Buyers guide: Choosing the right shower head

The bathroom may be the most luxurious place in your home, so you want to make sure that you are designing a space fit for relaxation, comfort and rejuvenation. Bathrooms should be a stress-free zone and choosing the right shower head is a great way to help make this happen. Showering is, of course, necessary for your hygiene, but it can also be a time to relax, think or decompress. Picking a shower head that gives you the water pressure you desire and suits your overall bathroom theme will make for a cohesive design that is sure to make you feel happy each time you enter the room.
Here are some suggestions on how to choose the right shower head for you:

Type of shower heads
First things first, you need to determine what sort of shower head you would like as there are several options to choose from.

Handheld: This type of shower head features a single sprayer that’s attached to a flexible shower hose and slides into a bracket. With these, you can use the sprayer as a traditional overhead option or you can hold the sprayer in your hand, which is helpful for hard to reach places, people with limited mobility who might need to sit or families with children.

Single head spray: These are the traditional shower heads that most people have in their homes, and they feature adjustable nozzles so you can choose your water pressure and spray pattern. Single head spray shower heads work well if you share a bathroom and each person prefers a different water pattern, whether it’s a concentrated flow or a wide spray.

Rain shower: A rain shower option features a large, flat head that is installed directly above where you stand in your shower and flows straight down, simulating standing outside in the rain. You can opt for single or multiple shower heads that are often controlled by a single handle or different ones to operate each sprayer.

Body sprays: Body spray shower heads add serious luxury to your shower. They’re installed in the shower walls and provide you with a head-to-show spray from all directions. HGTV suggests knowing your home’s water pressure before opting for body sprays as they require at least 45 pounds per square inch to be delivered through three-quarter inch supply lines.
Another consideration is the material for your shower head. Most are made of metal, and there are several options here. You’ll want to match the shower head to the rest of the fixtures in your bathroom that are made of metal so you have a cohesive and polished look. You can choose from stainless steel, nickel, chrome, bronze and brass shower heads.
If you have gone with a vintage look in your bathroom, there’s a good chance you’ve installed a clawfoot tub. In this case, you’ll need to get a clawfoot tub shower kit in order to be able to bathe standing up.