The Oasis that is the Shower

Imagine washing your worries away under aavailable on the market. This impressive product
showerhead large enough to cover your entirealso features more than 250 water nozzles
body. Or consider the soothing sensation ofexpertly arranged to provide full-body coverage
massaging water jets set to the temperature andwith no "dry" zones.
rhythm of your choosing. Now, think about"Showers are a time to block out the world
enjoying this spa-worthy pampering in thearound us and focus on cleansing our minds and
comfort of your own home. If these indulgencessouls-as well as our bodies," says Flowers. "With
sound appealing, you're not alone. For more andour 16-inch Rainshower, you really feel as if you're
more individuals, the daily forecast is calling forescaping into an intense cascade of water. It's
long, heavy showers.simultaneously soothing and reinvigorating."
Within the past few years, bathrooms haveSometimes it's necessary to take matters into
rapidly evolved into a kind of oasis within theyour own hands -literally. Hand showers, already
home-growing larger in both size and importancehugely popular in Europe, are becoming increasingly
as people seek refuge from increasing stressesfashionable in the U.S. The best designs make
and strains. Kitchen and Bath Business magazinereaching all parts of the body effortless through
recently reported that consumers are soergonomically shaped handles and multiple spray
passionate about this most private space of thepatterns that let you set your shower to your
home that bathroom remodeling jobs havemood. For added comfort and ease, look for
increased 29 percent since 2000 and high-endthose with a 360-degree swivel capacity that
remodeling jobs are expected to increase anothereliminates twisting and kinking of the hand shower
17 percent in the next year.hose, and a double-insulation design that protects
"No longer are bathrooms purely functional spacesfrom hot water temperatures.
for cleaning and grooming," says Paul Flowers, viceDemand also is increasing for shower panels that
president of design for Grohe, one of the largestallow users to customize their showers based on
faucet companies in the world. "Hip hotels andtheir individual preferences-be it a light sprinkle or
spas have opened our eyes to the pleasures ofa total downpour. Easy to install and available in
hydrotherapy and more people want to bring thissizes to suit any bathroom, these all-in-one
luxurious experience into their own homes."designs combine traditional showerheads, hand
Nowhere is this trend more evident than in theshowers and a variety of repositionable body
variety of shower products flooding thesprays to create an extreme shower experience
marketplace. Among the most popular newby distributing water from two or more directions.
offerings are "rain" products. As the name implies,Whether it's a quick, energizing shower first thing
these designs create the sensation of soaking in ain the morning or a long, relaxing water massage
refreshing, tropical rain shower. Rain-stylebefore bed, there's now no excuse for denying
showerheads are available in a multitude of sizes,yourself the pampering you deserve. With today's
but for what may be the ultimate rainshowerrange of sumptuous bathroom products, you can
experience there's a gigantic showerheadcreate a spa that's only minutes away and open
measuring 16 inches in diameter, the largest365 days a year.