Are Doorless Showers Cold?

Sure, the designs can be sleek and gorgeous. But the most important question remains; are doorless showers cold? When researching open shower designs, there is plenty of beautiful inspiration. However, it’s not uncommon to find comments stating that doorless showers are cold and drafty. Still, there are others who call this statement false. So, are doorless showers cold? Let’s find out once and for all.

Factors to Consider When Asking, “Are Doorless Showers Cold?”

Contrary to simple understanding, there are many factors that determine whether an open shower is cold. Therefore, simply asking “are doorless showers cold” doesn’t quite cover the bases. Let’s delve into what causes drafty open showers, and what keeps them nice & toasty.

Wall & Ceiling Insulation

I know, it’s not the most exciting thing to consider when planning your modern shower. But proper wall & ceiling insulation can be one of the most important ways to keep your doorless shower warm. Too many doorless showers are installed without enough wall & ceiling insulation. The thought of ripping out every wall to replace insulation may make you cringe. But we didn’t skip this step, and our toasty warm doorless shower made it all worth it.

Old Windows

When it comes to keeping open showers warm, air movement is the enemy. Cold air movement is the biggest enemy. The last thing you want is cold air creeping into your shower. Windows can be a huge cause of this problem. If your windows are leaking cold air into the bathroom or are made with glass designs that transfer heat, it’s definitely time for an upgrade. We have a giant, >50″ square window just a few feet from our doorless shower. Since it’s brand-new and properly installed, we can’t detect any cold transfer with our hands. (Even when it reached -30 degrees this winter!)

Supplemental Heat to prevent asking “are doorless showers cold”

Let’s be clear — if you don’t have bases 1 & 2 covered, supplemental heat won’t fix your foundational issues. However, supplemental heat can be an awesome way to kick it up a notch. When I really want to pamper myself, I flip on the kick space heater to take the room to the upper 80’s. (Okay, that’s like… every day.) Then, I’m so toasty warm both in & out of the shower. For more ideas, check out my article on how to heat up bathrooms with other methods like radiant floor heating, heat lamps, towel warmers, and more!

Water Temperature

This might be the first point that comes to mind when people ask, “are doorless showers cold?”. When we finished our open shower, the temperature was fine. We weren’t cold, but we didn’t feel especially hot, either. Fortunately, just a few days in, our ancient water heater sprung a leak, and we had to replace with a new model. HOLY SMOKES. The old water heater’s water was lukewarm compared to the new one. Even though we only keep our new water heater at 120 degrees, it feels much warmer than then old water.

Shower Head Design

Your shower head choice can majorly influence your shower experience. Ian & I both wanted an immersive waterfall shower head. But not everyone loves the total drench that comes with this design, so we bought the Kohler Hydrorail system to have the best of both worlds. The handheld shower head functions like a regular wall mount shower head, but has 3 different settings, as well. It’s totally luxurious to be able to switch back and forth between the two during a shower, depending on whether you want to vigorously rinse, or just relax. (This shower has ruined us for all future shower designs.)

In Summary, Are Doorless Showers Cold?

Obviously, the question as to whether open showers are cold or not has many factors. While doorless showers have a reputation for being chilly, the causes are due to preventable reasons listed above. When the whole room is constructed correctly, doorless showers provide a luxurious, low-maintenance alternative to traditional shower designs. It’s no wonder modern construction is recommending them more & more!

Disclaimer: We’re not professionals or experts on this topic, so all we can do is share our own personal experience in hopes that it helps you in your journey! We always recommend consulting with the pros directly.