I have a double shower with two rain shower heads. In hindsight I should have done one rain shower and one rail shower. The hand held spray would make cleaning so much easier!

I love our new big double shower. We have a rain shower and a rail shower. Two can shower together and cleaning the shower is easier than my old bucket routine.

I agree with myperfect. It is nice to have options and who doesn't love more space to run around and splash in the shower. ;) Okay, well I don't suggest running .....but you get what I mean. I think a relaxing bench is a must. :)

I think the key to this is in the question.....a shower that is large enough for two!! I can barely fit myself into our tiny shower, not to mention share it with another person! Ha. And like @myperfectadvice said.....a doube shower all to yourself isn't a bad idea either!! Love the idea.

Hi there, We think from memory that this customer of ours had benches that could fold down so they had the option of time-out /relaxing in the space. It was the ideal space for them to enjoy time together and communicate but also enjoy the space on their own - perhaps though we are reading a bit too much between the lines! If you can fit this option with space in a bathroom then why not!

It was a high priority for a family we recently worked with on this conversation and restoration project.

Recently had installed the most luxurious rain shower and it was to replace an old original gal iron one over my enormous bath. So, No room in that bathroom for a double shower...but, since the suggestiion of an outdoor shower, also by Luke Buckle hit the pages of Aussie Houzz...I'm all for it! Am having a big spout shower installed in a vine and bamboo surrounded courtyard I'd almost forgotten about. Its happening right now, and everyone who dares is invited to shower with me and my dog in my flower enclosed courtyard! I'll reminisce (?)SP when I was a "vanilla" baby in the nuddy on Nauru Island with not a single care in the whole world. YAY!

Would be handy to herd the 6 grands into and hose them all down at the one time.

Hey Olldroo, what about the dog too? I would not dare exclude 75kg Neapolitan Mastiff from my outdoor showers! I'm sure all your grandkids would enjoy the experience! WE once had outdoor Dunnies...so whay not outdoor showers? These days there are all sorts of camping products to use to achieve this...don't even need plumbing! Have a friend who lives on a sheep station with only rainwater available. They have rigged up an ingenious shower under the tall tank stand....just a bit down the hill from the outdoor dunny....the livin' is easy. They've got the Pizza oven and the BBQ and the frig that runs off kero...that's the good stuff!

For hygiene reasons I would never bathe or swim with an animal.

If I want me time, I lock the door! And I prefer a long soaking bath - showers keep me standing and literally "on my toes" mentally as well as physically.

@olldroo,
I have purchased a purpose made shower base that when finished, will give me what's called a stepless shower.
The base was delivered to my brothers place which as you know, is where I am at present, anyway, it's 1.8m long x 1.2m wide, huge when you actually see it as I have just done, I could have a party in it haha
Haven't thought about having a double shower but more so for the room and wheelchair access but must give due consideration to a double shower head!!
ASVInteriors;
I too have a bath in the new home we're currently building and even though I don't choose to bathe often, I do look forward to what you call 'me time' with a cruiser in one hand and the remote in the other and watching Better Homes without interruption!!
Cheers,
Barbara

Great thinking Barbara - planning ahead for wheelchair access is extremely sensible. We are living longer these days and Govts want to keep us in our homes as long as possible so this really adds to our options. Definitely chose one detachable shower head, mine gives a choice of a soft shower or a pulse jet. The jet is not just wonderful for stiff and aching limbs, it makes cleaning the shower easier too. As well being on a rail the height of the head can be adjusted and while it has been great for the younger grands, it is also more practical for sitting under the shower.

Hi J,
Yes agree with you about a rail shower, I will have nothing else both for cleaning as you said and for height differences, as I am so much shorter than hubby, it would be impossible to have a permanent height shower.
Hand held showers are fantastic for so many reasons, I agree, for an ache or painful joint as well as cleaning and if I end up with a double shower, we can use the hand held for fun and games, like the hose in the yard chasing the kids when they're little haha
This home we're building as you know, is being designed for us to not only enjoy as anyone would naturally do having a new home but to be able to live here until we fail to open our eyes one day but of course a long long time from now!!!
Cheers,
Barbara

@ olldroo and Barbara and ASV interiors.....Oh well...there are those of us who are conventional and those of us who are more adventurous with how we live.
My life is all about enjoying it rather than about constraints. The first part of my life was all about that...very oppressive, so not going to do that to myself now that I am in charge.....but each to his own and why not? Both Barbara and Ollroo seem to be making the most of their good fortunes from hard work...and again why not?
I am inttrigued by Barbara's stepless shower base. Sounds like something I would like when I have my wet room put in. Must enquire.....unless you want to tell me, Barb, where you had it made?

About "bathing with animals"- I bathe my best friend and helper and get a soaking myself- When my first Neo was a pup I'd sit him in the other end of the bath tub and am not dead from any terrible disease for having done so. I bet he was the cleanest, most hygenic dog in all Queensland! We went swimming unmolested in the creek at the eastern boundary of my land...I own what are called in lay terms "water rights" which today, because I hold a riparian lot, is in the form of a Water Licence attached to my title....so I have my very own part of the creek.
No cleaner people in town than my dog and me!
When the original pup got too big...it would have been like having a person in the bath with me so, I'd get out and he'd get in for his bath.
I have a new big fellow now so see no health hazard in allowing him to stand in the outdoor shower since I am the one who has to scrub him like a kid anyway, Whether its in my clothes or in the nuddy seems irrelevant...He needs to be kept clean since he is allowed inside because he is my assistance dog. I am enjoying my large rose shower head over the bath as I mostly sit these days in a purpose designes shower/bathe seat. For a different experience I have the pipe-shower ourside in the bamboo flowered surrouned outdoor shower!.
A double shower seems a bit over the top in my situation but certainly sounds luxurious and just the thing for others. I already have a stand-up shower and a shower over the bath that I can both stand under and sit under on a very comfy over the bath adjustable seat...so not to be "on my toes physically and mentally" to quote ASV Interiors! I had rhe hand held shower I'd been talked into removed. Priuor to the bath seat I needed three arms to use that contraption...don't care how up market it was...besides it can be reinstalled if ever I need help bathing.
Rather than a double shower...two shower roses, I like the idea of two different devices.
What I am really looking forward to is my wet room that will have an very large overhead fixed rain panel with the "rainfall" draining into a wooden grate above the equally large drain.
There are some wonderful products around today as showers go, I love a soak in the bath and have solved the problem of not being able to get out on occasions due to bad strengthless knees, by installing a clever item called a "Molly Bather" that lowers me into the bath and then lifts me up out of it.
Bathing is my luxury. Showering is just to keep clean and when in a hurry. A shower over the bath using both contemporaneously is as good as any double shower head in my book....two different ablution experiences in one!
As for preparing the ablution facilities for a less able time of life....Lucky me, that time is here and I am well prepared.
As for the end "being a long time from now"......mine came when I was just 29 but I was resuscitated to a life of impaired health....so "none of us knows how many days we are given"... cannot bank on being here tomorrow and think the last day is a long way away...and nobody knows what quality of life we will have at any point.
My philosophy in that regard is to LIVE and ENJOY and EXPERIENCE each day...and that entails for a large part wallowing in water...and with my dog! I once had a little cat who loved sitting on the edge of the bath and getting washed and when that was not available he'd turn on the tap in the vanity basin! As I said...Ive not contracted any nasties from either bathing my dog and getting a soaking myself or allowing them to bathe/shower/swim with me...and now even that fun thing is more versatile.I'd really hate to have a house that cramped my enjoyment of life, that I was a slave to, that I had to keep shiny as a new pin so my visitors would approve....and the hygene angle I think in those situations is just an excuse....So on with all the shower innovations galore and on with happy, healthy, well abluted inhabitants all!

@ladyrob1,
The step less shower base I speak of is made by Renox Pty Ltd, Melbourne, quite costly if you can't work within their size parameters but I'm sure I will be pleased when it's complete.
It is designed to be tiled over.
Cheers,
Barbara

Thanks Barbara for this information all...wouldn't you know it...Melbourne's got the lot! And to think I am a native of that place and had I stayed I probably would have had it all...but freedom was more attractive at any cost. It sounds fab. Am sure it will look really great in your new place...you seem to have the nose for finding just the thing. I will look into it most certainly...always time to change one's mind. Strange, I had imagined that it would be a stainlee steel sort of thing set in the floor...do not have a clue why! I am sure also that you will be pleased with it!
THANKS!

RAIN SHOWER,,,the Pic above is lovely but the space seems to narrow and claustrophobic.
Love the one in the Ideabook labelled "Dream Big"...I have the wooden ceiling already, The allocated room is 2.5mx2m and very easy to install an extra wooden grate on top of a high set wooden floor containing a big drain to the pit outside. Never thought I'd be so excited about a shower room! To make it extra special I have sourced, (online from China) a rain shower that changes colour! Oh wow! Hope I don't kick the bucket before I can experience that and tick it off my list!

My feelings and many of my customers is that space is so important over impracticality. The reality like two sinks is that you probably wont be using them at the same time so why spend all the extra in plumbing and cleaning time for something you wont use. Be practical and renovate to your needs

Bed for two shower for one..now that I'm older I'm leaning towards bed for one as well lol

The double vanity basins, I think, is an American movie idea. Agree with On The Bali Bathrooms. Double shower heads I think is of the same origin...waste of money, I bet that not many would be showering together...that's the stuff of romantic movies and un-water wise...suppose a luxury rain shower is also un-water-wise but mine is over the bath and always use the plug so - bath for dog or water to wash the car or other use. Nobody here tips out the washing up rinse water, many keep a plastic bowl instead of the second sink. In days of youre...golly that makes me feel old... couples had two single beds side by side. Noticed that the latest fashion in beds even in expensive hotel suites is individual beds or divided matresses on bed bases for two. Agree with Uyenvy Le and I ad: bed for one, or matress for one seems more sensible from the aspect of getting a good night's sleep. Life might go two by two but no reason for having two of everything...except maybe loos! Spend the money on a separate powder room and have a substantial basin/trough in it..large enough for washing a toddler...or even install a decent a bidet! With On the Ball Bathrooms..."Be practical and renovate to your needs" Best advice ever !

I voted nay because I've not got the space. However, you really don't need a full double shower to share.

@neotoma....that's true, space is the decider ultimately. Obviously sharing would not be possible with the shower over-the-bath model..but sharing a big tub and then an over the tub shower to rinse off works. The cubicle for two with a combination rain shower head and a hand held apparatus seems more sensible and practical.

We have a double shower- one rain shower over one end of the shower, one rail at the other, both water-wise WELS 3 star ratings, which eases the guilt a bit. We love the shower space - lots of room for one or both of us (so that, when we get too decrepit, we'll be able to put a bench in), a choice of showerheads (useful for when you want a quick sluice without getting your hair wet) and easy to clean. Admittedly, the shower takes up room, but since we don't have and didn't want a bath in the ensuite, a big shower seemed like a pretty good use of the space. No regrets.

To jmm1837...neither should you have regrets having thought it all out so well and had it made to your preferences even with a view to the future. Sounds just perfect to me!

I have to wonder at how much water these water wise taps and showers really save in the long run. I find the aeration seems to fluff the soap and shampoo up more meaning it takes twice as long to rinse and the toilet can take two or three flushes. My new water wise toilet definitely needs cleaning far more often than my old 'standard' one did too, meaning even more flushing.

I don't have any aversion to showering with my hubby but he likes the water so hot, his back looks sunburned when he exits, so I couldn't actually stand under the temperature of the water he likes not to mention between his height and mine, a fixed shower head would be way too high for me. Seperate showers in the same area makes perfect sence if it works but for us they would have to be either adjustable shower heads or handshowers.

We have a fairly largish area for our shower at 1.8 x 1.2 but the size was chosen more so to allow wheelchair access for example, being a stepless shower, so that as we age, or as jmm1837 put it, when we get decrpid ha-ha.....we can still get in and out whether we have a shower chair or wheelchair!!!

We have opted too not to have a door again for access reasons.

@Barbara - there are plenty of combinations which would work for you. Adjustable rail showers at both ends, or two overhead rain showers which work for anyone of any height, or, what we have, which is one rain shower at one end and one rail at the other. And of course two separate sets of mixers. All your problems solved! :)

The shower is the second place I know I can get peace and quiet and time out.

No prizes for guessing the first!!!!

To oldroo...re the first place for peace and quiet...I think its many people's refuge given that many have a rack of magazines in there. Was sharing with a few in Cairns way back when and I had a lovely big male siamese cat that followed me and sat with me everywhere....oh that sounds funny....no, we didn't share the loo, but I couldn't escape anyone's notice not even in there.....my cat sat watch outside the door. And as for the Waterwise contraptions...that's what I think of them and agree wholeheartedly about the toilet bowl needing extra care.,,,besides, I like my showers and water massages and a soak, and there being just me I think I am allowed the extra. Only problem is paying for it...but since its one of my very few luxuries it goes in the entertainment column.

To Barbara...how goes your new build?

ladyrob1..waiting for hubby to order an outdoor spa and then we will have an outdoor shower..since the hot water tank sits on the same side as the spa I'm hoping for a hot water outdoor shower..though can't do it in the nudie since our back neighbours are all sitting higher than us ..hehehe but the naughty me is thinking ..might just give them something to look at lol

back in the days when the kids were babies we used to skinny dip in our outdoor spa..

we loved the onsen when we were in Japan..we went to one in the mountains near Kyoto..beautiful outdoor spa with the mountain backdrop stunning and we all bathed in the nude..boys one side girls the other side..

I was a bit embarrassed at first as my friend have never seen me in a nudie but after awhile it was all natural nothing to it hehehe

now I love bathing nude at the beach..so free plus in Summer when all the beaches are chockers it's the nude ones that's still half empty..which is great lol we'd leave the kids at home and sneak out like a couple of teenagers lol

funny thing is as they grow older it's like where have you guys been? we'd look at each other and reply the same thing as we've rehearsed it in the car before hand lol

To Uyenvy Le...hope I got hat right...as they say "Great Minds..." I've never forgoten my early "nuddie days on Nauru Island" just after WWII...a whole tribe of little chocolate and vanilla kids with the whole Island as our playground...the older ones with a littley to watch over. Now, I was about to log off when I read an article by a fellow who says that its unhealthy to wash too much or have long baths...that in his opinion equate to "stewing in your own juice". He advocates a short shower without soap about tice a week otherwise a 'sink wash'....and expounds his theories based on the healthy, supple, smoothe skin of jungle natives who do not bathe or use soap....all their natural oils preserved....lalalaaa.. Started me thinking about an pleasurable alternative to "stewing" (his opinion)...I like to have a shower after a long bath both to close the pores and rinse off any.."juice". Oh YUK, why did he have to spoil my heaven! I spent years in Italy in a community where people did not bathe at all or use soap but showered briefly on Saturdays so to go to church on Sundays...it was the worst, so I'm not going to go without my ablutions ever again. But...what if there were such water restrictions that we were all limited to a measured amount of water per person? What of our showers and tubs? That started me thinking on how to remain sweet smelling and really clean. My solution was...SAUNA! I go up to the local Gym for a swim a sauna and a massage just to keep as much mobility as possible and I love the Sauna! You mentioned the Spa..but that requires copious water...then there's communal bathing...which is not something I've done as an adult...that also requires water plus...so SAUNA!... I am having increasing problems getting out of my tub. I'd researched the disability 'walk in tubs' that are filled after one gets in and closes the door on the side and in which one sits on a seat submerged in the water, the Molly Bather which is a belt that lowers one into and out of the tub...but being a permanent fixture it spoils the look of the bathroom...and I like pretty bathrooms as well as functional ones...So many options to getting into and out of a tub....some sort of pretty others not. Not because that fellow has worried me but just that I want to enjoy a really thorough, healthy invigorating cleanse that is easy to access, that is relaxing without making a bathoom that resembles sports locker room showers, the ablution wing of an institution or the disbility facilities in a hospital. Maybe remove my lovely tub and replace it with a state of the art practical sauna room could be the go.

Any comments Houzzers?

I agree that the waterwise newer toilets seem to use more water as needing to be flushed more.

@ladyrob1,

Thanks for asking about the home Robin but nothing much more to report as money has been tight this harvest, so everything is sitting pretty idol albeit that I do plan to paint the window frames in autumn when the weather cools a little and before it becomes too cold. That task should keep me busy for several weeks no doubt.

A little more brickwork to go as well when hubby is free from farming duties, also an autumn job that will probably take several weeks as well.