04 
House & Garden 
AUGUST EMPHASIZES COOL SHOWER BATHS 
But the Wise Builder Will Consider All the Types and Accessories 
■ Before Installing this Luxury in the House 
ETHEL R. PEYSER 
I F we had to bring 
Freud into it we would 
say that the shower 
bath is masculine and the 
tub bath feminine! Yet to¬ 
day there is such a mix up 
on these sex matters that 
even the shower bath is be- 
coming quite feminine, 
along with bobbed hair and 
nearly shaven pates! 
There is not the slightest 
doubt that men feel distinct¬ 
ly cheated if the shower isn’t 
omnipresent in the bath¬ 
room and very often, in the 
past at least, women wished 
the shower bath somewhere 
else! The reason for this 
was: 
1. 'File shower bath was 
unprotected and the whole 
bathroom frequently under 
water. 
2. The floor and curb of 
the shower was so badly 
made that floods occured in 
adjoining parts of the build¬ 
ing. 
Now the shower bath can 
be made the most convenient 
thing in the home— 
1. If it is built correctly. 
2. If it is placed properly. 
3. If the water power is 
sufficient. 
As to the sanitary code, 
it is no concern of this arti¬ 
cle; what we are concerned 
with is that the firm which 
installs the shower bath 
cabinet knows how. There 
must be a certain pitch to 
the floor (or receptor) to prevent backing up 
of water. There should be a lead pan built 
in under the receptor about 8” high as to 
its sides. This prevents any possible seep¬ 
ing of waters through tiling cement. The 
curb must lie high enough and slanted in¬ 
ward so that the water cannot enter the bath¬ 
room from the shower, and if there is a door 
to the cabinet this must be so made that if 
it opens into a room there is no cartage of 
water. This is accomplished by a “weep’ : 
strip on the edge of the down side and bot¬ 
tom. 
However, we suggest a curtain and no 
door. The opening need be but 20", and if 
your curb, floor and shower head are correct, 
the curtain is ample protection. Doors of 
tile, plate glass, etc., are handsome, but need 
constant cleaning. 
When ordering doors always state if the 
door is to be hinged at right 
or left hand jamb. It 
should be grilled to allow 
steam to escape. 
The bathroom with a 
separate cabinet for the 
shower is here the subject 
of discussion. These cabi¬ 
nets are made in tile, mar¬ 
ble, iron, vitreous enamel 
and plate glass. They con¬ 
tain the shower head, side 
shower heads, pipes, faucets, 
soap cup, test nozzles, 
valves, mixers, thermome¬ 
ters, and light, which must 
be in ceiling and as water¬ 
proof as possible. 
Shower baths can be as 
luxurious as the bathroom 
in which they are installed. 
For example, where the 
bathroom is furnished with 
silver or gold hardware and 
decorations the shower can 
be of the same metal. It is 
the wisest thing (barring 
gold, which few can afford) 
to have porcelain or enamel 
fixtures. These are easy to 
wash and keep clean. 
Where there are many bath¬ 
rooms in the home, the care 
of them is burdensome and 
the easier the bathroom is to 
clean, the more the servant 
problem is simplified. Pomp 
and show in the bathroom 
today are not considered 
good taste. Though we 
know of gold, crystal, car- 
ven, Cellini-like bathrooms, 
we believe that simplicity is 
not only wiser but more sanitary. 
One manufacturer makes a metallic shower 
bath casing, welded and firm, which can be 
built in any bathroom and finished to match. 
This comes in curved and square styles, and 
in various sizes, 33" x 42" x 6' 6" high—the 
circular one 42" diameter and 6' 6" high. 
These are light in weight and therefore can 
be placed in inexpensive buildings. 
The next style of shower is the uncabi- 
neted, the ones that have the shower head 
over the bathtub. These are often very 
splashy—but a good sheet affords adequate 
protection. There are also plate-glass fold¬ 
ing leaves to be had, which can be flattened 
It is possible to install this shower 
after the bath is in place. The water 
is driven directly against the body, 
in contrast with the overhead type. 
Courtesy the Curtainless Shower Co. 
'mm 
g|| ' 
Above the glass door 
to this built-in 
shower an open 
space is left for the 
escape of steam 
Part of the necessary equip¬ 
ment is an adequate mixer 
whichregulates the shower’s 
temperature. Courtesy of 
the Speakman Co. 
■ am 
m 
