Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Fun with Polls OT: Bath versus shower

I'm redecorating my bathroom next year and am considering a fairly radical step which some people think is madness and some think is the best idea since sliced bread was first invented: ditch the bath (with shower at one end) in favour of a proper walk-in shower cubicle with a really good-quality shower.

Now, I thought I knew what my decision was until I discussed it last night with my Chief Bathroom Consultant (ie my friend from way back when). Her advice flies in the face of my Sub-Chief Bathroom Consultant's advice (Wendy's husband), so now I'm torn.

Anyway, I thought I'd find out what the majority opinion is here, so without more ado, here is the Great Bath Debate.

The answer is going to be plain and simple, Yvonne: NO!!!!!!!!! (note the use of bold and exclamation marks)

I couldn't possibly live without a bath. Granted, I go for a shower every morning because it's so much faster, and also easier if I want to wash my hair.

However!!!!!!!!!! (note the use of bold, exclamation marks *and* italics), if I didn't have a tub I'd miss it terribly.

First and foremost, you're lucky enough to live in THE country where you can get the best assortment of bath cream I've ever seen (Marks and Spencer and Woods of Windsor should pay me royalties for the free ad, but basically, I've got the whole collections in my bathroom, and some bottles are emptying fast, like M&S Camelia for example).

Second, having a bath is one of the best ways to relax if you're stressed and overloaded with work. Just soak in, if just for 10 minutes, and you feel a whole lot better... especially if you thought of bringing a cup of herbal tea to drink while soaking, and a candle for the atmosphere. There's a reason why I call my bath a "sweet-scented-foamy-warm-ish-but-non-bubbly hot tub"... but I know you're not as much into hot tubs as I am, so that argument won't work.

Third, I do my best fanfic-plotting while in the bath. I don't know if it's the relaxed atmosphere or just the lack of distraction, but I can usually get unstuck on a scene just by going for a bath and mulling it over for a little while. So my bathtub is an essential writing tool for me. Who'd have thought?

Fourth... well, I don't have a fourth. But I sure wouldn't give up on my bathtub, for what it's worth.

Kae, Tiredless Defender Of Bathtubs

Funny you should ask. Just yesterday, DH and I were discussing this very same thing. We need to remodel the bath, and we've decided to opt for a shower stall.

Our case is a bit different, in that we have 2 baths in our house. We're going to take the tub out of the master bath, but the other bathroom will still have a tub, incase I ever get the urge to have a soak. But I doubt it. I can't ever remember the last time I had a bath instead of a shower.

- Vicki

Hmmmmmmmmmm. I can see the appeal of ditching the bath if you lack space. But not sure it would work for me.

In summer I tend to stick mostly to showers. Nothing cools you down quicker than a cold shower in summer. In winter, I switch to baths. Lovely hot baths you can wallow in and then get out to towels heated on the rail. Luxury. <g>

There's no real way to pamper yourself in a shower either. Bubbles just don't work somehow.

Plus there's the fact that the Muse tends to like hot baths. It fires up her brain.

LabRat

That's a good point. We don't have winter here, so for me it is a non-issue. But for Yvonne, that might be something to consider.


- Vicki

Just to clarify - my main concern is that if I ditch the bath, I risk making the property harder to sell, so what I'm really interested in here is what other people's feelings are on the matter. Personally, I haven't had a bath since I moved in 4 years ago.

Yvonne

No winter? Aww, where exactly do you guys live, if you don't mind my asking.

I would also suggest keeping ye old tub instead of the walk in shower. Soaks are much better.
Plus, if you have kids and or pets, they ought to be a must.

You can shower in a tub too, so I don't see the advantage.

Ever trip over a tub?

In that case, I'd definitely say don't ditch the bath. It would depend a little on the market you would be selling to - statistically, a family will definitely consider no bath a point against buying, a professional male wouldn't consider it such a necessity.

But I believe that, generally, most estate agents consider no bath to be a minus point rather than a plus when you're selling. Apparently, rule number one is do everything you can not to restrict your market and most houses sell to families.

LabRat (avid viewer of The House Doctor and Property Ladder )

Yvonne, I disagree with that. If you install a nice bath, it would make the property easier to sell. Regardless of the real estate, baths always are a step up from the walk-in shower.

You might also increase your market value on the house as well.

EDIT: Dundan, avid viewer of The Apprentice.

Personally, I prefer showers to baths. I use my bathtub maybe once every 3 months, if. I've discovered I can shave my legs in the shower instead of drawing a bath, and I can fill the bucket for mopping in the kitchen sink. Every once in a while, I get the urge for a bath, but I can only stay in there for about 10 minutes before I get restless, so it's not really a big deal.

Our house has 2 bathrooms: one full bath with a tub w/ shower, and another bathroom in the master bedroom. That bath is a lot smaller, having the sinks in the bedroom itself, and just a tiny room with a toilet and shower stall. It's nice having both options, though.

Granted, if I were going to be stuck with just a bathtub, I'd want my dad's. He's currently remodelling his house, and in his bathroom he put a corner jacuzzi tub with two showerheads. The actual tub is kind of an L or V shape. Very nice.. if you want a bath, you can turn on the jacuzzi, and two people can take a shower without one person freezing while the other person is under the water.

I haven't taken a bath in over thirty years (no wonder I live alone!).

Showers are quicker, cleaner (you don't have to sit in your own dirty water), and just much more convenient.

Stepping over the edge of a tub can actually present a hazard for those whose mobility has been affected by age, or infirmities.

The only use for a bath is the 'soak' theory, but if you don't have the room or finances to install a spa-style tub then why bother. You'll find that most new houses built today include a seaparate walk-in shower stall even if they have a bathtub.

Tank (who would love to have a proper walk-in shower)

Well, the 'Sub-Chief Bathroom Consultant' (who was somewhat miffed at his demotion, by the way ) suggests that the saleability issue does depend on the type of likely buyer. If your house is more suitable for a single professional person or couple than for a family, then perhaps a very good shower cubicle may appeal more than a bath with a shower over it - especially if it makes a smallish bathroom look larger as a result.

But the main question should be your own comfort. After all, you live there. You're likely to live there for some years to come. What would offer you more quality of life? A new bath, or the kind of shower you've always wanted?

Sure, some people might be put off by the lack of a bath; others are just as likely to be very attracted by a spectacular shower.

At the end of the day, unless you're planning to remove all means of washing entirely, what you put in the bathroom is unlikely to make that much difference to saleability. At least, that's my tuppence-worth, for what it's worth!


Wendy

Okay, I could live with a shower only, but I would miss that bath.

Wendy is right to raise the question of how long are you likely to live in your property. Remember, your new bathroom will depreciate in value over time. In thirty years, a potential buyer is unlikely to care whether you have a bath or shower; (s)he'll be itching to rip it out, whatever.

If you, yourself, are going to get years of pleasure out of your shower, then go ahead and change your bathroom. If you think you are likely to sell in the next few years... well, I'd say consult with some estate agents first! (Better yet, Barclay's Bank have some data somewhere about the kinds of improvements / alterations that actually make a difference to the value of your property. I'm not sure how you get hold of it, though.)

The point you should bear in mind is this: what you like may not be to other people's tastes. Are you trying to make a rational investment decision, or are you trying to do something to please yourself. The two may not coincide. In fact, changes to a property, if sufficiently idiosyncratic, can lower its value.

Mind you, what you are suggesting is far less radical than something I saw on TV the other day. Somebody in London has redecorated his flat so that it looks like the Starship Enterprise inside (TNG version, in case anyone cares). I dread to think how he is going to sell that!

Does that help? Probably not. Sorry.

Chris

Can you do both? My mom has a bathroom upstairs in her house where it's a bath tub, but it also has a shower fixture up top so you can alternate back and forth...I personally am I shower person when I visit, but anyone else who visits and stays up there has the bath option...


JD

Well, for the record, my master bathroom hasn't got a bath It's got a huge shower stall, instead, and that's not been a problem at all (when I visit people I'm always surprised by how narrow the showers are! ). Though I should point out that the kids' bathroom (the one off the hall) has a tub/shower combo, so when I need to give *them* a bath it's an easy option. And if I ever get motivated enough to want a soak (generally, by the time I want a bath, setting it up seems like *far* too much work), I can chase them out and sit in there myself

So I guess my reply would be -- it's probably a good idea to have a bathtub somewhere in the house, but it needn't be in every bathroom.

PJ

Don't forget that stand in showers tend to have a notoriety for bad plumbing and leaking water.

I had a traumatic shower experience as a child and took only baths (unless I was staying somewhere with no tub), until I was about 16 or 17 and finally overcame the fear. So I have thought a lot about this subject. I personally like to alternate... mostly showers, but with the occasional bath where I mostly just sit there. (Our tub is quite small, too small to stretch out in, my goal in life is to make enough money someday to have a place with a jacuzzi tub. Some people aim for an expensive car; I just want that. )

There are pros and cons to both methods, according to things I've read over the years.

Baths

*You use/waste less water (so lower water bill, less waste)
*The warm water soaks your skin thoroughly, helping to remove dead skin cells
*Yes, you do have to essentially "sit in your own filth" but come on, it was touching you before, anyway. At least now it's coming off. And you can always take a quick rinse in the shower after you've soaked in the bath, if you have a shower/bath combo.


Showers

*Faster, more convenient
*Some think it gets you cleaner (but I don't think so.)
*You can wash your hair in them.


Personally, I could not be happy happy without BOTH.

Just coming back to add, mainly for the North Americans, that bathrooms in the UK (and, I think, Europe more generally) are usually considerably smaller than on this side of the Atlantic. Really good-quality corner Jacuzzi baths, for example, simply would never fit in most British bathrooms. The bathroom in the first house I owned, for example, was actually fairly large, but it was only six feet by about five. Enough space for a bath with shower over, sink, toilet, towel-rail and small wall-cabinet. The guest bathroom in the basement of our new house, even without a bath but with walk-in shower cubicle and storage closet, is almost three times the size.

The other point is that, in older houses, you will usually find there is only one bathroom; en-suites and downstairs toilets are a relatively recent addition to houses in the UK/Ireland. Even my parents' house, which is about 35 years old, has a single bathroom upstairs, and it's a medium-sized house by Dublin standards.

So, given Yvonne's house, two bathrooms isn't an option, nor is the kind of redesign some of you are suggesting.


Wendy

OK, since you are in the UK and Wendy says you probably only have 1 full bathroom I would stick with a tub but have a really nice shower head installed over it. That way you get both and the lack of a tub can cause problems for many people.

I take showers exclusively but I live in the US and have a master bath with stall and guest bath with tub. There have been a handful of times in the 21 years in this house that I have needed the tub. I will be blunt about this. On occasion I have had hemorrhoids and HAD to soak in a tub. Also the same with a sprain leg muscle soaking in the tub was great. So for medical reasons sometimes a tub is necessary.

Hope this helps but in the end the decision is what will make you happiest.

I agree with Labrat over this:
Though I couldn't live w/o a bath. In my house until I was in University showers where rare. I always had a bath and used the sprayer afterwards. My husband's family only had a bath and no shower. Not even a shower head just to use in the bath like I had - weird LOL -

Once we could have showers more often. WOW. I loved it, but after a few months the novelty wore off and I missed my baths. I broke out my zillions of bubbles baths soon after that.

I couldn't live w/o my bath. I usually have a shower if I'm in a rush or if I just feel like it. Baths are great for relaxing - reading fic, sore muscles from working out, bubbles, salts, oils (eek away from the face!). My feet would protest if I had no bath. Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring, even the days where it cannot figure out what it wants to be (have you had a day where it snowed at night, melted got icy and then hit plus 32 at four in the afternoon in July?)I could not live w/o my bath.

What I hate about them:
Brother who doesn't clean after himself.
Uses a lot of water.
Can be evil and tempting when one is in a rush.

OH I GOTTA GO DHW IS ON!!!

EDIT -
It was a repeat.
In all - I could not live w/o my bath!!!

In my house, when I get my own, I was a great big one! With jets! My husband wants one too. He said "no bath?" Ack and ran away screaming like a girl. He wants a huge bath. It's hard to find one that will fit his 6f2" frame. He loves a good soak.