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Today, many homeowners are choosing to stay in their homes as they age — and taking on renovation projects to make their spaces more functional. Adding a walk-in shower could give your current bathroom an upgrade in functionality and aesthetics, and it could help increase the overall value of your home.
Since it can cost several thousand dollars to install a walk-in shower, it’s important to choose the right one for your budget and lifestyle. To help, our research team vetted seven walk-in shower companies that have been rated by more than 4,200 customers on our site. Read on to compare safety and comfort features, installation details, and warranty and cost information for our top picks.
Walk-in showers can make bathtime more luxurious, plus they have accessibility features that help make showering easier for anyone with mobility or balance issues. Choosing the best walk-in shower for your needs can be tricky, though. Before making your decision, take a look at our picks. Read our methodology to learn how we selected our top walk-in shower companies.
KOHLER LuxStone Walk-In Showers’ collection is highly customizable and has more than a dozen wall designs and over 30 showerhead options. You can also select from different shower door styles, including sliding and pivoting doors, plus a variety of options for shelving.
Installation can take as little as one day when you work with an authorized dealer. KOHLER provides a lifetime limited warranty on walk-in showers.
Great customer service and bench seating
A reviewer in Georgia wrote on ConsumerAffairs that representatives “handled the sales process very well. They answered all my questions and gave me numbers that I could call ... that were personal numbers, not just the business number.”
Multiple reviewers said that installation got started soon. “Now that the shower is installed, it's beautiful. We love it. We did have to call a repairman in to make a slight adjustment to the door but other than that, it's great,” another reviewer in Georgia said.
KOHLER LuxStone showers are on the premium side of the market, but financing is available to help you manage the cost. The company is also transparent with its quotes, according to a reviewer in Colorado: “They were very professional, upfront right away that it was going to be fairly expensive, and very down-home and easy to deal with.”
A reviewer in Ohio said they initially passed on Kohler after an estimate but ended up coming back: “They came out and we settled on a deal … The product is easy to clean and the quality of it is awesome. I love how much space I have in my shower now to put all of my shampoos and all that other stuff in there."
Independent Home offers walk-in tubs that come standard with hand-held showerheads or rain showerheads. These tubs let you comfortably shower while sitting.
Installation takes about a day to complete. Independent Home provides a lifetime warranty on all products.
Reasonable prices and ease of use
Even though walk-in showers aren't exactly cheap, Independent Home’s prices are relatively affordable. A reviewer in Missouri said they compared a few walk-in shower models before deciding that Independent Home “would fit our needs the best… it is not that much different from many that we had looked at. However, its price was somewhat more reasonable.”
A reviewer in South Carolina also highlighted the installation process and simplicity of their tub: “The two guys who did it were nice and it took them no time at all. We needed the walk-in because we’re handicapped and this makes it so much easier to get in and sit down and take a shower or a bath. I like the shower part because that’s easier for us to do.”
At least one Independent Home review refers to installation delays. In May 2021, a reviewer in Texas said, “The salesman told me it would be about 7 to 10 days before they could start and was told that someone would be contacting me in a couple of days. I was contacted and told it could take 2 to 3 months because their supplier was running behind.”
However, this appears to be an isolated incident.
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American Standard offers a wide variety of walk-in shower components, including showerheads, shower bases and pans, shower walls, walk-in tubs and shower doors. The company also sells ADA-compliant faucets and walk-in tubs.
American Standard showers come with a five-year limited warranty, but we couldn’t find an estimated installation time from the company.
Ease of use and good looks
“The salesman was really explicit and I couldn't ask for anything better. He really sold the job. The shower I got is perfect. Everybody that looks at it loves it,” a reviewer in Connecticut wrote on our site recently.
“I told my husband that this is the easiest shower I've ever had because you can sit down and use the handheld shower thing. It really meets all of our needs and it will allow us to stay in our home longer. I'm still learning all the bells and whistles of it ... but it doesn't seem to be overly complicated,” a reviewer in Virginia said.
Make sure your water heater is the right size. “American Standard had the best price and they had the shower option. One thing I got kind of upset with was the rep told me that my water heater was good to do the job, and it isn't. I have the 40 and it was not heating up enough water to fill the tub. I have to get a new water heater to get the tub warm,” a reviewer in Maine said earlier this year.
Safe Step’s walk-in showers come with hand-held showerheads, built-in L-shaped grab bars and anti-slip bases. Optional sliding glass doors and medical-grade safety seats are available too.
Installation takes about four days, according to some recent reviewers. All Safe Step walk-in showers come with a lifetime warranty.
Quality features, good installation techs
A reviewer in Alabama said that the shower features are “excellent” and highlighted “the glass doors and the shower spray handle that goes up and down” for ease of use.
Another satisfied reviewer in Virginia recently said that “the installers were great. They really worked hard and did a good job. The shower I got is of really good quality.” A reviewer in Connecticut said that the feature they liked was the rain showerhead.
A reviewer in Ohio and a reviewer in Delaware said parts of the shower — the hose and “the thing where we hang our shower on” respectively — were too high to reach.
However, this could be a plus for taller people: “We love the shower. It's easier. It makes the whole bathroom bigger and more accessible. It's very convenient that the showerhead is up high because my husband's tall,” a reviewer in Arkansas told us.
Designed low-entry shower to the same standards as its walk-in tubs. Shower includes an L-shaped grab bar and a hand-held shower wand. Optional medical grade safety seat. Wall is made of tile composite.
Find soaker tubs, two-seaters and shower-bath combos. Features quick-drain, air jets and whirlpool massage system. Financing options and free evaluations. Costs start at $4,600 to $8,400, not including installation.
Sells compact and luxury baths. Wheelchair-accessible and bariatric tubs available. Costs include installation services and a lifetime warranty. Get a quote for pricing.
Sells luxurious walk-in showers with customizable options. Includes low step threshold and other safety features. Designed to fit both large and small bathrooms. Installed by a KOHLER Authorized Dealer. Lifetime limited warranty."
Remodel services for bathrooms of all sizes. Products include tub liners, soaking tubs, walk-in tubs and roll-in showers. Works with a national network of dealers. Free consultation and in-house financing.
Manufactures Freedom Stairlifts and Freedom Bath walk-in tubs and showers. Wheelchair-accessible tubs include grab bars. Basic tub starting price is $4,840, not including installation.
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Walk-in shower and bath provider. Limited range of walk-in showers available through Lowe’s or showroom locations. Prices start at $2,319. Does not include installation or maintenance. 15-year warranty.
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Walk-in tub and shower company offering a variety of styles and types. Includes ADA-compliant safety features, plus optional luxury features. Can be installed in under 24 hours. Free quotes available upon request.
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Offers showers, tubs and accessories. ADA-compliant products available. Showers start at around $900, and tubs start at around $700. Purchase and configure online. Custom consultations available.
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In this guide, read about how walk-in showers work, how much they cost and what your design options are to help decide whether this type of bathroom renovation makes sense for you.
A walk-in shower is a stand-alone unit with little to no curb to step over when entering and exiting. It may be enclosed by a glass door or curtain. Walk-in showers are easier to access than traditional shower units, like shower-tub combos, which typically have a 15-inch entry barrier.
Today, two-thirds of Americans shower on a daily basis, according to Harvard Health Publishing, and walk-in showers in particular have grown in sales in recent years. Walk-in showers aren’t only a popular bathroom upgrade; they’re also ideal for those with mobility issues and for homeowners who are aging in place.
Walk-in tubs have a low step threshold, built-in seats and a handheld showerhead. A walk-in tub may be a good option if you have mobility issues and prefer a soaking bath to a shower.
A walk-in tub is typically a smaller enclosure and may be easier to enter and exit than a walk-in shower. You can install a grab bar and a shower seat in your walk-in shower, however, to accommodate any mobility issues.
There are several walk-in shower designs available, from prefabricated shower kits to fully custom-tiled showers.
Some of the most popular walk-in shower design trends today:
Your walk-in shower material options may depend on whether you get a prefabricated shower kit or a fully custom shower. Each material differs in look, cost, durability and ease of maintenance.
You can also add innovative features, like rainfall showerheads or sound systems, to your walk-in shower to create an ambiance of relaxation and comfort.
If you’re looking to install a walk-in shower for its accessibility perks, there are barrier-free walk-in showers with no ledge to step over and no door to open or close. You can also get a model with a glide bar, handheld showerhead, grab bars and a foldable seat.
Larger walk-in showers require more materials and labor to install, so a smaller shower is typically less expensive to install than a larger one. In general, for both the product and installation, you can expect to spend between about $4,000 to $16,000 total.
If your space isn’t outfitted for your new shower’s plumbing requirements (i.e., converting a bathtub to a walk-in shower), you’ll likely pay more for installation. Changes to the existing plumbing will also cost extra.
Materials can also significantly impact your walk-in shower costs. Acrylic and fiberglass are typically less expensive than other materials, for instance, but tile costs can vary widely. Ceramic tile is an affordable option, but if you want glass tiles, know that it’s one of the more expensive alternatives.
You might spend between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars for a professional to install your new walk-in shower (this depends in large part on your labor costs). There are several cost considerations, though — i.e., a tiled shower will have higher labor costs than prefabricated shower inserts because it takes more time to install.
If you’re planning to buy a walk-in shower, it’s a good idea to make a budget and start saving now. Breaking down the costs can make saving more manageable — if you plan to spend $4,000, for instance, you can put $334 into a savings account monthly for the next year. You can also put any extra cash you make, like work a bonus, toward this budget.
If you’d like to save on your upgrade, consider purchasing prefabricated shower kits over installing custom showers. Prefabricated units are cheaper to install and cost less overall.
Also look for discount tile outlets or retailers in your area. These often have a variety of tiles at deep discounts. If you decide to purchase your tile from a place like this, however, be sure to adequately measure the space and buy a few boxes more than you think you’ll need to install. Once a style is sold out, the outlet may not get any more in stock.
Another cost-saver is to opt for a shower curtain rather than a glass door. You can dress up your shower with a curtain and save hundreds of dollars. This also gives more privacy than a glass door.
Bathroom remodels tend to have a high ROI (return on investment). If you add a walk-in shower in particular, you’ll likely recoup your costs and add some value to your home in the process.
Just keep in mind that many potential homebuyers, especially those with young children, want at least one bathtub in the house. If you plan to sell soon, you may not want to convert your only tub into a walk-in shower.
Walk-in showers can make a bathroom look sleek and luxurious, and they can create a safer bathing environment for older adults and those with mobility issues. They’re also easy to clean and maintain (an electric scrubber brush and/or a squeegee with a long, extendable handle can help) as long as you use a cleaning solution recommended for your surface type.
You can also customize many components of a walk-in shower, from size to safety and comfort features, making it ideal for various homes and lifestyles. These showers aren’t for everyone, though — if you have children or limited space in your bathroom, for instance, a walk-in shower might not be the right choice.
Your ideal walk-in shower size depends on the current dimensions of your bathroom. The standard size is 36 by 36 inches for a square shower and 60 by 30 inches for a rectangular shower.
Walk-in showers can be installed in small bathrooms and may take up less space than a shower-tub combination. For smaller spaces, you may look into a walk-in shower that’s 36 by 36 inches, which can fit one adult comfortably.
Prefabricated walk-in shower units can be installed in a few hours, while a shower with tiling may take two days or longer. Installation times may vary depending on the size and complexity of the project.
When installed properly, walk-in showers are no more prone to leaks than tub-shower combos. However, it may be harder to find the source of a leak with a walk-in shower, especially if it's tiled. If left unsealed, water could seep through the tile grout, door or drain.
Unfortunately, in most cases, Medicare won’t cover the costs of a walk-in shower. It’s not considered “durable medical equipment (DME)” under current coverage plans.
Walk-in showers are easy to maintain on a daily basis. After each use, spray the walls and the door with a mild cleaning solution and wipe down with a towel or washcloth. This can help keep soap scum from building up over time. You can also buy a dish brush to fill with cleaning solution and keep it in the shower for quick clean-ups.
Home renovation projects can add value to your home, especially when you upgrade the kitchen and bathroom. Potential homebuyers have different tastes and preferences, but many prefer the look of a walk-in shower over a bathtub.
While a DIY installation could save you money, it might not be ideal, especially if you have little to no experience. You’d also need a special set of tools and equipment to complete the job, which may increase the cost of doing it yourself.
To select our top picks, we started with a list of seven popular walk-in shower companies. To narrow it down, we first eliminated those with an overall customer satisfaction rating below 3.5 stars. We then analyzed recent review data to determine which brands have the best ratio of good reviews to bad reviews. We required all of our top picks to have at least twice as many 5-star reviews as 1-star reviews within the last year (collected between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021).
Companies were then ranked by highest overall satisfaction rating, as of publishing date:
ConsumerAffairs writers primarily rely on government data, industry experts and original research from other reputable publications to inform their work. Specific sources for this article include:
Information in this guide is general in nature and is intended for informational purposes only; it is not legal, health, investment or tax advice. ConsumerAffairs.com makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from its use.
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