5+ Best Rain Shower Heads To Buy Today
Imagine the feeling of standing outside in the rain in the summertime: It’s relaxing, cathartic, and can be quite beautiful. However, there are obvious issues with bathing outside, least among them dirt, privacy, and fluctuating seasonal temperatures. Though outdoor showers are lovely, they aren’t always practical. Fortunately, you can bring the best of both worlds together through a rain showerhead.
If you’re looking to upgrade your bathroom experience and add a bit of natural luxury to your daily routine, a rain shower head is a perfect accessory. With a wide head and multiple water streams that aerate to give you that “raindrop” feeling, a rain shower head offers a uniquely relaxing and immersive experience.
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Rainshower heads are like any other showerhead, except they are typically very wide in their build, which gives you more of an immersive water flow over you as opposed to a streamlined flow that you have to shift your body underneath to cleanse and rinse. Despite how they appear, high-quality rain shower heads do not actually use a significantly increased amount of water per shower, instead, they are designed in a way that distributes water flow better, while still ensuring your water bill stays low, and eco-friendly buyers remain content.
You can get a rain shower head for a range of prices, anywhere from budget to luxury. They also come in multiple designs, featuring rounded heads and square ones, all offering slightly different sensations and experiences. Here is everything that you need to know about choosing, installing, and incorporating a rain shower head into your new bathroom design.
Here, we will explain the benefits of having a rain shower head in your bathroom, what you need to install this type of showerhead, whether or not your water use will increase — and how to measure if it does — some of the best and most glamorous rain shower head inspiration out there, as well as our top picks for rain shower heads that will give your bathroom that serious upgrade you desire.
The Benefits of Having a Rain Shower Head in Your Bathroom
There are many benefits to installing a rain shower head in your bathroom, but, as with anything, there are also drawbacks. Here are some of the best reasons to consider one.
They look the best.
Rainshower heads are luxurious by design. They instantly give your bathroom an upgraded, luxury appeal without much work, renovation, or extraordinary expense.
They match most home styles.
Fortunately, rain shower heads match most bathroom styles, whether your taste is rustic or modern. Depending on the design you choose, you can incorporate a rain shower head into almost any style of your liking.
They offer the best showering experience.
Most importantly, rain showerheads let you have a totally immersive experience, dousing your entire body with water, whereas other showerheads only give you a stream of water to move through. Rainshower heads can legitimately give you the sensation of showering outside with all the added comforts of being in your own tub.
What You Need to Install a Rain Shower Head
If you’re considering installing a rain shower head, there are a few key points that you need to know.
First, you cannot install a rain shower head on a regular shower nozzle. You must ensure that you have the correct plumbing going through the ceiling of your shower so that it can work. Rainshower heads are often installed through the ceiling as opposed to the wall. This is because of their width; they need to be set up so that water can flow straight down.
Think of the way a typical showerhead functions: The water flows in a smaller stream and is offset by an angle, making the water flow out wider than it would if it were hanging straight down. This is no longer necessary with a rain shower head, as it is already wide enough and could end up splashing against your shower curtain, door, or onto the floor more than it actually does on your body.
Standard showerheads are attached to a water line that is usually about a half-inch in diameter. In some cases, a rain shower head will require a larger water line, which requires a plumber to build and reset to the ceiling.
You can still get a wall-mount model; however, it won’t give quite the same effect as an overhead hanging one will. Nonetheless, a wall-mount model will save you costs, labor, and the need to have your water lines laying differently.
Water Use in a Rainshower Head
One of the main issues that might come up when adjusting to a rain shower head is whether or not you will be using more water per shower. This is an issue not just for your personal water bill or eco-conscientiousness, but in certain states in the U.S., such as California and Arizona, there are actually regulations in terms of how much water each residence can use, given that conservation is crucial in states where droughts are common. High-efficiency showerheads won’t actually compromise your use of water, instead, they are designed in a way that releases less than 2.5 gallons/minute.
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If you are still concerned about whether or not your shower is emitting too much water per use, there are a few ways to measure it. To get the most technically efficient measurement of whether or not your water pressure is low, average, or high, you will want to measure the water’s PSI, or pounds per square inch. To do this, you can either use a pressure gauge, which you can buy at most home improvement stores, or you can hire a plumber to come out and test it for you.
Normal water pressure will generally measure between 40 and 60 PSI. However, most homeowners prefer something right in the middle of that, ranging in the 50s. Low water pressure is in the 30s, and high is above 60.
It’s important to measure your water pressure regardless of whether or not you want to change your shower head or gauge the efficiency of your home’s usage. This is because changes in water pressure can signal serious problems with your plumbing, which you’ll want to address sooner rather than later.
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If you want to get a rough estimate of how your water pressure is functioning in your shower but don’t have the time or resources to get a pressure gauge or a professional, there’s one other trick you might want to try. Place a one-gallon container beneath the nozzle and put the water on for one minute, timed. If the gallon is filled up completely within about 24-32 seconds, your shower head is releasing at low flow. However, if it takes 15 seconds to fill, your rate is about four GPM, and if it takes 10 seconds, your rate is about six GPM. This would mean that your water pressure is running normally, or high.
Rainshower Head Inspiration for Your Bathroom
This is most likely what your rain shower head will look like upon installation in your bathroom. This head is installed on the side of the wall as opposed to overhead, and it’s important to note that the head they selected is perfect for that. It has a curved arch, which means that the water is designed to fan out in a controlled way.
You won’t be able to install a rain shower head that is intended to hang overhead into the side of the wall, as it isn’t built to accommodate that angle. However, this is a great example of how to get a luxurious feeling while not having to update any plumbing.
If you’re merely looking for a space to rinse off after gardening, going in the pool, or stepping back inside after a long day of work, this rain shower head is the perfect option. It’s installed outside and gives the patio the earthy feel of a rainforest.
This rain shower head is likely impractical for most families’ bathrooms, but it is inspiring nonetheless. Situated right in the center of the tub with an extra-wide build, it offers the greatest possible luxury given that it’s so wide, you might actually think you’re outside in the rain for a second.
This accessory is also complemented by the rest of the room’s design, which is likewise important. A wooden tub, wide windows, and abstract art give the room a contemporary if not slightly Japanese-inspired feeling, which brings the entire thing together.