According to Key Note’s latest baths and sanitaryware market report, adults in the UK are moving further away from baths and toward showers, which have now become the main product for investment in the industry.

These days bathrooms have become spa-like havens offering an escape from the rest of the world; close the bathroom door and hop into the bubbles of a roll-top tub or Jacuzzi bath, and for half an hour or so you can escape the screaming children or the piles of paperwork on the other side of the door and be transported to a luxurious sanctuary. The stresses of modern life have led many to seek this refuge in the home, and more bath lovers across the nation are transforming their functional bathrooms into relaxing spaces that rival spa and hotel facilities.

Yet shower facilities have been one of the fastest growing areas of the market and in many households, bathtubs are being removed and showers are becoming the focal point of the bathroom. Innovations in eco-friendly and smart technology are also driving higher spending on premium shower facilities; the latest developments allow people to set shower functions to suit the exact preference of each user in the home and control them remotely via a remote or even through a smartphone.

Showers are also fitted in many commercial properties such as leisure centres, gyms and workplaces. This along with the general increase in demand for showers is also seeing a shift toward wet-room styled bathrooms and according to a recent AMA Research study into the UK bathroom industry, the market for wet rooms is forecast to become one of the fastest growing areas of the total industry over the next 5 years, rising by 34% between 2015 and 2019.