Shower system layouts: rain heads, handshowers and body sprays
A well-planned shower feels better and is easier to clean. These are the common layouts, from simplest to most involved.
Single wall showerhead
One valve and one head. It's the simplest and least expensive layout, and it suits most bathrooms.
Showerhead plus handshower
A wall head and a handshower on a slide bar or wall bracket, with a diverter between them. The handshower makes cleaning the shower and bathing children or pets much easier.
Rain head plus handshower
A ceiling or long-arm rain head with a handshower. Rain heads feel generous but rinse hair less forcefully. A thermostatic valve with separate volume controls works best here.
Body sprays
Wall jets add a spa feel, but they need more water flow, more valves and careful planning with your plumber and water heater.
Things to plan
- Flow rates: federal rules cap showerheads at 2.5 gallons per minute, and WaterSense-labeled heads use 2.0 or less. Some states set lower limits.
- Water heater capacity for multiple outlets.
- Ceiling height for rain heads, and arm length so water lands where you stand.
- Slide bar position, so it works for everyone in the household.
Sources
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