Since starting an almost full time job I have had to adjust to the process of getting up early in the mornings [like 4.30am!] and swiftly readying myself for the day ahead. The hardest part of my daily preparation, aside from waking up, is getting into the shower. This may sound ridiculous, but there is something about stripping down and getting used to the temperature of the water when I’m only half awake that I just don’t appreciate. Some people like to bypass this problem by showering the evening before.  I do this sometimes but personally it’s not as refreshing compared to taking a shower before heading off to work.

Admittedly my boyfriend and I live in a fairly old apartment which has an equally old bathroom. The bath itself is quite ancient, as is the attached shower, and the taps creak and groan when they let water out. During winter especially there is a draft that turns getting in and out of the shower into a mad dash to available warmth. I’ll often find myself longing for better facilities that would make my morning wake up an infinitely more comfortable experience.

“Why not take baths?” you might ask. Well I do admit that the concept of being fully submerged in hot water does appeal to me. The most annoying thing about the bath/shower combo is that it’s very difficult to cover all parts of your body with the shower stream. If you have a cold bathroom like ours this can be a real drag. Baths afford you the luxury of constant, all-encompassing heat – and it feels great. But unfortunately running a bath takes absolutely ages. I barely have time to eat breakfast in the morning, let alone wait patiently as a tub slowly fills with water. Perhaps you allow yourself more time in the morning for getting ready than I do, in which case a bath may very well be the way to go. However, I would recommend having a well-insulated or heated bathroom as getting out of a hot bath is so hard to do when the surrounding air is cold. Also, remember the age old argument that taking a bath is akin to floating in your own filth for an extended period of time.

When I have enough time, I take the plunge and take a long bath… usually happens once a month!

My favourite means of washing is the good old shower cabinet. I believe this to be one of the finest inventions of the modern era. Shower cabinets are great for a number of reasons but primarily because the glass walls contain the heat that comes from the shower. From the beginning of your shower to the end you find yourself contained in a box of hot water and steam. The only downside is that after showering for a few minutes there is quite a major disparity between the temperature within the cabinet and outside of it. Thus, exiting the cabinet can be a bit of a shocking experience.

Wet rooms provide the ultimate shower experience. They are usually significantly larger than shower cabinets and sometimes encompass the entire bathroom. Wet rooms often have heated floors which contribute to making the washing experience even more luxurious. Installing a wet room is an expensive process and it is crucial to have good zero-threshold wet room drains from a reputable company to ensure no one stubs their toe or, worse, slips over. However, if you are looking for the greatest morning wash that money can buy then a wet room is the way to go.