Luxurious Home Showers No Longer Just Reserved For Affluent Retreats

Shower sensations: Channeling the chic sensibility of lavish resort spas, luxurious home showers are no longer just reserved for affluent retreats.

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Evolving from a place with a distinct purpose to a lavish escape, home showers are becoming a peaceful getaway and the focal point of the bathroom.

Incorporating features such as steam rooms, surround sound speakers, LED chromatherapy lighting, benches, shelving, showerheads that resemble the undeniable sensation of gentle raindrops with the help of air-injection technology and massaging body sprays at every level, home showers are becoming a therapeutic relief in which many homeowners are quickly investing.

“Showers have become the epicenter of the bathroom,” says Jeremy Smith of Central Arizona Supply. “Homeowners no longer feel they have to have a great bathtub. Instead, there are so many amazing features in showers that are being taken advantage of that are giving the therapeutic aspects that the bath used to give.”

As bathtubs are now becoming more of an aesthetically pleasing element than regularly-used items, it’s out with the sunken soakers and in with the spa and sauna-like showers.

“What is being done to these rooms today has become more of a place of retreat than just a place to quickly get things done,” says Tim Thacker, owner of COHACO Building Specialties, explaining the changing faces of in-home showers. “The bathroom has become a place to relax, retire and rejuvenate.”

According to Thacker, a big part in this maturing trend is the multitude of options in materials and technology available today.

From matching faucets and handles to calming tile accents and streamlined shower enclosures, bathrooms have evolved beyond the spa and incorporated a personalized touch to suit a homeowner’s specific needs and wants.

Becoming a popular home investment, an added bonus to these upgrades, according to Smith, is that they are now able to reach a wider range of customers due to competitive price markets lowering the cost of such items. As a result, what is considered a lavish upgrade can now be a more attainable addition to any homeowner’s bathroom.

With such a large selection of bells and whistles to make your home shower resemble the spa of your dreams, homeowners are urged to test before they buy and explore every option available. Smith strongly suggests working closely with your contractor so every detail is appropriately accommodated to meet both your needs and your body’s needs for the best therapeutic results.

For those considering incorporating spa-like features, Thacker says, “Homeowners are finding that the money used in this area is very well spent. It has been proven that in a remodel, the money spent in redesigning a bathroom will always allow you to recoup your expenses when the home is sold or just having it reappraised.”

Manufactures are now starting to mix the perks of top-quality, in-home saunas, steam rooms and luxurious showers, manufactures with products that incorporate more sustainable and water-saving technologies.

“We see many features such as smart temp-controlled valves and insta-hot water to replace water heaters for more saving attributes,” says Melissa Kale, president of Picasso Tile and Stonework.

According to Smith, the addition of such eco-conscious elements is, “definitely the next frontier.”

Scottsdale Living Magazine Fall 2012