| Imagine washing your worries away under a | | | | available on the market. This impressive product |
| showerhead large enough to cover your entire | | | | also features more than 250 water nozzles |
| body. Or consider the soothing sensation of | | | | expertly arranged to provide full-body coverage |
| massaging water jets set to the temperature and | | | | with 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 the | | | | around us and focus on cleansing our minds and |
| comfort of your own home. If these indulgences | | | | souls-as well as our bodies," says Flowers. "With |
| sound appealing, you're not alone. For more and | | | | our 16-inch Rainshower, you really feel as if you're |
| more individuals, the daily forecast is calling for | | | | escaping into an intense cascade of water. It's |
| long, heavy showers. | | | | simultaneously soothing and reinvigorating." |
| Within the past few years, bathrooms have | | | | Sometimes it's necessary to take matters into |
| rapidly evolved into a kind of oasis within the | | | | your own hands -literally. Hand showers, already |
| home-growing larger in both size and importance | | | | hugely popular in Europe, are becoming increasingly |
| as people seek refuge from increasing stresses | | | | fashionable in the U.S. The best designs make |
| and strains. Kitchen and Bath Business magazine | | | | reaching all parts of the body effortless through |
| recently reported that consumers are so | | | | ergonomically shaped handles and multiple spray |
| passionate about this most private space of the | | | | patterns that let you set your shower to your |
| home that bathroom remodeling jobs have | | | | mood. For added comfort and ease, look for |
| increased 29 percent since 2000 and high-end | | | | those with a 360-degree swivel capacity that |
| remodeling jobs are expected to increase another | | | | eliminates 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 spaces | | | | from hot water temperatures. |
| for cleaning and grooming," says Paul Flowers, vice | | | | Demand also is increasing for shower panels that |
| president of design for Grohe, one of the largest | | | | allow users to customize their showers based on |
| faucet companies in the world. "Hip hotels and | | | | their individual preferences-be it a light sprinkle or |
| spas have opened our eyes to the pleasures of | | | | a total downpour. Easy to install and available in |
| hydrotherapy and more people want to bring this | | | | sizes 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 the | | | | showers and a variety of repositionable body |
| variety of shower products flooding the | | | | sprays to create an extreme shower experience |
| marketplace. Among the most popular new | | | | by 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 a | | | | in the morning or a long, relaxing water massage |
| refreshing, tropical rain shower. Rain-style | | | | before 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 rainshower | | | | range of sumptuous bathroom products, you can |
| experience there's a gigantic showerhead | | | | create a spa that's only minutes away and open |
| measuring 16 inches in diameter, the largest | | | | 365 days a year. |