shower chair
October 29, 2021 5:08 PM Subscribe
Do you like your shower chair, and if so what kind do you use?
Hello! I have chronic pain that sometimes/always makes it difficult to stand in the shower. I have decided to get over myself and buy a shower chair after considering it for a year, but there are a lot of them, and I'm overwhelmed by choice especially as most of them look uncomfortable. Do you have a shower chair you like and would recommend? I am looking for something soft, so padding is ok. My pain is mostly in my back.
My shower is pretty big for the size of my bathroom, there is no tub but the flat ground area is about the size of a small tub, with a glass door. I am okay with a little but not extreme splurge if it's a nice chair. I am very short, I don't know if this is important.
Thanks!
Hello! I have chronic pain that sometimes/always makes it difficult to stand in the shower. I have decided to get over myself and buy a shower chair after considering it for a year, but there are a lot of them, and I'm overwhelmed by choice especially as most of them look uncomfortable. Do you have a shower chair you like and would recommend? I am looking for something soft, so padding is ok. My pain is mostly in my back.
My shower is pretty big for the size of my bathroom, there is no tub but the flat ground area is about the size of a small tub, with a glass door. I am okay with a little but not extreme splurge if it's a nice chair. I am very short, I don't know if this is important.
Thanks!
I won’t link as I bought mine in France, but mine is a four legged stool with metal legs and a rotating thick plastic seat that isn’t soft but isn’t uncomfortable, it has a small footprint and works well.
posted by ellieBOA at 11:45 PM on October 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by ellieBOA at 11:45 PM on October 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
This is my chair. I would also consider a full teak chair, but they are very expensive.
posted by agatha_magatha at 8:34 AM on October 30, 2021
posted by agatha_magatha at 8:34 AM on October 30, 2021
I've been using one of those ubiquitous plastic resin armless chairs for twenty years. We shaved off the legs with a scroll saw until it was just the right height for me.
posted by Jesse the K at 9:39 AM on October 30, 2021
posted by Jesse the K at 9:39 AM on October 30, 2021
When we redid our bathroom, we had a wall-attached, folding bench installed. It's similar to this one. I had occasion to use it when I had a post-surgery dressing to keep dry, and my wife has used it for a variety of reasons.
From my experience, I think you will want a detachable, wand type shower head as well.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:02 PM on October 30, 2021
From my experience, I think you will want a detachable, wand type shower head as well.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:02 PM on October 30, 2021
Good suggestions above - I'd go for the teak one personally. But, be sure to check the height of the seat. When I was looking at shower chairs, I found that SO many of them were uncomfortably low. This is the one I got. It's not padded, but it's fine for sitting on in a shower, and the height is adjustable.
posted by hydra77 at 1:45 PM on October 30, 2021
posted by hydra77 at 1:45 PM on October 30, 2021
I bought this one last year and I’m really happy with it. The things I particularly like are the back rest (for me not having a back rest would likely make it as painful as standing) and the little cutouts at the side of the seat for storing the shower head while you are not using it.
posted by knitswithcathair at 9:29 AM on October 31, 2021
posted by knitswithcathair at 9:29 AM on October 31, 2021
I have a teak stool similar to nixxon's. I bought it after I ruptured my Achilles tendon and knew I would be non-weight bearing for an extended period of time. A few thoughts and suggestions:
The seat can get suuuuper slippery from soap or conditioner, so be sure to really rinse it off after each shower.
Make sure that whichever seat you choose, it's got adjustable feet. My shower has a very oddly pitched floor and the difference between the front and back legs of the stool are almost an inch. The little leg adjusters make all the difference.
If you are going to use a handheld shower, make sure that when you are sitting, the handheld hose is long enough to reach your entire body while you're sitting. My little stool is not particularly tall (maybe just below knee height, and I'm 5'2"). When I'm sitting, It's really a stretch to get the handheld hose everywhere.
Finally, as hydra77 mentioned, make sure that you can get back up after sitting! Do you have a safety rail in the shower? When my back (or ankle or hip...) is bad, it's really hard for me to get back up from a low position. Everything being wet doesn't help, either.
I honestly haven't used my little stool in a while because it got really slippery and it really isn't big enough to easily sit on. My shower is criminally small and the only one that would really fit is a triangular-shaped stool. It's now in the corner and shelves soap and shampoo. If we ever get to the point of finally renovating the bathroom, I plan to have a permanent fold-down bench installed.
(One other suggestion - have you looked around on Craigslist or your neighborhood's 411 list? A lot of people get rid of these chairs or donate them to local VFW/Lion's Clubs when they no longer need the plastic ones. You might want to try one out and see how you like it and then donate it back before investing in one. I doubt you'll find a teak chair, but at least you can sit and check the height, etc.)
posted by dancinglamb at 8:16 AM on November 1, 2021
The seat can get suuuuper slippery from soap or conditioner, so be sure to really rinse it off after each shower.
Make sure that whichever seat you choose, it's got adjustable feet. My shower has a very oddly pitched floor and the difference between the front and back legs of the stool are almost an inch. The little leg adjusters make all the difference.
If you are going to use a handheld shower, make sure that when you are sitting, the handheld hose is long enough to reach your entire body while you're sitting. My little stool is not particularly tall (maybe just below knee height, and I'm 5'2"). When I'm sitting, It's really a stretch to get the handheld hose everywhere.
Finally, as hydra77 mentioned, make sure that you can get back up after sitting! Do you have a safety rail in the shower? When my back (or ankle or hip...) is bad, it's really hard for me to get back up from a low position. Everything being wet doesn't help, either.
I honestly haven't used my little stool in a while because it got really slippery and it really isn't big enough to easily sit on. My shower is criminally small and the only one that would really fit is a triangular-shaped stool. It's now in the corner and shelves soap and shampoo. If we ever get to the point of finally renovating the bathroom, I plan to have a permanent fold-down bench installed.
(One other suggestion - have you looked around on Craigslist or your neighborhood's 411 list? A lot of people get rid of these chairs or donate them to local VFW/Lion's Clubs when they no longer need the plastic ones. You might want to try one out and see how you like it and then donate it back before investing in one. I doubt you'll find a teak chair, but at least you can sit and check the height, etc.)
posted by dancinglamb at 8:16 AM on November 1, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
I finally splurged a little on this one and I actually enjoy using it. The teak is somehow more comfortable to sit on, and it is very sturdy and stable in my normal-sized bathtub/shower.
posted by nixxon at 6:24 PM on October 29, 2021 [2 favorites]