Custom Shower Systems Make Luxurious Bathing a Vertical ExperienceSuper Soakers

The husband wanted a ceiling-mount shower. The wife wanted a handshower. The husband wanted custom-fitted body sprays. The wife wanted a traditional showerhead. Let's call the whole thing off?

Nope. They just called the plumber.

The couple ended up with a "his and hers" shower setup that allowed both spouses to have their desired shower fixtures on separate walls. "It truly is customization," says Michael Reffner, senior product manager for wholesale bath for Moen, which supplied the materials for the couple's shower. In fact, the husband even stood in the shower and had the plumber measure exactly where he wanted the body sprays, Reffner says.

With more advanced thermostatic valves allowing for more complex shower installations, and with homeowners becoming less likely to take a time-consuming whirlpool bath but still desiring a spa-like experience, such custom luxury shower systems are becoming more common every day.

"People are wanting to buy and have more options for body sprays, handshowers, and showerheads," says Jason McClain, marketing communications manager for Hansgrohe. He points out his company's training class about showers is twice as popular as any other offered to the company's showroom salesforce.

Moen's Reffner says his company's volume in shower systems has tripled since it introduced its 3/4-inch thermostatic valve in 2006. More manufacturers have introduced 3/4-inch versions, which allow the valves to control higher flow rates and more devices.