soak can dehydrate your skin.
So in saying all that I think it is a matter of personal choice and lifestyle once you take care of your skin in the long run. I like a shower but I also like a nice soak in a bath. In today’s world, life is too busy and a bath is a luxury more than a necessity, so why not opt for both if you have room in your home as most houses these days have more than one bathroom.
As we are not medical experts we will leave the debate to those who are and I will tell you what is on the market today in the world of bathing.
We all love the idea of a big luxurious freestanding bath in our bathroom but that is not always practical and a lot of people simply don’t have the space, but having a bath and a shower in your home is sometimes a necessity for some families as they have young children to bathe.
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Here are some bathroom products to consider for a Family Home.
The Showerbath is a great option for busy families with young children. The Showerbath is a bath usually p-shaped or L-shaped, so basically it’s available in a squared or rounded option, your choice depends on your preference of the bathroom style you have chosen. This bath has a wider space at the shower end and comes with a hinged glass bath screen, which means it can be opened out of the way while you are bathing your child.
Another option to consider is a basic Inset Bath (also known as a standard bath) you can then add a bath panel or it can be also tiled into the bathroom, you can also buy a separate bath screen, but this bath is the same width the whole length, it doesn’t have a wider end for showering like the shower bath.
Once you have chosen which bath option you want you can then have a shower fitted over the bath, this can be a thermostatic shower or an Electric shower this all depends on the plumbing of your home as you may need a pump. There is an option of a bath-shower mixer, Which is the tap fitted on the bath, it is only for rinsing yourself after a bath and is not as good as a shower, but there is a bath-shower mixer on the market to suit this need, like a thermostatic bath-shower mixer.
The last option for a family home is to have a shower cubicle in the en-suite and a nice luxury bath in the main bathroom. I know some people might think they don’t have the space, well we have free-standing baths as small as 1550mm with tap ledges so this is shorter than the average bath size in a home of 1700mm.
Regardless of the space you have there are plenty of styles that are sure to make your bathroom a truly wonderful place to unwind.
A LIFE OF LUXURY
If you have plenty of space in your home for a luxury bathroom well you are in for a treat, in today’s bathing world the choice is endless.
Both Luxurious Modern Freestanding baths and captive Traditional Freestanding baths a very popular in today’s bathroom trends but people also want the option to have a luxury walk-in shower and in this create a complete wetroom, this can be achieved whether you want a Modern or Traditional style bathroom and radiate class and sophistication into your home.
If taking a long and steamy shower is your preference then adding a walk-in shower or wetroom is a great starting point. Walk-in showers are so on-trend, that more and more people are choosing them as they are very accessible and come in a variety of styles and colours. Walk-in showers add a sense of retreat to your bathroom, you could even go as far as having a built-in spa seat.
Turning your bathroom into a complete wetroom is another option in which you would need plenty of space if you wish to have bathroom furniture fitted in the room, if you opt for all sanitary ware then you have no worries about things getting wet, just ensure your storage cabinets are stainless stee
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WET ROOM AND A WALK-IN SHOWER?
The difference between a wet room and a walk-in shower is that as in the name wet room, the space is completely open plan, although a wetroom shower screen can be used depending on the wall usage in your room, for instants you could have an alcove (this can be built by put up a partition) in the room for the shower area. In a wet room, the water flows away through a drain in the floor so you have to have the floor tiled with a slope for the water to flow correctly, whereas a walk-in shower typically features one or two glass screens and a low-level shower tray or a mosaic floor. Both options provide easy access.
Whichever you choose a walk-in shower or wet room provides stylish and practical showering for all ages, from young to elderly, as well as for those with restricted mobility.
Make sure to use a water seal when fitting a wet area in your bathroom by using a tanking system.
Now for the Luxury, if you have a lovely big open space for your bathroom, you can opt for both a bath and a shower cubicle in the same room and you could have your brassware (shower and taps) all connected, as we have multiple options for you to create your sanctuary. In today’s market, you can opt for whichever style you want you don’t have to stick to modern to have these features.
How about a showering system with triple-function shower sets that combine a fixed shower head, shower handset and bath filler for a luxurious and varied showering experience, all controlled from one valve. Most of the showers now come with matching taps in a range of chrome, Black, Gold and Brush Brass.
I love the Classic showers with rain heads, so on trend, and there are even showers that you can connect to your phone and tell it to turn on, sure what more do you want.
If you opt for luxury with a free-standing bath and Shower enclosure in the same room, you can choose from a wall-mounted or freestanding bath filler or a bath shower mixer, we even have wall mount basin mixers, all to mix and match to your shower and for you to create your Style, your Bathroom.
And last of all don’t forget your Bathroom accessories which are also available to match the rest of the Brassware in your bathroom.
If you need any assistance I recommend you visit our 101 Bathrooms Showroom, showcasing all your bathroom ware and tiles, it’s A World of Inspiration.