Shower

Ancient people began to reproduce these natural phenomena by pouring jugs of water, often very cold, over themselves after washing.

There has been evidence of early upper class Egyptian and Mesopotamians having indoor shower rooms where servants would bathe them in the privacy of their own homes.

[3] However, these were primitive by modern standards, having rudimentary drainage systems and water was carried, not pumped, into the room.

Their aqueducts and sewage systems made of lead pipes allowed water to be pumped both into and out of large communal shower rooms used by elites and common citizens alike.

The depictions are very similar to modern locker room showers, and even included bars to hang up clothing.

[5][page needed] The ancient Romans also followed this convention; their famous bathhouses (Thermae) can be found all around the Mediterranean and as far out as modern-day England.

The first known mechanical shower, operated by a hand pump, was patented in England in 1767 by William Feetham, a stove maker from Ludgate Hill in London.

This early start was greatly improved in the anonymously invented English Regency shower design of c. 1810 (there is some ambiguity among the sources).

[citation needed] The prototype was steadily improved upon in the following decades until it began to approximate the shower of today in its mode of operation.

The French system of communal showers was adopted by other armies, the first being that of Prussia in 1879, and by prisons in other jurisdictions.

In France, public bathhouses and showers were established by Charles Cazalet, firstly in Bordeaux in 1893 and then in Paris in 1899.

Many modern athletic and aquatic facilities provide showers for use by patrons, commonly in gender segregated changing rooms.

[12] A wet room often refers to a bathroom without internal dedicated or raised areas which has an open shower.

Structurally, a wet room requires the bathroom to have a gradient or slope towards a drain hole, and a foul air trap connecting the floor to the waste pipes.

[13] Different jurisdictions often have special regulations concerning the design and construction of wet rooms to prevent damage from damp air or water leakage, e.g. mold.

Showering is mostly part of a daily routine primarily to promote cleanliness and prevent odor, disease and infection.

Advances in science and medicine in the 19th century began to realize the benefit of regular bathing to an individual's health.

Showers with a level entry wet room are becoming very popular, especially due to improvements in waterproofing systems and prefabricated components.

Tiles are generally waterproof, though a shower pan must be installed beneath them as a safety to prevent water leakage.

[citation needed] A shower head is a perforated nozzle that distributes water over solid angle a focal point of use, generally overhead the bather.

Hard water may result in calcium and magnesium deposits clogging the head, reducing the flow and changing the spray pattern.

The US EPA administers a voluntary water saving program, WaterSense, which can certify low-flow shower heads.