No Tub for the Master Bath: Good Idea or Regrettable Trend?

Welcome to the 419th Metamorphosis Monday!

A few weeks ago when I was replacing all my surge protectors around the house for new ones, I discovered an outlet in my office wasn’t working. I called in an electrician to fix it. While he was here we started talking master bathroom renovations.

During our discussion, he told me something really surprising. Did you know that some folks who are renovating master bathrooms these days are choosing to leave out the bathtub, instead opting to have just a really large, walk-in shower? I knew large showers were popular now, but I didn’t know folks were actually doing away with the tub altogether when renovating their master bath. I never watch HGTV anymore. If you’re a regular HGTV watcher, have you seen any mention of this new trend in master bathroom renovations there?

My electrician is also a builder/contractor and he said a lot of his customers, especially those who live in older homes where the master baths aren’t that terribly big (like mine) feel a bathtub is a waste of space because they only take showers these days. He said no one really has time for soaking in a tub anymore and many felt having a bathtub in the master bathroom was just a waste of space that could be used for something more important–like additional vanity/cabinet space or a larger shower. He said that they keep the bathtub that’s near the children’s bedrooms, but often eliminate the one in the master bath.

Source: National Association of Realtors: http://styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org/2014/02/24/7-bathroom-remodeling-trends/

 

I’m not sure how I would like a nice, deep, soaking tub because I’ve never had that. The tub in my master bathroom is pretty shallow, too shallow for a good soak. Also, the water tends to slowly leak out through the little “over-flow” holes when filled to the top. The water also gets cold really fast, so unless you keep adding more hot water every five minutes, you can’t soak very long.

I’m pretty much the last person in the universe to jump on anything that’s considered a new decorating or design trend. In fact, I don’t even like the word “trend.” When I hear the phrase, “on-trend” I instantly think: fad and everyone’s doing it, so don’t! If something is an improvement that adds beauty or functionality, I want to hear about it. Whether it’s on-trend or not, I could not care less.

Source: Atlanta Homes Magazine

As I stood listening to my contractor encourage me to go the no-tub route for my master bath renovation, all I could think about were all the folks who installed carpeting over hardwood flooring years ago when wall-to-wall carpeting was the new, great thing. What’s the first thing most folks do these days when buying an older home with carpet-covered hardwood flooring? Yup, rip out the carpeting to reveal those pretty hardwood floors.

Then there were all the builders who decided porches were no longer needed with the advent of air conditioning. See where I’m going here? Is there going to be a new “trend” of folks renovating master bathrooms in a few years in order to add a tub back?

I also wonder what effect it has on resale when it comes time to move. I can’t help but think it eliminates some potential buyers who still enjoy a good old-fashioned bath. Any real estate agents out there reading this? I would love to know what you’re finding with your house-shopping clients.

I’m hoping to expand the size of my shower which is currently a tub/shower combination. I was also thinking about not having a door on the shower, but I’m wondering if it gets cold when showering without a door. Does it feel drafty without a door, or are shower heads so great these days, you don’t even notice it? I certainly like the idea of no door to keep clean, but I don’t want to be any colder than necessary while taking a shower. Comfort and being warm is high on my list of priorities when showering! lol

Source: Better Homes and Gardens.com

 

After thinking about it, I’ve pretty much decided I don’t want to give up having a tub in my master bathroom, even if it would add more space for other things. I feel like I would ultimately miss it, and since I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be living here, (I’ve already lived here for 25 years) I don’t want to do anything that could possibly discourage potential buyers when the day comes to sell.

Tub-wise, I don’t want or need a humongous “you-could-throw-a-party-in-that-tub” bathtub, just something simple and fairly sleek. I was thinking about something along the lines of a tub like the one in this beautiful bathroom. It doesn’t appear to take up that much space, perhaps because it’s in a corner.

This bathroom has two other features I would love to include in a master bath renovation if the budget allowed: heated flooring and a heated towel rack. If I could only have one of those two, I’d choose the heated floor. For this girl who hates being cold, that would be a dream.

Photo from Bethesda Magazine here: www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Magazine/January-February-2016/Beautiful-Bathrooms/) Bathroom Design is by Case Design & Remodeling

 

So what do you think about this latest trend of only having a large shower in the master bath and doing away with the tub for the extra space?

If you’re planning a master bath renovation, would you consider it?

Do you think it makes a home harder to sell down the road, or does that not really matter in the making of your decision?

Have you renovated your master bath and eliminated the tub and now regret it? Or, do you love the extra space it created for things you deemed more important, like double sinks or a bigger shower?

Would love to hear what you think about this latest trend in master baths!

Looking forward to all the fabulous Before and Afters for this Met Monday!

Metamorphosis Monday

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Comments

  1. You can bet I’ll be back to read ALL of these comments, Susan. Thanks for putting the question out there, and for hosting us. Have a great week.

    • Jean Taylor says

      We just gutted our master bathroom and took out the tub. In 21 years in our house I used the tub to soak in after a surgery for a week and a grandchild took one bath. We had a shower stall along with the tub prior. We now have a spa looking bathroom with a walk in shower with a bench at the end. No door. It looks a little similar to the picture you posted with this article. I now have more cabinet space, higher rise toilet – which is great and much bigger shower. My granddaughter deemed a shower in there as a 5 star experience.

      • ABSOLUTELY taking the tub out! We are remodeling our master and the removal of the tub is the reason why we got started. Have lived here in a Senior Community for 6 years and my granddaughter took a bath once. I can’t get in and I certainly can’t get out and I’m only 67. We are putting in a large shower with a wet end and and dry end. I can sit and soak all of my lotions in and dry in luxurious towels. We don’t care about resale as our kids will inherit the house and it’s no tub. Even our guest bath only has a large shower. No children live in our Del Web community so we are fine with our choice. Remember we do live in a 55 + community and many are taking out tubs for the same reasons.

      • Late to the party here lol but I guess my opinion is unpopular cause I absolutely HATE this trend. My sweetie (36) and I (26) are looking at houses to buy eventually and I pity our poor future real estate agent because my boyfriend can’t stand split level homes, which seem to be back in style, and I can’t stand Not having a tub… I need the stress or sports injury relief that a shower cannot provide.

        • You are not alone. Lack of a nice tub is one of the deal breakers on my list for my realtor. Can’t live without one. I need it because I have joint pain, and also because I feel cleaner after a soak. And to me a spa experience means being able to use a facial mask or hair mask, which you can apply as you soak in a tub, not a shower. People have different preferences, but I just turned down a beautiful home as there was no tub. LOVED the house otherwise, but there was no space to put out without major renos.

      • I’m so glad to read this! Thanks so sharing! We are building a semi-custom right now and decided to make an extended shower with no tub. I went back and forth for months before this decision. But the same here, while I love the idea of a bath, I haven’t taken one at home for 6 years 🙂

      • I agree with you completely. We purchased a 4 bedroom home in Florida, were planning on bringing my mother-in-law with us and giving her the master suite. We had renovated the master bath to include an amazing, stylish no threshold walk-in shower, and totally removed the tub from the room. Unfortunately, she passed away before we relocated, so the large walk-in shower and master suite became ours.

        We have never been so happy we did this. IF I want or need a bath, we still have tubs in other bathrooms, and our grandsons are the only ones who preferred the tub when they were young. I’ve spent more time keeping tubs dusted and clean than ever using one, and there was no room to have a huge shower and tub in the master bath.

        We found a company that lines showers with solid surface Corian material, and they even custom made the base (which weighed 800 lbs)! It’s super easy to clean.

        NO TUB for us!

        • Where are you in FL…would love a referral. Looking to remodel bath. Want to get rid of garden tub and have walk in shower…would love to see pictures.

        • What is the name of the company that did your coriander shower? I want a solid surface shower after battling grout to clean for 30 years, I’m done with grout!!! Thanks

  2. I went on a home tour last fall of newly build homes. They had the big showers and no tub. I like it. From the people I’ve talked to they rarely use their big tubs. I live in a very modest house and when I renovated the postage size master bath about 7 years ago, I had the tub taken out and now just have a shower. I have no regrets. When I feel like soaking in a tub I use the normal size tub in the other bathroom.

    • If I could do it all over again building my house, I would skip the garden tub
      with water jets. We only take showers because it takes forever to fill up the tub and we really don’t like baths anyway. The tub ends up being a place to lay clothes over the side. What a waste. I would rather have cabinet storage. Besides, we have a tub in the guest bath.

    • New bathroom still under construction, no tub planned but a really large (4’x8’!) walk-in shower with no door or threshold. This is a new bathroom attached to the main bedroom where closets used to be. Hall bath already has a good sized tub. I sure hope I don’t regret it! It will be beautiful when it is done – and a larger scale than I thought possible in our modest bungalow!

  3. Julie WIlliams says

    Kind of depends on the targeted age of prospective home buyers. Few of us have time or inclination to soak in a big tub when we’re under 60. If we want a soak, a hot tub/jacuzzi is of more interest. I’d sure vote for no tub and go with an easier to keep spotless shower design with elbow room. Love your photo picks! Maybe keep a conventional tub or deep tub in another bathroom in the house–like the guest room? For the rare soaking…? julie w

    • My older neighbors did exactly this – have an older home, postage size bath, never use the tub as it is, are aging, don’t care about the resale factor, so they remodeled and left out the tub.

      I’m in the same boat more or less but I’m still not convinced.

      • We did the same thing! I had a garden tub & never used it. Finally did a bath remodel & now have a large walk in tile shower that I love. We have lived here 37 years & don’t plan to move! Whoever gets itvafterbusbis going to remodel anyway!

  4. jennifer moreland says

    Soaking in Epsom salt is one of the best things for people. I soak in my tub every night and this keeps me out of the doctors office. I have a large tub with a tv/blu ray player in my bath and would not trade it for nothing. After my soak I shower off . If you have an option I would have and keep both in my bath.

  5. We renovated our home in 2011 to add an elevator, a larger master bathroom and hardwoods/new paint throughout the house. I was the one that convinced my husband and builder to eliminate the tub in the master bathroom and am glad that we did. We have 6 by 8 walk in shower that I just love, love, love. I have bad knees and could not comfortably get into and out of a bathtub if I ever wanted to. We have 2 other tubs in the house already so I declared that putting a soaker or jetted tub in our master bath would be a waste of money. I think the cost of the tub plus surround would have been around $5000 at least for what we were looking at. Our bathroom does not feel crowded now and looks very open and pleasant to me. We didn’t renovate with resale on our minds obviously with the addition of the elevator but I love what we ended up doing.

    • yaneaka woods says

      I am only on this post because I have been looking for new builds with tubs. I agree about the carpets fad and this too may be a generational trend. My husband and I are looking for a home with a soaking tub. I just had a conversation with my neighbor who is around the same age as we are, (late 30’s) who where also searching for both. They wound up buying an older model home. It came with the tub and shower seperate, even though they had their eyes set on a new build. I’m also starting to wonder about whether this is a trend and in the future the houses with the combo will be more enticing for all the newly self aware gurus. There is definitely a new age coming with younger millennials finding their inner peace by using meditation and other resources that help decrease stress. They are the making time for this new mental state and it’s becoming more the trend lately than not. I find that generation X was a more work and no play, so they tend to not make the extra time to soak and fill a tub.

      • Shepherdkisses says

        HA ha! Yes! I am 57 and back in the day who had time for a bath? Who would want to take a bath in those builder grade bread box tubs that were not long enough for anyone over 4’7 to really fit in?
        Now with the new luxurious tubs on the market anyone can take a relaxing soak and really stretch out in soothing hot water with bubbles, salts or perfumes.
        Self aware gurus know that salt clears and like attracts like. When we are relaxed and feeling good so is everything around us.
        Also, I don’t think there are many people out there who would NOT buy a house because it has a bathtub. There are a lot more buyers who might pass on a house if it doesn’t have one. Good luck next time you get poison ivy and need to soak to stop the itching with no tub. There are conditions you can get at all ages where a soak would be just what the doctor ordered. No tub, no soak.

  6. A heated towel bar is a VERY affordable luxury…the electric ones are around $200. I would never forgo a tub….I bathe at night and whether it’s 5 minutes in the tub or a long soak with a good book, it’s essential.

  7. Go for the heated floors. I redid my MB 10 years ago and had heated floors put in, my husband didn’t think it was necessary but guess who loves it now.

    rls

  8. I live in a tiny beach cottage that was built in the 1920’s as a summertime bungalow. I think back then, in this area, they were lucky the bathroom was indoors! 😉 In the 1960’s the original owners added a master bedroom and bathroom, a teeny, tiny closet of a room with just enough room for a small shower. I love the idea of a bathroom large enough for a tub…and a chair…and a little storage area…but I’m not sure if I would ever actually use it all. But the idea of it is lovely!

  9. So funny, I am currently looking for a deeper tub, with a heater for my masterbath. We currently have a walk-in shower and a large corner type tub.
    I personally wouldn’t want a master bath without a nice bathtub. It becomes more of a 3/4 bath. Having been in interior design for a few years I notice a lot of these trends where something is omitted ( upper cabinets in the kitchen) and it is all the rage and seems so smart and functional. When choosing for your own reno, be true to yourself, especially if you will be there for a while. Regarding the walk-in shower, we have really liked it, but you have to have space so the water stays within the boundaries of the shower. Our bathroom in general is pretty warm so the temperature is not an issue. Good luck, enjoy!!

    • Hi Debbie, may I ask what size your shower is that your water has been manageably kept inside the space? We are currently in planning stages of a no-door shower (we think), but our house is divided in the decision! Your answer may help. Thanks!

      • Shepherdkisses says

        Hi Rita. I am not a professional designer but it is a hobby as I am married to a licensed builder/engineer and my home is constantly under construction. What I have read recently from experts says 6 feet is a good distance to keep the water in. I have seen smaller. I would say six feet is what you need depending on which way your shower head faces/points. If it faces directly at the opening of your shower I would go with 6 feet. If it faces a wall you can probably get away with 4 feet from the opening. You can always google it.

  10. Great post and thanks for the heads up on the “trend”. Personally, I feel there should be at least one tub in the home for soaking. Soaking in a sea salt/epsom salt bath cleans the energy fields and allows the toxins released through the epidermis to restore health and peace of mind.

    Also, I love a warm evening bath with rose petals floating in it, candles lit and soft romantic music playing in the background. Rose oil, lavender oil, etc. in the water raises my vibration while the lavender oil calms my spirit. When I went to a day spa in Ashland, Oregon years ago, this is what they offered me as part of my all day spa experience.

    I bless the water, Mother Earth and the water heater for providing comfort, the healing properties and I bless myself for giving me a gift of Self Love.

    • Cecilia Bruck says

      YES! That is what I am sayin’. No one is going to go to purchase a home and say, “It has a tub in the master! No way, I won’t buy it.” There are plenty of masters who will see a home for sale with no tub and say, “No tub, that’s an expensive redo, not interested.” We are redoing our master bath and I am putting in the tub.
      Builder grade tubs can be small, cold and uncomfortable, so people don’t use them. They are really a hole to soak in and strictly utilitarian. I am adding a large corner heated whirlpool with hand held. It will fit my royal highness with room to spare, and it is heated so it will stay nice and warm. The jets will ease my achy bones with a pillow to cradle my head. Oh, and mine is salt water approved by Jacuzzi. So I will get everything clean.
      Someone mentioned the open shelf trend. Know that unless you use those items frequently you are creating more to clean. Everything on an open shelf accumulates dust. Nothing like a cup of coffee with dust floating in the top.

    • Yes, another good point. I do the epsom salts thing often. And my bath is the main time I totally destress for the day.

  11. Well no tub to me sounds like a bad idea. Sometimes you just need to soak. As far as a shower without a door, I think that’s also a bad idea, since water will go all over the bathroom. Just my thoughts. Good luck with the renovation. Can’t wait to hear all about it and what you decide to do.

  12. Beth Francell says

    I just turned my tub shower into a walk in shower. As we age and loose strength in our thighs and knees become painful (I’m in my late 60s and my husband is 72) it gets harder and harder to get out of a tub. There need to be good sturdy bars on more than one side to help pull your self up. I am a constant gardener but kneeling and squatting are not easy any more. I am not heavy or out of shape, it is just age. Something to think about when remodeling bathrooms.

  13. Hi Susan,
    Great, timely article. We have lived in our Colonial for 31 years. We renovated two bathrooms last year and did remove the big old Jacuzzi tub from the master bathroom. We enlarged the shower and in the space where the jacuzzi sat, we had a nice long bench built with storage drawers underneath. We don’t miss that old tub at all! Our bathroom is so much more spacious! The bigger shower, with a glass door and bench, and extra storage is great. In the hall bathroom we did install a new, deeper soaking tub, in place of the basic builder tub that had been installed when we built the house. So we still have a nice big tub for guests and grandkids!

    • I am just getting started on a reno of my master back. That was my thought to add maybe window seats with storage under the two large windows that frame the huge jetted tub. Do you have any pictures?

  14. The first thing I think of when people talk about not having a bathtub is how much my grandchildren love having baths (especially bubble baths) when they stay over at my house. Also for young families with small children, you really need a bathtub. If your house if large enough that one bathroom would have the tub and the other bathroom only a shower, maybe that would be okay.

  15. One of my pleasures in a life is a long, lovely bubble bath. So no tub would be a deal breaker for me! I can appreciate, however, folks with really small baths renovating using only a shower. Nate Berkus, the interior designer/tv host was recently quoted as saying “trends are designed to make people feel bad for what they don’t have” Amen, brother! I’m reading now everyone should be ripping out their granite because it is “out” and replacing it with Quartz. It took a long time and a lot of badgering my poor husband to install my granite countertops. If I told him we needed to replace them, he really would think I’d lost my mind!! Oh, and about shower doors…we have a big shower and at first had no door…I was constantly mopping the floor because the spray didn’t stay insides the shower. We have a door now.

    • Hi Roxanne, may I ask what size your shower is that your water has been unmanageably kept inside the space? We are currently in planning stages of a no-door shower (we think), but our house is divided in the decision! I’ve asked this same question to another reader whose comment indicated she was able to contain water. Not sure if it has to do completely with overall size of shower space, or direction of spray, and/or pitch of floor. Your answer may help. Thanks!

      Reply

      • We had a walk in shower when we lived in Fl. And loved. It was a shower that had a somewhat “L” shape. It was zero entry also, so no lip to step over upon entering.

        On the tub question, I haven’t taken a bath in 18 years. I’m a shower girl! Our son just built a new home in Iowa. None of the new homes out there have tubs in the master baths.

  16. Janice Stewart says

    We are renovating an old home and plan to take the tub out of the master bath. We think it will be safer as we get older to walk into a shower instead of climbing in and out of a tub. And of course it will look better. We did add a claw foot tub to a downstairs bath.

  17. Betty Legge says

    I must tell you of my experience. I’m widowed (live alone) and 8 years ago I had a free standing home built in a maintenance free community. My house has three bathrooms (two up/one down). There are bathtubs in one of the bathroom up and in the bathroom on the lower level. In the master bath, there was a fiberglass shower (no tub). I was a little concerned about safety – as the shower just made me feel uneasy/not safe and just wasn’t handy for me. I had an Onyx (product brand name) shower put in. It has a seat in one end, safety bars (that are attractive) in two places, two insets to hold shampoos, a hand held shower – and a stationary shower head in the opposite end, etc. AND it’s very easy to clean. I absolutely love it. I really don’t think that not having a bathtub in the master bath is a negative – since there is a tub on the main level (that I’ve never used). I have a friend that put in one of the walk in tubs (designed for the elderly or handicapped) and I don’t think she ever uses it! I think it was an “impulse buy.” (It was expensive – about $15,000.) It is humongous and I’ve heard that they really affect the resale of a house in a negative way! (It takes “forever” to take a bath because you have to be IN the tub before you turn the water on – and you have to remain in the tub until the water drains out!) SO, regarding taking the shower out – and putting in a walk in shower – I’d say: GO FOR IT!!! I don’t think you’d be sorry!

  18. Barbara Warren says

    My son’s business installs glass shower doors for custom built homes. Almost all his clients have tubs and showers. I have a wider tub which allows me to get on my knees to get out and don’t want a shower until I’m unable to manage a tub. If one chooses a shower, it needs seating for various reasons.

    • Laura Lizak says

      I couldn’t live without a tub. I love soaking in a tub, especially living in the desert. I rarely take showers. I once lived in an apartment with only a shower and felt like I never relaxed. I cringe everytime I see them take out the tub in a rehab show. I think it will be a short lived fad.

  19. charlotte A. Orr says

    We are in the process of remodeling our Master Bath!! Oh Boy!!! I did opt for a soaking tub to replace our overly big whirlpool tub that I hated!! I only got a 6 ft. tub instead of the longer ones. Have not put it in but, it should be a nice size. Also enlarged our shower to make it a walkin not door rain shower head. Am excited to get it finished!!

  20. Hi, Susan. I do watch HGTV and if I’m not mistaken, when the majority of new home buyers see a home with no bathtub it becomes a concern: children need bathtubs. And then when seniors are looking for a home, they are delighted when there is a walk-in shower (as a senior, I understand that!) So, if you want a walk-in in your master, I saw go for it, as long as there is another bathroom in the house with a bathtub. Also, I have always used a shower curtain in my front bathroom and it’s always warm and toasty, so no door shouldn’t be an issue. I can’t wait to see how the renovations progress once you start! An new adventure begins.
    Rosie

  21. Margaret Robinson says

    You talk about “trends” but here in California, when we remodeled this home, we did not put a tub, or tub shower in either of our upstairs bathrooms. Our downstairs ensuite has a tub/shower. The remodel (and the addition of an entire downstairs) took place 17 years ago and one of the reasons for no tubs upstairs is that we have a water issue in this state and 2-3 minute showers are the norm. Not a trend, but a practicality.

  22. Leslie McDowell says

    As we get older cleaning tubs is no easy task If you have a tub in another bathroom I would opt for bigger shower Think a big shower would be just as big of selling point

  23. Linda Mingle says

    Redid my master bath a year ago and took out the soaking tub. I had used it 3 times in 10 years. Built a big shower with deep nook to hide shampoo and stuff and a corner bench. Was able to include all the shower jets and enough room to add a linen closet. Best thing I ever did. Still a hall bath with tub if you need one.

  24. Our home does not have a bathtub in the master bath and I don’t miss it at all. We still have a tub in our children’s bathroom which is just fine. We moved to our house 33 years ago and there was no tub in the master bathroom and I was always in such a hurry with 3 kids I didn’t take baths anymore and now I could care less I am too busy doing other fun stuff.

  25. Cynthia Lambert says

    I am SO with you on not being cold getting out of the shower or tub! So a heated floor sounds pretty good. I use those memory foam bath mats and they are terrific! I don’t know how I ever lived without them. As long as there is a bathtub somewhere in the house, it should be perfectly all right to remove the tub from the master bath. It might be hard to resell a house with no bathtub at all. And kudos to you for not watching HGTV. It’s a nightmare. 24 hours of misinformation a day. No respectable designer would do the things they do. It’s all very big box – just lemming stuff – not real design.

    • Sandra D, Joliet says

      I agree Cynthia, HGTV used to be a wonderful channel until the “make over your neighbors house” began. It was okay to have one or two shows like that but then the entire schedule was filled with them. Just like all the so called reality shows taking over now (nothing real about them except maybe the hoarder shows) They need to rename it HTV because they had pretty much done away with all the gardening shows I loved, to make room for all those make over and flip this house type programs. I haven’t watched it in many many years but it still doesn’t look good when I flip through the guide.

  26. We kept our tub when we redid our bathroom, mostly because the master is on the main floor and the rest of the bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs. If I wanted to soak in the tub I wouldn’t want to have to go upstairs to do so. That being said, we haven’t used the tub since we redid our bath 3 years ago. Mostly we use it to keep a drying rack for all our workout clothes. Oh well. We did do the heated floor and it is the best thing we did in there. It is set on a timer so when we get up in the morning the floor and room are warm. It is great for getting out of the shower also.

  27. I’ll weigh in on this, Susan. After getting our home of 22 years just the way we wanted it, we moved in 2014. The house we bought had two full baths on the main floor and two 3/4 baths in the walkout basement level. The main bath was cramped with the traditional tub/shower combination. I HATED it. When we remodeled, we opted for a nice size shower with glass doors and marble tile all the way to the ceiling. It made a remarkable difference. The Master bath was also cramped. Everything was shoved in a corner–there was a shower in a “black hole” corner, a weird Jacuzzi in another corner, the toilet right next the tub in its assigned corner, and finally a so-called double vanity jammed into the final corner. We gutted everything and reconfigured things so that rather than a long, narrow walk-in closet, and small, weird master bath, we now have a large master bath with a lovely soaking tub, a large walk in shower, double sinks and a separate room for the toilet. (That is a thing with me…with a nice size Master, separate the toilet for privacy.) We have both a heated floor and heated towel racks and I wholeheartedly recommend the heated floors at a minimum when you remodel! I also vote to keep the tub, because there is no substitute for a soaking bath after a day working in the garden or on various projects. 🙂 As far as a shower without doors–I suggest keeping the doors, because you are correct in that it gets cold. In a nutshell, it was easy to forgo the tub in the hall bathroom, but I think every home needs at least one tub. You are so right about the whole “on trend” concept. Fads fade, classics endure.

  28. I’ve had an open shower and there are pros and cons. I love the look and no shower door to clean but it does get chilly. I think the MB should be handicap friendly. I have wide entry door, wide shower door, grab bars and I lowered my tub 6 inches (easier to get into). When we built I put the master bedroom next to the kitchen and coat closets in entry and also in hallway going to garage. I love my house!

  29. Tammy Jones says

    We just sold a house and bought a house that we plan to retire in. The house we sold had a tub in each bathroom. The master had a large tub. We never used them, preferring the shower. We kept the tubs because we planned to move and did everything for resale value. In our new house, the large guest bathroom does not have a tub but has a pretty amazing shower. We are currently remodelling the master bathroom and have chosen to leave out the tub, as well, in favor of a larger shower. We are excited to not have space wasted by a tub we would never use. When we get the urge to soak, we go in the pool or hot tub.

  30. Sandra D, Joliet says

    After working hard in the garden, there’s just nothing as relaxing as a good soak in the tub for me. I have a tub/shower combo and I do use the shower for bathing my dog so it’s nice to have an option. We don’t have doors anymore, we use a liner and a shower curtain. My brother sits at a computer all day and evening and has never used his tub so it would be ideal for him. He hates any kind of yard work. Some who like to garden may love the feel of a shower hitting them. It’s hard to speak for everyone else.

  31. We got rid of the master tub. It was a soaking tub, but not as deep as they are today. Our Master bath isn’t big enough for a separate tub and shower. My husband was tripping over the tub getting into it to take a shower. We are getting older and shorter, so we went with a shower where the tub was. He also wanted to do it for the main bath, but talked him out if it. One, I like to soak in the tub and read. Secondly, for resale. There should be at least one tub in the house. The third bathroom also is just a big shower. Interestingly, I haven’t taken a bath since we redid the bathrooms.

  32. Janice Stewart says

    That is a really good point about being colder with a door. I hadn’t thought about that. Great topic!

  33. virginia westlake says

    the showers without doors do get cold. I’ve heard this from people who have one. Who wants a draft when you’re showering?

  34. We have remodeled all three full baths in our house in the last three years. Our master bath had room for a generous shower and a tub, so we did put one back in the space, although it is unused. The main upstairs bath which serves the other bedrooms has a tub/shower combo. Our main floor bath had a tub/shower fiberglass unit that we replaced with a tiled step in shower so it is accessible for those who can’t do stairs. The best thing we did was put in a heated floor in the master! We couldn’t add a heated towel rack without pricey electrical work so we skipped it. Also consider installing a grab bar in your shower – there are attractive options these days. Contractors and realtors alike told me that a master bath with tub is still desirable in my area for resale, and that was a big consideration as we head towards retirement.

  35. We remodeled 8 years ago via turning a bedroom into a large master bath. A shower without doors is the best decision. Much easier to clean and it is very warm and cozy. A large tiled bench and 3 sprays plus a hand held spray makes for a speedy cleaning time. We did put in a soaking tub that I love. Be careful of the height of the tub. As I get older it is harder to get into the tub. Did not think of a towel rack then but my husband gave me one from brookstone for Christmas Love warm towels!

  36. I have a double jacuzzi tub and never use it because the water heater runs out of hot water before it fills up enough to get close to the jets. I’d rather have a big shower with a seat that I can just sit in the steam and relax that way.

  37. Bonnie Brown says

    When we built our home in 1990, I couldn’t wait to have a jetted tub. We have lived here for 26 years now, and I could count on both hands how many times we have used the tub. Mostly my husband used it at times when he had completed a very long bicycle ride. I used it maybe three times in all these years. We are planning a master bath reno and we plan to eliminate the tub. I didn’t know it was a trend. Our shower is separate and is adequate but I would love one slightly larger with a bench seat. The tub takes up valuable space and I had much rather have a nicer shower. Really don’t care a thing about heated floors or towel bars.

  38. I could never be without my bathtub! It helps keep me sane 🙂 I alternate between the tub and shower every day. As far as I am concerned, showers are for washing your hair. Tubs are for relaxing, meditating, and reading. We live in the northern United States and just about everyone that I know uses their bathtubs, as well as their showers.

  39. We have a large master bath with jetted tub and small shower. I hate it! We don’t use the jetted tub and are thinking of having it taken out and enlarge the shower to include a seat and more storage in there. There is a tub in the hall bath so if we need to soak that works fine. The jetted tub is hard to get in and out of if you have knee issues. My husband has been a runner all his life and at 69 his knees are in terrible shape. He uses the hall bathtub to soak since the jetted tub is so hard to get in and out of for him. We have never liked using the bathtub except for an epsom salt soak and that can be accomplished in the hall bath. I don’t care what the trend is, I just like the big shower. Do what fits your lifestyle.

  40. I think it is totally individual. If you or your husband love taking baths and soaking in the tub, then definitely install a tub…But, if you both take showers, would never use a tub…..and have a tub in another bathroom( if needed for any reason,) then I would say….use the space for something else…I would go for function rather than just to have a pretty tub to look at….

  41. Dawne Anderson says

    I’m a full-time realtor. I would suggest keeping a bathtub. Either upgrading or keeping your old one. I have a customer that has a husband with Alzheimers . Her husband now likes to take a bath every night. Her job is to give him a bath. I don’t know if it stems from his childhood. He has taken showers the last eleven years. You never know when you’re going to need a tub. I highly suggest keeping it for resale value. Kids, grandkids, sore muscles, sickness, wash the comforter!

  42. Susan I have been a real estate agent for 30 years. Years ago I couldn’t sell a home without a whirlpool tub in the master. Now I can hardly sell one if there is one. I work in a primarily retirement area and they are high end homes. Most people want the big showers. I have a lot of people that remodel the home they are buying and take the tubs out of the master. Is it a trend? Yes! Everything about homes is a trend. Pushed by vendors that want us to update our homes and buy their products. No one wants wants brass in homes today. But it will make a comeback. It has already started. Everything comes and goes. Do what you want. You can’t chase the fads.

  43. We’ve lived in our place over 10 yrs. Our master bath has both tub and separate shower. The tub has yet to be used. To me, a soak in the tub is a soak in, um, one’s waste water. While your home is one for a family, so as long as you have a tub for the kids’ bathroom, resale should be fine.

  44. Oh dear, where would I winter my orchids?

  45. I want to remove our jacuzzi tub and turn the space into a large shower. We set ours up as a tub with a shower together. As I age my knees are of concern and I want something simple to go in and out of . The feel the biggest trend with showers are the ones with the spray units mounted above your head and multiple wall sprayers that I can live without. If you have another bathroom with a tub I’d say that’s all you need. For little kids it’s nice to have a tub.

  46. Personally, I would love to eliminate our bigger-than-standard tub and replace it with a large shower. Our current shower is about the size of an old telephone booth! I never enjoyed soaking in a tub and can hardly remember the last time I did it. My husband doesn’t use it either. It might be interesting to talk to a couple of realtors to get a feel for what buyers want. Resale would be the only reason I would consider a tub in the master. As for shower doors, I can feel a definite drop in temperature when I open our shower door. Brrr..! Your plan to heat the floor sounds great and may eliminate that problem. Best wishes with your choices!

  47. Susan, there may be something wrong on my end, but I can’t find the link button or the links that have already been submitted. I’ve left and come back and refreshed the page several times. Do you know if there’s a problem?

    • Hi Laurie,
      It is there…it’s a good size blue button at the button of the links that have been added already. I’m using the latest version of InLinkz and I wonder if it’s creating issues with your browser. Try clearing your cache, oh and reboot your computer. If you still don’t see it, let me know and I’ll ask the InLinkz folks what could be the problem. Also, you may want to try a different browser. I normally use Chrome, but you could try Firefox or Internet Explorer or Safari to link up. What browser are you using? Also, make sure you are using the latest version of your browser. Let me know if any of these suggestions work

  48. Oooh? No master tub? What is the world coming to? Parlors without fireplaces? Kitchens without pantrys? It’s sounding less cozy and comforting by the minute! Personally, being the bubble bath and candlelight gal that I am…I Absolutely would Not buy a home without a tub in the master bath. As I manage to find the time for a 15-20 minute soak about three or four times a week – (more, during gardening season) – my glorious tub is one of my favorite treats!

  49. I had a good chuckle…lived in our past house for 18 yrs, MB had no shower, only a big soaking tub, I showered in the hall bathroom. Had no issues selling our house with no shower in the MB. Recently down sized, remodeled the MB, and took out the large oversized tub. Was able to enlarge for a walk-in shower, no doors. No problem with water spraying all over if designed properly & with slightly slanted floor…love it. Was able to squeeze in a tub for my husband too. I say go for what your current needs are and not to worry about resale. We love the heated floors too.

  50. Regality (aka The Quing) says

    My home has two teeny-tiny bathrooms. They are so small that you could combine them and still not have one of those giant economy sized rooms. The master is actually an oxymoron, cuz there’s no tub, just a shower. I love a bath, but don’t mind that the master doesn’t have one. That way, I don’t have to compete with my S.O. for room time. Quite a few years ago, the second bath was the object of a mini-makeover (Of course it was mini, given the size of the room.) In the process, I found the perfect, slant-backed tub. *luxuriating in my mind just at the thought of it* I would never want one of those jet-propulsioned thangs, however. I have a very sensitive nerve system and the water motion feels to me like I’m being attacked by my bathtub.

    Re carpeting over hardwood floors: I have old feet to go with my old body and love the tender, loving that my wall-to-wall gives me.

  51. We’ve lived in our house for over 25 years (original owners) and we did a major upgrade a couple of years ago. Our master bath is what started the whole process. We had a tub under a window and thought very long and very hard about loosing the tub and doing a larger shower. Our shower is large but we even thought of making it wheelchair accessible in case we might ever need that. We thought of all the things we could do to make the bathroom more attractive for folks that “might” buy the house, IF we ever decide to sell. In the end we decided we’re the ones living here right now and we’re the ones we really need to please.
    We replaced the tub (it was a Jacuzzi tub made out of that cultured marble stuff and had cracked and was unusable) with a deep soaking tub. We had stayed in a luxury hotel on a business trip and I encountered the tub of my dreams and always kept it tucked away in the back of my mind. Here’s a revelation I learned during the process: I went to the showroom to pick out all of my plumbing fixtures and ordered my tub. When the tub arrived I discovered it was fiberglass! The one in the showroom had been fiberglass but I thought that was only a prop for the showroom – I never imagined I was buying a fiberglass tub. I turned the workmen bringing in the tub around and made them replace the fiberglass tub for the real deal – a porcelain tub. No Jacuzzi or jets – just a plain old (very deep) soaking tub. I have NOT regretted it. I LOVE my tub! And the shower got a great upgrade with glass doors, new tile, etc. (We had a seat in the old shower which we removed and that made a lot of difference, too.) Everybody’s happy. We didn’t change our footprint in the bathroom at all (although we thought about it a long time) and it is so amazing how different everything feels with new surfaces. We did replace our vanities and I made mine “mens height” – which is also the height of kitchen counters. I don’t sit to put on my makeup and I really enjoy not having to lean so far over to brush my teeth and wash my face. Good luck. There are so many decisions to make!

  52. We have a tub/shower combo. I would do away with the tub in a heart beat.
    Never use the tub.
    There is a tub in guest bath if needed.
    I would certainly go for no shower door.
    Years ago toured model homes, and open showers were in all.
    But might look to modern for our home.
    I would definitely put in more places to put shampoo, soap, etc. instead of the hanging holder that hangs off shower head.
    And as Iam aging a gripper bar, and non slip floor in shower.

  53. We just renovated an older home and we did not include a tub in the master bath. Instead we installed a doorless shower and I love it! No glass shower doors to clean and no tub to just gather dust!

    • Patti, may I ask what size your shower is that your water has been manageably kept inside the space? We are currently in planning stages of a no-door shower (we think), but our house is divided in the decision! I’ve asked this same question to another reader whose comments differed from each other with ability to contain water. Not sure if it has to do completely with overall size of shower space, or direction of spray, and/or pitch of floor. Your answer may help. Thanks!

  54. Don’t get rid of your tub! It is so funny when you show houses to people they almost always tell you they want whatever the latest trend is “open concept” for example, then you show them an open concept house and they say, “I don’t like that everyone can see straight into my kitchen” so they end up buying a not open concept house. Same with the huge showers, they also want the tub, it does not have to be huge but it needs to be there. I do find more people don’t like the older jetted tubs and prefer just a plain old soaking tub. I am finding new homes are being built not quite as open concept with just a few walls to still allow for good entertaining flow, but to hide your dirty dishes when unexpected company pops over.

  55. Barbara Severski says

    Susan, We have been in our house over 20 years and NEED to remodel/repair our master bath. We had a realtor come and tell us what would be a good idea to do ( or not do) for re-sale. We just didn’t want to spend money needlessly and bath remodels are expensive!! For our area they suggested putting the dollars into good tile for the floor and shower and a tub. We had wanted heated floors but I think we will just do heated towel bars and NO shower doors.

  56. Hi Susan

    We built a home 5 years ago and have a double sink, soaking tub and separate shower in the master bath. We are not big shower people, except maybe in the summer when it’s really hot, but prefer the tub. Love a hot bath in the evening, helps to relax you:) Would probably not purchase a home without a tub…but that’s us. I would though get the heated floors-tile can be cold on the feet!! Good luck on your decision.

  57. To each its own but I take a tub bath everyday and sometimes after working in my garden I soak again. The older you get the more you enjoy relaxing. I would not buy a house without a tub.

  58. I live in a older home built in 1929. The previous owners redid the layout of the house and took in a side porch for the master bath. They had a very small shower that felt like I was in a coffin every time I took a shower. We renovated the master bath a couple of years ago and took what was a very long vanity and enlarged the shower size. Since the room never had a tub we didn’t miss it. I do love the beautiful baths with the large shower and free standing tubs but that isn’t happening in an old home!! We went with very nice finishes and used marble. I do wish we had put in heated floors. The space is small so it probably wouldn’t have been that expensive. I just didn’t think about it at the time. I live in Texas where it is hardly ever that cold but I do hate stepping on that cold floor when it is!!

  59. Susan, I’m back again. I am with you I dislike the word “trend” and especially “dated”. HGTV has fueled discontent and spending money. We should all have what we like and not be forced into what designers think we should have.

  60. My house was built in 1974. We have two bathrooms. The hall bathroom is not huge but comfortable enough with a tub/shower (curtained…no shower doors). The master bath is so tiny that only person can go in there at a time. It has a tiny shower…no tub. Between my husband, 20 year old son, and myself, we have not taken a sit down bath in years. My son used the tub when he was small but now prefers showers. I don’t need the tub but would keep at least one so that when we sell the house, we have a better chance selling to families with small children. I wouldn’t like a shower with an opening and no barrier like a door or curtain simply because I would just feel strange with the opening. More of a personal preference than anything.

  61. I don’t use the tub in my master bathroom at present, it is almost impossible to get OUT of once in it, and as you stated, the water doesn’t come up far enough or stay hot. So I take showers. (It’s a shower/tub combo). If I had the space and budget, I’d love to have a big tub that is easy to get in and out of. I’ve even considered one of those walk-in tubs – but I’ll always need my shower too, there’s often no time for a soak. That picture with the tub in the corner and the heated floor and towel rack is BEAUTIFUL. Both heated floor and heated towel rack are luxuries I wish I had. I saved it to my Pinterest board in case I win the lottery. 🙂 Or just for dreaming…
    Anyway, I know that some people would not miss the bathtub. I’d give mine up for a large walk-in shower, but only if there was another one easily accessible in another bathroom.

    • P.S. I just read the comment above about the walk-in tubs, I had wondered about having to stay in it until all the water was out. Sounds kind of chilly, doesn’t it? I’ll scratch that idea. For practicality, since there are 2 other tubs in my house, I’d love to have a walk-in shower in my master bath!

    • Marilyn C arter says

      Just roll over to your knees and stand up. Have a grab bar handy to hold onto to exit.

  62. I love love love my big tub and use it everyday. I can’t imagine having to use a shower. I don’t have the best back and soaking can make a big difference in how I feel. I wouldn’t buy a house without a big tub.

  63. I would SO miss my tub in our master bath! It is so relaxing to fill it up, slip in and watch TV.

  64. Anne Pritchett says

    When my husband and I built our house in 2002, we opted not to have a tub in the master bath. We didn’t want to spend $100+ per square foot for something we knew we would never use. We have a 6 foot shower with a bench along the long wall and a shower head on each end. We have never regretted our decision. We have a full size tub in the second full bath for anyone who would want to take a bath. Neither of us ever has in 14 years!

  65. Wow, you’ve hit on a hot topic! I won’t repeat what others have said (love my tub for soaking aching muscles) but I will suggest getting a cast iron tub if you want to keep the water warm for a long time. When we renovated our master bathroom, we replaced a jetted tub with a simple cast iron one and it is heaven! Kept the shower the same size but put in glass on two sides. It’s “cozy” by today’s standards but it stays toasty warm. I always wonder about those “trendy” huge showers and how folks stay warm. You definitely should go for the heated towel bar and heated floors if you can do it! Can’t wait to read what you end up doing!

  66. Wow…..loved reading all the comments!!! I built my home about 18 years ago in a retirement community of patio homes. Full bath on the 2nd floor and powder room on the first floor. I enlarged the bath to have a Jacuzzi tub and separate shower, single vanity and nice linen closet. The shower is large with a bench seat at one end, which I love!!! No glass doors for me, will never have those, what a pain to keep clean!! I use a shower curtain and works well.

    I love the tub and I use it often, recently had bars put on the wall to help getting in and out since I am older now and have bad knees!! I had the tub installed on an inside wall and it is much warmer. You need a larger hot water tank to keep hot water. Trends come and go, you need to do what is best for you…….

  67. Susan, great post… obviously a lot of people are interested in this subject. Here’s my perspective both as a homeowner (of a 100 year old home) and as a designer.
    When we renovated our master bath in our old home, we didn’t have space to sacrifice for a separate tub, as we wanted a separate walk in shower. I always tell my clients it’s important to have a tub for future sales in at least 1 bathroom of the house, assuming it’s a house with multiple bathrooms… or what would children bathe in? (even if they don’t have children, for future sales of the house a tub is important) And we did just that in this old house, we added a bathroom with a bathtub in the 2nd bathroom instead of the master bathroom.
    BUT… I’m just finishing up a post that will come out in about an hour about my client’s condo bathroom renovation and she only takes baths, so we outfitted the bathroom with a very nice air bathtub and have with a shower in it for the rare occasion someone would want to use the shower! (That situation is for sure not the norm in most households though)

  68. I love to soak in a tub. I’d miss mine!

  69. You are smart to seek other opinions that could influence what you choose to do. But as is always the case, there are so many opinions that are polar opposites. You are a staunch traditionalist. I say, keep both.
    You will probably feel more comfortable.

  70. Obviously from reading all the comments here, it seems to depend on your situation, personal preference and feelings toward a tub and shower. Small children are easy to bathe in a tub, and of course they want to play in the water, but I don’t think you have any of those! My husband always takes a shower, but I like to soak in a nice bubbly bath sometimes, especially after yard work or when I’ve been on my feet a lot. My adult daughter, who lives with us, loves both showers and baths too. Sometimes just a ten minute soak makes you feel better. We don’t have a master bath, just an upstairs bath shared by all, and with a tub and shower. Our downstairs bath has a small shower with a door, and we never use it because it’s too small. Total waste of space! That being said, if you have several bathrooms in the house and one already has a tub, you might not miss having a tub in the master if having a larger shower and other amenities is what you want in the trade off.

  71. My son redid his master bathroom. He has a two bedroom coop here in the city. The realtor said it could affect resale because a family with a young child would want a tub. He lives in an area that’s mostly young working people with no kids as schools aren’t great. So we went for the larger shower and no tub.
    In my home I want no tub. I currently have a jacuzzi tub and in 30 years I can count only a handful of times I used it. Since I have another full with a tub I’d definitely do the large shower. It’s so nice and a great use of space. Easier to clean too. If a home had another full bathroom it shouldn’t affect resale value. It’s such a clean look. Great use of space.

  72. My husband and I are planning a master bedroom/bath renovation in the next 2-3 years and we have no plans to have a tub. We want a large walk-in shower, double vanity, walk-in closet (which we don’t have now) and a washer and dryer. Our laundry is currently on the basement level of the house. Our renovation is with our senior years in mind. I am in my late 50’s and my husband is in his early 60’s. We have a normal size tub now and we just don’t use it. If we need a tub, we have one in our hall bathroom (which was recently renovated). Our home is 30 years old (we are original owners) and it is a modest 1980’s ranch. We have spent the last few years renovating/upgrading. We have the master bedroom/bath, the kitchen and the outside deck left to do. All large ticket items. I love the planning though and can’t wait until we get started. 🙂 Thanks for all your great tips and ideas!

  73. Wow! You picked a popular topic today!!! On HGTV there are lots of “shower only” bathrooms being shown….but half the time the lady immediately groans about there not being a deep soaking tub. I would love to have a shower only bathroom BUT since I only have one full bathroom (plus a half-bath in master), we will continue with a shower/tub setup. I don’t think I have sat in a tub in 30 years. I never liked taking a bath once I used a shower when I was a teenager. As my mom aged, it was extremely difficult for her to get in and out of the tub so a walk-in shower would have been better. As it was, we put in a handicap bench/seat in the tub so she could sit and shower. But for resale value, I will have to stick to a shower/tub situation. But would love a big walk-in shower. I wouldn’t get any additional space but would love the convenience. I love the tub you like in the picture for your bathroom. Good choice!!

  74. Interesting topic. Resale value vs practicality. When i was 21, it was a very good year for long soaking baths and fairy glitter lightly sprinkled on your face or hair on New Tears eve. When i was 40 and worked long hours it was definitely a very good year for long soaking baths with a jacuzzi and a glass of wine to forget the world. Then came my mid 50s and it was a very good year for a long hot shower and a once in a while soak in a bubblebath with essential oils and weekly trips to the hairdresser. When i was in my early 60s if was a very good year to have hot showers with hand held sprays to concentrate on those spots that needed pulsating pressure to alleviate the aches and pains of those sore tired muscles from gardening or knee or back pain from golfing. Now Im not 21 but too fast approaching 70 within a year or two and it is a very good year for bathrooms with wonderful showers that keep you warm and are not too gigantic with a seat if possible and to wish for a walk in tub to sit and soak those ridiculous pains away like i developed yesterday after lifting a light chair sweeping leaves and aggravated my bulging disc and it crazy hurts. So it depends. I have a nice bath with a shower that is a bit small but has a seat and easy to get into and out and a wonderful jacuzzi that looks wonderful and deep and wide that if i get into it, the large hot water heater barely fills and i cannot get into or out of because of knee issues and no where for handrails and a “Help Ive fallen and cant get up moment. My vote today…….it is a very good day for a beautiful medium shower with several shower heads and a handheld spray and an ugly walkin tub hidden behind closed doors with jacuzzi sprays which i am not sure they make and a live in massuess (sp?) for rubbing those kincks out of my sore old body. But i sooooo love beautiful bathrooms but wish i had a livein maid as well to clean it.

  75. Soaking in a hot bath before bed is my therapy. When I had small children my retreat to the bath at night was the signal for kids and spouse that “my alone time” had arrived. Now that I’m older it is a way to ease aches and pains. When I’m cold it warms me up without having to get my head wet. While ideally a bathroom has both a tub and shower, the fact is you can still take a shower in a bath, but you can’t take a bath in a shower. Buyers who love baths will consider this. Also when you have to bathe children (or pets) it is just easier. When house hunting a few years ago I passed on an otherwise perfect home because it only had a shower in the master. While I feel the huge tubs are overkill, I would hate to be deprived of being able to have a long soak in a hot bath.

  76. Well I can only speak for myself. My last home was large (4,000 plus sf) but the master bath had no tub. It was a custom built home and the original owner didn’t add a tub. Both children’s bedrooms had their own baths with typical bath/shower combos. I really missed a bath and had to go to my childrens’ bathrooms to soak. The next house we bought had a nice master bath with a garden tub and separate shower. I didn’t like my master with no tub.

  77. I wouldn’t say that a tubless master bath is a new trend. My parents bought a nice ranch home 30+ years ago and it has a master bath without a tub, and it’s not a small bath by any means. Personally, I’m a shower person and as I get older the practicality of a shower wins hands down.

  78. We’re about to reno our master bath, and it will be a big shower. I wish I had room to add a soaking bath, but I don’t. Standard bathtubs are built to wash children, so are pretty useless for adults. Soaking tubs can be hard to get in and out of, especially as you age. Someday, I would love to have a deep soaking tub again (I had a couple in old apartments in my youth), but I’ve been looking at Japanese tubs. They take up very little floorspace and are very deep. In some, you sit on a shelf that also serves as a step, rather than recline, so they’re easier to get in and out of. But if there’s only room for one thing, I’d go for the big, luxurious shower in the master unless you’re a regular soaker.

  79. Regality (aka The Quing) says

    PS: I’m not getting any met. posts, not even a inlink between your “Thanks for participating in this week’s Metamorphosis Monday!” and “RELATED POSTS TO ENJOY”. I’ve refreshed several times and…nada.

    • Currently there are around 70 blogs linked up. I’m sorry you’re having trouble seeing them. I’m using the latest version of InLinkz for the Linky Party this week, and from what I’ve been told by InLinkz, it doesn’t work well if you’re viewing it using a browser that may not be latest version of that browser. Double check to make sure you have the latest version of whatever browser you use like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer. If that isn’t the issue (an outdated browser) clear your cache and reboot your computer. I’ve only had one other person today mention they couldn’t see the links, so I’m pretty sure it’s something on your end. Let me know if any of those things work to fix the issue for you.
      XXX

      • Regality (aka The Quing) says

        Sadly, clearing/rebooting didn’t help. I am using I.E., the most recent version. Does InLinkz specifically mention I. E.? Since it’s on its way out the web door, it might not work with the newest InLinkz. I’ve encountered that with one other website.

  80. Brenda Lawrence says

    Funny you did a post on this! I live in a small house, my late husband’s grandparents home. Tiny house was more the correct term for it, but hubby and I added on to it. Not a lot, just two modest bedrooms and a basement underneath, which we had a cut out from the old basement into the new one. With 6 boys, we just needed the space. So bathroom was moved completely when we added on. Things changed through out the house some. Then fast forward 20+ years and the bathroom needed to be redone. So hubby redid it. He came to me and asked about getting rid of the tub. We had a claw footed tub and a corner shower. Kids were all gone but one. The 3 of us didn’t use the tub anymore and it was just a clothes and dust collector. But did I want to get rid of the tub in our only bathroom?? I did! I couldn’t get out the tub anymore so I didn’t “soak” in it anymore. I was sad to see my claw footed tub leave, but really I haven’t missed it! Now I know that not having a tub isn’t for everyone. We are ones that will stay here forever. Hubby died here in our house, I will be here unless I remarry and since I’m pretty young that could happen. Hubby was only 52 when he passed. So the shower he put in wasn’t anything fancy since we are just farm people. But it was long and had more room for him and my son to shower in. If I would ever sell, the shower can be taken out and there is plenty of room for a tub/shower combo. I don’t regret or miss the tub. If I was younger, like in my 30’s, then I would miss it. But at 57 I don’t. But this is a very personal choice for each family to make! Do wish I had a half bath though. lol Hugs, Brenda

  81. As soon as I can renovate my master bath, the bath tub is going. Just want to walk into the shower. I get tired of all the trendd changing every 5 to 10 years. Things come and go. I realized I just need to decide and I have, as to what I like and that’s what I’m going to stick with.
    Thanks for all the ideas to think about.

  82. Oh please don’t pass on the tub! It doesn’t have to be humongous – just deep! It doesn’t even have to have fancy jacuzzi-like jets. Taking a hot relaxing bath is the cheapest nice thing you can do for yourself. If we forego bathtubs because we “don’t have time” for baths, we’ve admitted defeat! Admitted that we have lost control over our lives, allowed everyone and everything to monopolize every blessed minute. Don’t I sound crazy? Ha ha. I very recently realized I was way overcommitted and “reclaimed” 1/2 hour of my life – just a few times a week, admittedly – for baths! Don’t even bother if the tub is the shallow “normal” kind many of us grew up with. That’s not a bath – that’s a splash in a puddle. But a real bath – hot, deep, soft lighting and a glass of wine…. girl, you will not be sorry to have carved out a little time to enjoy such a simple thing!

  83. Phyllis Trexler says

    We are thinking of redoing our bathrooms and came to the conclusion we would eliminate the tub in the master bath (we too have an older smaller master bath) but would keep the tub in the other bathroom. Most of the new renovations show the extreme showers but on the other hand the house buying shows always seem to have a couple with young children who have to have at least one bath tub. You have certainly evoked a lot of discussion on this matter. Very interesting.

  84. Cyndi Raines says

    When we built our modest ranch 20 years ago, the “in” thing was a big “garden tub” in the master bath. They looked so pretty, but my husband who was my builder said no way, they take a LOT of water and they are hard to clean so we opted for a larger shower and large linen closet. I have not regretted it. I do have a tub/ shower in the other bathroom, so if I want to soak these old bones I can. I don’t use the tub very often, but when I do it is mainly in the winter when I have time to soak, but now that I’m 60, I may be using it more! haha. Several years ago, I did change my very pretty glass door on our shower to a shower curtain and liner as I was so tired of trying to keep that glass clean. The shower curtain has been great. When I want a “new look” I just change the curtain and towels. I’ve always wanted a heated towel rack too! It’s on my wish list. 🙂 I do love my heater / exhaust fan. That warms me up as I’m drying off and not as expensive as the heated floors. If you can afford the heated floors and want it, I say go for it. Life is too short not to enjoy what you can afford. 🙂 Can’t wait to see your renovations ~ I know it will be lovely!

  85. Just completed a complete bath renovation. Definitely installed a glass shower door on the shower as I have lived in a home without one: COLD without glass door.
    Replaced old 5′ Jacuzzi tub with an installed (not freestanding) 6′ deep soaking tub with air bubble system because, unlike Jacuzzi types, air bubble systems do not leave residual water in the pipes.
    Love the new layout as the shower area is private, so no worries with glass door, and tub is below a lovely picture window. Tub decking is granite, so no grout to crack or bother with.

  86. We just eliminated the tub in our bathroom. We bought this fixer upper with only one small bathroom on the floor with the bedrooms. It had just a small tub and not even plumbing for a shower. We took out the tub all together and just installed a larger shower. Right now I am happy with it. We are not planning on moving anytime soon so we are not worried about resale. Good topic to discuss!! My mother loved her baths – but I am a shower person! Some people can’t function in the morning without coffee – I can’t function without a good hot shower!

  87. Jean Sprimont says

    Oh Susan, you have hit a bit of a nerve. I just remodeled without a tub because my daughter insisted on an over-large shower into which you could take a wheelchair. Also have a build-in bench. It is true that tubs are more difficult for older folks….am getting there…and more dangerous, but I have several friends who insist on a tub. There’s nothing like a long soak….as long as you don’t get cold doing so.

  88. Hi Susan,

    I live in a older home and I also have a tub and shower combination. The tub I have is a soaking one and would love to soak in it. However I am full of arthritis in my spine and hips and it would be very difficult for me to soak in there as I can’t get up and out of it even with the help of a grab bar. I wouldn’t take the tub out just because of the selling of it in the future. I am however considering having the side wall of the tub cut and a. a safety step out in. This will also allow the section that is cut out to be refinished and you can put it back in for those that like to take a tubby!

    Just thought I’d pass this information along to you.

  89. Never EVER – no way in the world – would I renovate and take my tub out! I wouldn’t even buy a home that didn’t have one. If my sweet dear Momma ever taught a thing, it is to love a good hot bath soaking. I take a bath sometimes twice a day. I have a deep oval soaker tub that stays hot and awesome. I use Epsom salts, I use bubble bath liquids, I use lavender oil, I use “bath bombs,” love love love love my bathtub time. I even usually turn on my Pandora on phone and now have “spa music” program, and always have lots of candles burning.

    I would love to redo my bath to update my shower and make it larger. (I am blessed to have a stupidly over-large bathroom.) It will require moving the door over a bit more, and I will when my leaves grow back on our money tree…….my bath is perfect, but it is a bit high for me. I’d like to either build-in some steps leading to it, or lower it, if possible.

    Here in the north our tiles get super cold in the winter, so if I do all this renovating (fun to dream) I would DEF get floor warming, but not towel warming cuz I don’t like the way they look.

    I am excited you will be renovating, too, Susan and look forward to seeing more about it in the future. Hugs. ♥

  90. I am with you Susan!….I think a master bath needs a tub! I love a separate shower and tub. I think in some circumstances, say a bedroom designated for a guest room, that may be OK…but as you stated, trends come and go. I do love the trend of having a very large area for dining adjoining the kitchen in lieu of a dining room….in my next house the area that is slotted for a dining room will be a huge laundry, craft, potting, etc room.

  91. Laura Carriker says

    We remodeled a few years ago. Our house (we built 41 yrs ago) had small baths from the 70s-era. Our hall bath has a tub/shower combo. The very small master, a shower only. In the 70s we had the 1-piece fiberglass inserts. When we remodeled, we cut out the inserts & took out a portion of the wall (a hollow filler) to expand the shower size. Now about 3’x5.’ We used nice tile, hand-held shower head & seat. Also replaced toilets with higher “comfort height” which we love. Nice new vanities with granite tops. In the hall bath, we replaced that fiberglass insert w/ tile surround & installed a tub/shower with (I had to fight for this) a deep, 11-jet whirlpool tub with an inline heater to keep the water hot during my nice long soaks…We do have tile floors which are cold. My engineer husband, concerned about energy usage, would not agree to floor heat although our tile guy really pitched them. We use bath mats in front of the shower & the sink or beside the tub & it’s fine. My bathrooms are still too small to accommodate a wheelchair so if it comes to that we will move or convert a bedroom to a big handicapped bath. If we do that or ever build a new house, we’ll have a no-threshold, wheel-in shower for our later years….Keep in mind, whatever you build, someone has to clean it. I would like larger baths than what we have but not huge bathrooms. Our shower is large enough to be comfortable but not so much to clean….That beautiful white marble shower pictured would be a lot to clean.

  92. I would ditch the tub and get a large walk in shower with frameless glass doors. Have a seat built in. If your hall bath has a tub then soaking can be done there.

    You mentioned that the water doesn’t stay warm, so I wouldn’t worry about replacing the tub.

    I don’t think this is a trend. My parents home built in 1969 had no master bathroom tub, as did the other homes in their neighborhood.

    Just my bossy opinion!

  93. Sandra Morlan says

    Susan, we recently tore out a “garden tub” and in its place, installed a free standing, 5 foot, acrylic tub with a floor mounted faucet. It is BEAUTIFUL and wonderful to lay back in and soak. We purchased it from Signature Hardware and opted for an insulated model, so the water always stays warm. To make getting in and out of tub safer, I purchased a clear bath mat. Though we still have a shower, it is wonderful having this tub, because you can use wonderful herbal bath products and bath by the light of low lights and a candle. You don’t get that atmosphere with a shower. Check out the tubs on Signature Hardware. I’m certain you’ll find just the right size for your bathroom. You will not regret it.

  94. We took the tub out of our small master bath at our beach house and replaced it with a walk in shower that has a glass door near the shower head for access for entry and turning on but then the rest is open. It’s beautiful, modern and very little mildew because it dries well. When the grandbabies come their parents put them in a small plastic tub on the shower floor and they splash away. Thinking about resale is important, but you also want it to be functional for yourself…go for what you want!

    • Jenna, what size is your shower, if I may ask? We are about to finalize our bath reno plans, and have no doors planned (other than a partial wall for plumbing so the spray will go diagonally into a 5′ square).
      Susan, this has been an awesome discussion. I read ALL the comments. I have a headache, lol.

      • Cathy Gibbs says

        Our walk in shower is that size and we added the frameless glass door because of how close the vanity was to the shower. I like that it keeps the heat and steam in, water off the floor, and if you squeegee the doors after you shower, they are very easy to keep clean.

        • Thank you, Cathy Gibbs. Our vanity will be along the wall where the plumbing will be housed (using about 2′ total of one 5′ side), opposite the open end. But if water did get on the floor, I can see how it might head towards the vanity. Ugh! Decisions, decisions. I think we’re at least making sure the framing is such that a glass door can easily be added to the studs if we do go doorless and later change minds. Thanks for the input! ~R

  95. We built our house 9 years ago and I never thought about a tub in the master. We have a walk in shower with shower heads on each end and a bench on each end. We don’t have a door but I do use a curtain and liner.
    We have 2 other baths and both have the shower tub combo. After 9 years I haven’t bathed in either one of them. I would feel like I was wasting my time soaking when I personally can think of things more fun to be doing.

  96. This is a tough one for me. Our master bathtub is tiny.. knees-up-to-my-chin tiny & we don’t use it. So, would consider doing away with it to opt for a nice big shower. Plus, bathtub butts up to a fireplace in the Master.. just ill-conceived floor plan altogether.
    But, do you remember the “trend” of pedestal sinks? After about a decade or so of loving the simplistic and how open it made the bathroom feel, we realized how much storage space we missed! Beauty vs functionality? which my guess is the direction the “no upper kitchen cabinets” will someday go as well.
    Really need do some thinking about this one when we decide to renovate the master bath. Thank you for those photos, it puts it into a much clearer
    perspective~

  97. I lived in 3 homes which had garden tubs, big and deep, and did not use them much at all. It was cool at first, but then it wore off. In the last home I had a hot tub, which was used more than I ever used the bathtubs. Now in this home and at age 64 I have aching body parts and wish for a nice deep tub to relax and soak in. If I could afford a hot tub I would have one. My place now is too small for a tub in the master and the guest bathroom has a very short tub that can not relax in and be covered in hot water. I cannot afford to replace with a deeper tub. It depends on you and your needs. It also depends on room in the bathroom for one. I have shower curtains in the guest bath as rarely gets used, but in the older homes the guest bathroom were used a lot and ended up replacing curtains with glass doors as the curtains would puff into the shower due to heat and cling to those in it, plus water always escaped onto the floors, and the shower curtains were a pain to have to take down and clean. For me they look pretty but are not practical, especially with children!

  98. Many of the newer hotel have the large showers and no tub. That is my preference when I travel as I always wonder if they have been cleaned properly. When I am at home give me a tub any day of the week! I guess we are creatures of habit and do what we are used to doing everyday. Like anything there are pros and cons to both.

  99. We have two showers and no tub. Even when I am in a fancy hotel and theoretically could soak forever, I just don’t do it. We managed to get through baby/kid years with just a shower.
    My parents had to leave their home in large part because of the lack of a shower. My dad had limited mobility but my mom refused to put in a shower. When she got stuck in the tub, they needed to move (among other reasons). Tubs are dangerous, they use lots more water than showers and I just can’t get into the idea of soaking in one’s own dirt.
    You will not get cold in a shower that is open. Just make sure the water doesn’t splash onto the floor, which could make it slippery.

  100. Wow! This has a lot of comments! In the end what is important is what you would like and are most comfortable with. What would you like to see in your bathroom? I prefer baths and kept the large soaking tub in the master bath when we remodeled it two years ago. We do have two other tubs in the house, one being quite deep, but I want to bathe and get dressed in my own bath, not go running around the house to take a bath.

  101. Robin Lambert says

    I added a master bath to my four bedroom, 1.5 bathroom house. No room for a tub (I haven’t been in a tub for 30+ years). I love my walk-in shower! Heated floors were a must because no heat vents in there. And a light tube because no window. I didn’t think of a towel warmer, but you can put your towel on the floor to warm it! I redid the pink ceramic hall bath also, no luxuries like the heated floor. Beautiful guest bath.

  102. I haven’t used a tub in decades. Even those who love to soak aren’t able to in the average tub anyway.

    I think parents with small children need hems, but as long as there’s a tub somewhere in the house, I don’t think I’d worry about one in the master bath.

  103. We have a nicely sized, not huge tiled shower with very tall glass doors that keep heat inside quite nicely. Towel hook just outside, so i open door, grab towel, shut door and dry off inside if room is chilly. Spend the money and get the frameless doors….so much easier to clean. maybe todays heated floors are better…i have a friend who had them installed several years ago, electric, not hot water, and something has broken inside. To fix would require chiseling out the floor tiles to access the system. I love the thick, polyester “super nubby” bath rugs you can find at IKEA and other places. Keeps my tile floor warm, skid resistant, fast wash and dry!

    Our large jetted tub came with the house…good place to keep my ferns in the winter…….we so prefer our shower with the optional pulsating feature in the showerhead. We have tubs in the other baths but no one, including our guests, have used anything but the showers.

  104. When we renovated our master bath, we left the jetted tub in place and enlarged the existing shower…adding no-frame glass all the way around. The tub is in front of the window and to open it I have to climb in the tub…so beware the corner tub. Even though the most important thing is what you want…be aware of what kind of neighborhood you live in (young families, mostly empty-nesters, etc) and what a buyer might like if you plan to sell in the next few years. Good luck and Thanks for hosting the party!

  105. We renovated our family bath about three years ago. At that time we decided to eliminate the bath tub in favor of a walk in shower. I can honestly say I have never missed it. Even when my son and daughter-in-law visited with their son, both as a baby and later as a toddler, it was not a problem. We did consider resale in our decision and decided to go with what was most comfortable for us. We felt that the hit we might take on resale was worth having the bathroom we wanted now. We opted for heated floors, a height adjustable shower panel that has a hand held shower, rain shower and massaging jets options. We added a heated towel warmer, so cold is not a
    problem even here in cold New England! In fact, it is toasty warm in there.

  106. When we renovated our master bath we got rid of the tub… it took up way too much space and only left room for a shower stall… now we have a nice big walk in shower with bench.
    However we do still have a standard type tub in the main bath and I use it every once in a while when I feel like a nice soak… like after working in the garden all day.
    We definitely wouldn’t have gotten rid of the master bath tub if we didn’t have the tub in main bathroom because if we ever sell this place I’m sure anyone with small children will want a tub.
    When our kids were little we used the tub every night for their baths…. I can’t imagine what we would have done without it.

  107. Have been checking out Signature Hardware for free-standing tubs. Some come with the over-flow drain OPTIONAL! Now that will make for a great soak without “leaking water”!

  108. Hi Susan,
    Twenty-six years ago when we built our new home, we opted for a very large walk in shower (with two seats) instead of a soaker tub and shower. The only thing I regret about this decision is not having two shower heads – one at each end of this very large shower! Occasionally, I miss the soaker tub, but we do have a tub/shower combo in the other bath, so I could use that one if I wished.
    A friend of mine is a realtor and she recommends large showers. She says between the cost of water to fill a big tub and no time to soak, most people are happy to have the larger shower.

  109. I am aware of this trend and initially, I was with you and thought people were crazy to give up a nice big tub. My husband and I are retired and are in the process of downsizing to a smaller house. The master has a very small shower with a separate small but deep soaking tub. We are already talking about eliminating the tub and expanding the shower so that we can have a large “luxury” shower with a seat. We both have troublesome backs and knees, so eventually, getting in and out of a tub will likely be dangerous and/or just a pain. While I love a soaking bath occasionally, I only have used my current spa bath three times in the last year, so I really don’t think I will miss it and the guest bath has a shower/tub combo for that occasional bath I might want. Since this is a small house it would probably be purchased as a starter home for a young couple or downsizing home for an older couple (like us) and I think either would be happy with a large, luxury shower. The buyers for your house would probably be completely different and I can see a busy mom wanting a soaking bath, if for no other reason than to briefly escape from the kids a few times a week! Ha!

  110. I watch Flip or Flop and they often go for a large shower and take out the master bathtub. They only do it if the space is small and they never do shower tub combos. Now on Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna do not take out the tub as a rule. Their master bathrooms often look like spas when they are done. They use a soaking tub if the person they are renovating for likes a bath vs a shower. I really think it is a personal choice. Haven’t you ever heard someone that is buying a house that was totally renovated by the previous owners say oh I don’t like that at all it will have to go! And I’m thinking, what are they nuts? The people that renovated spent thousands of dollars. People will be people.

  111. Wow- lots of input on the subject, but I’ll add mine: I couldn’t do without a tub. Ours is a big soaker tub and I use it very often. If we’d ever move, I would not consider a master bath without a tub.

  112. Cathy Gibbs says

    I went around and around for a couple of years on the tub/no tub dilemma. We decided to take our garden tub out and expand the shower. We chose a 5′ x 5′ with a one foot bench along one wall and three shower heads (one rain shower type on the ceiling and a traditional shower head with a removable hand-held head attached.) Our space dictated that we had to have a glass shower door. I was never a tub kinda gal so I don’t miss it one bit. We have two other baths that have tubs so there are tubs in the house. Adding heat to th floor is more affordable than ever. You can even get them on a timer so the floor is already toasty when you walk in. I have never regretted our choice. My realtor friend told me that it might eliminate some buyers but there are plenty of people who feel as I do. There’s always some feature that some will love and others will see as deal breakers so go with what makes your heart happy.

  113. Chris Bannard says

    I think the question is really what is most important to those who use the space. We did not have room for both tub and shower. Neither of us use the tub regularly so we opted for a decent sized shower. We also put a soaker sized tub with shower in the main bathroom “just in case” someone wants a long soak. I remember, in that late 1990’s, when large soaker/jetted tubs were the trend we went to visit friends who had moved to a new, larger home. Their soaker tub was filled with clothes waiting to be folded – they had no intention of every using the tub and figured another use for the tub. I think that is a huge waste of space and function. Another friend loves her time soaking in a tub so she made that the priority in the master bath. Use the space efficiently and for the needs you have. Don’t worry about what the trends are. That is my mantra and it has helped me create a space that we are most comfortable in

  114. erika wilson says

    I’m with the “no tub” group. We built a house and chose to eliminate the tub in the house plans for a double sink and bigger shower. We had a tub in another bathroom in the home. When we put the house up for sale we had a bidding war with 3 sets of buys…..so the lack of a tub in the master bath, wasn’t hindering the sale of that home.

  115. Our new home was completed in July after our 1891 home burned to the ground two years ago. Our new home (as was the old one) is a two-family (two generations) and we have a tub/shower combo in each of the four bathrooms. We have glass doors on each as well…no more shower curtains!! I cannot imagine not having a tub/shower combo in each bathroom. Sometimes you feel like a hot shower, sometimes you need to soak in a tub. We like the flexibility. Two of the tubs are Jacuzzis, two are not. When deciding on the tub/shower combo we made sure to have grab-bars installed for safety.

  116. Linda Louise S. says

    I think it would be OK to get rid of the master tub as long as you have another tub somewhere in the house. I had an operation where I had to soak in the tub every night. If you don’t have at least one how would you do this? I don’t like the idea of no shower door. First, I would be concerned about water getting into the rest of the bathroom. Secondly, I am with you, I don’t like to be cold. The older I get the less I like it! I can imagine a cold draft blowing right into the shower when I’m soaking wet. No thanks!

  117. The link up is not showing for me?????

    • Pinky, are you using Internet Explorer? Apparently, I.E. is going to be discontinued and I don’t think it’s being kept up to date, so it doesn’t play well with the latest version of the InLinkz Linky widget.
      If it’s not I.E., check to see if there’s a newer version of whatever browser you’re using. You may just need to update your browser. Try that and let me know if it works.

  118. Oh no way would l give up a tub!! Just think of that ONE time when you’re so achy or so cold and you sink down into that warm deep water. Uh uh no way! l also want to tell you that l gave up HGTV years ago when they gave up decorating shows. The 6 or so shows that are on now are just awful.
    Thanks for all your hard work, l love your
    blog.

  119. Susan, I appreciate all of your help. I finally got to the party. It’s so nice of you to take the time to help me. We seldom use our jetted tub, but when I want to use it, I’m glad it’s there. We have a shower without a door, and I love it. I’m very cold natured, and I don’t have a problem while I’m in the shower. Wish I had a heated floor when I get out of the shower. Thank you again.

  120. We opted out of any tub in our brand new home. We live in an over 55 community and I don’t want my Mother trying to get into a tub/shower combination when she visits. If I still lived in a residential community I would have at least one tub. I think a home of your size a tub in the master probably feels like a bit of a luxury, but to be honest there is nothing more impressive than a nice big shower. We had heated flooring in our other home and we found it really ran up our heating bill when we used it, but is was very nice in the winter, check on that before installing. Love the idea of a heated towel warmer, now that I can get on board with~

  121. Susan, this is a great “food for thought” post. We live in a 1930 era home. The original two bathrooms are small with typical tub w/ shower. I’d love to redo at least one of them to have a deep soaking tub, and though we have looked, we’ve not committed. My dream is a large room with standing soaking tub, walk-in shower, and room for a couple pieces of furniture. When we purchased this house in mid 90s, we added a master, sitting room, laundry room, and master bath in the attic space. High pitched roof allowed for amazing usable space that no previous owners had captured. That said, the master bath is still small. We opted for a walk in shower, no tub. The shower has a seat and multiple shower heads. I don’t find that the shower is cold or drafty and water does not splash or run out into the room. It’s a great design. If you are one who likes a soaking bath, I wouldn’t consider a master without a tub. We didn’t have a choice, and I use the other tubs for a soaking bath. They are not actual soaking tubs, but they work.
    I’ve read most of the comments and appreciate all the insight. Great question!

  122. I have just sold my home we built 12 years ago, it has a deep soaker tub and a small steam shower. I have been in the tub twice in that time, but the steam shower is wonderful! The new home I have purchased has a large shower and jetted tub, I will probably use the tub some but I am definitely going to miss my steam shower.

  123. I renovated our master bath about a year ago. We built our house in 1991 and wanted to update the bathroom. I did new cabinetry and a new tile oversized walk in shower with no door. It is deep enough that you don’t need a shower door and no we do not get too cold without a door. We love it and it has worked out great for us. However we have a jacuzzi garden tub and we opted to leave it in the bathroom, I thought about removing it and putting in an extra large closet or dressing area, but we thought it might also be a selling point if we decided to sell our house at some point. You would love the big shower but you might miss your tub. I think you would be happy without it too.

  124. I like showers best and think that tubs are becoming obsolete. However, My husband had surgery on his foot last yr and couldn’t take showers. Due to this, I was thankful to have a tub in the house!

  125. Chris Wells says

    Wow, what a hot topic. For every shower with no tub, there is a comment I need my tub. We built our house in 1995. We have a large jaccuzi tub and a decent size tiled shower with a large tiled bench across one end. If I were remodeling the master bath today, I would still want a tub, but the jets could go and I would love a cast iron tub to soak in, and our shower would not have a ledge and a door. My spouse is 20 years my senior and his worse fall was in the shower stepping over the ledge. So I vote for the walk in shower, no door, but a soaking tub. If my tub were smaller I would take a soaking bath more often. We have a tub/shower combo in the guest bath and I love the size of that tub over our jetted monster tub in the master!

  126. I haven’t had a bath in 60 years (ha ha) and my children (now 35 & 40) were bathed in the laundry tub (so I could stand up) till they could stand then they showered too (MUCH easier!) – We never used our tubs – That said, I will say if you plan to have both or only a shower make sure the shower has a minimum interior space of 6 feet by 3 feet – with a seat or ledge on which to place to put your foot when shaving legs – and a built in nook for soaps and products – you need space to bend over and to accommodate the shoulder width of men – also to soap up or shampoo away from the water before you rinse off – in addition, older folks aren’t as flexible and some of us have become “cuddly” – hard to get in/out of a tub – I have found mold and mildew will grow inside the jets of soaking/garden tubs, particularly if they aren’t used daily (my granddaughter found that out the hard way on vacation – just ewwwwww!) and you are not supposed to run the jets with bleach in the water – just squeegee the glass after EVERY use and you may never need to clean it at all (but you will need to scrub every square foot of the tile – wink, wink) – get what YOU want/need now – “You can please some of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time but you can never please all of the people all of the time” – Just as you are making changes now, so will the next homeowner – Can’t wait to see what you choose!

  127. Don’t miss a tub in my master bath at all. I do have one in another bathroom and have never used it–I’ve been in the house 30 yrs! Soaking in dirty water has never been appealing to me!!

  128. Trust your sense of style – your home is beautiful! If you love it, chances are most everyone else will, too!
    (And one last thought – if you choose to have a large, sumptuous shower, make sure your shower wand spray can reach every tile in order to rinse them when you clean the shower)

  129. Wow, everyone has a tub/no tub opinion so I’ll throw mine out there, too. We just finished our new home and have been living here a few months. We opted to leave the tub out of the master bath and it’s working wonderfully for us. We are in our mid 50’s and decided to build a universal-style home so we could stay here as long as possible. (We even have a spot reserved for an elevator, if the need arises.). It was getting hard for me to get in and out of a tub already and hubby never takes one so we designed a large walk-in shower with seat, grab bars and NO door was what we wanted. Who cares about ‘trends?’ It’s made of solid surface so it’s a breeze to clean. We have a shower-tub unit in the basement with the guest rooms, if I ever feel for the need for a soaking bath. I’d say make your bath work for you!

    • I’d love to hear what type of solid surface you used in your shower? Toni

      • We used a local contractor that manufactures cultured marble. We also had them make our bathroom sinks. I chose a marble-look and like it. We designed the shower a bit oversized so the water would stay inside the shower. I had heard how glass doors can be hazardous and have experienced them in hotels. I love not having one or a curtain either. Less to clean. I haven’t posted on my blog in months…too busy but will try to write a post next week and show our master bath. The solid surface makes cleaning quick. I usually use my hand squeegee to remove the water droplets then wipe off the shower handle and grab bars. I didn’t want to deal with grout anymore!

  130. I solved the problem of water going all over the bathroom floor by building a 5″ ledge on the floor at the entrance to the shower. That in combination with a shower curtain keeps all the water confined to the shower area. Anyone with knee problems should be able to navigate a 5″ or even lower ledge quite easily. The only negative is that you can’t wheel a wheelchair into the shower. This works very well for us.

  131. I have a bath I would like to renovate and I love the large showers with the glass enclosures. My question is how difficult are they to keep clean? If they leave water spots and accumulate hard water build up, I think it would drive me crazy. Does someone have experience with them and their upkeep? Thanks.

    • The newer shower glass has a treatment that really keeps the spots off. You can also buy this product to apply yourself to the shower glass that you have.

  132. I work in Kitchen and Bath at the Home Depot. If someone has a bath they want a shower if they have a shower they want a bath. We sell lots of bathtubs . I wouldn’t want to give up mine I can fit 5 grandkids in at the same time.

  133. I am in SoCal and unless you have a newer configured layout home, most homes have no master bath or at the most very small. Homes that had a bathroom in the master had a very small stall shower with a small vanity and a toilet.
    We have a condo from the early 80’s.
    Ours is shared with another bedroom but there is a guest power room downstairs. We are planning a total gut job. But no tub, a larger shower with extra shower heads. We see that all over now. We view new model homes for ideas.
    I was holding out for heated floors when hubby wanted tile floors. Those are cold no matter where you live. If he got tile floors I get a heated towel bar. But I couldn’t find any good ones under $2,000.
    So we changed it up, I got bamboo floors. But I’m still looking for a better priced heated towel bar 😉

  134. Great post! My 90s bathrooms definitely need remodeled.

    I was actually surprised to hear that your master bath has a tub. I live in a townhome so our master bath just has a normal size shower, but even the larger homes I’ve been in haven’t had tubs in the master. I am fine without one and think that as long as there is a tub in the house it isn’t necessary in the master. Can’t wait to see how your room turns out!

  135. I live in a retirement community and ALL of the master bathrooms only have showers. As long as there is a tub in another bathroom, I think that is the way to go. I am now 71 and it is amazing how hard it is becoming to get out of a tub when wet and slippery. It is a safety issue for older people. A big shower with a built in bench is the way to go as we age. A lot of people are buying the walk in tubs, but at $12,000-14,000, I don’t think they are worth it.

  136. Cindy Brooks says

    Our shower is 8’x6′ with 3 tiled walls and open to the bathroom, no door. I was a little worried about being chilly, too, but I haven’t found it to be a problem. Hurray for no glass to clean! I clean the tile while I’m taking a shower 🙂 We also have heated tile floors in the bathrooms and my art studio. Love, love, love them!

  137. Our bathroom has a shower, large vanity, a large storage cabinet and a tall toilet with a safety wall bar. The shower has a seat with a safety bars and a safety handle to step out with. It has a door on the shower and a light with heat combo in the ceiling over head. The bathroom also has heatpump venting. This bathroom is toasty warm! There’s a bath/shower upstairs for guests. I am totally satisfied with layout.

  138. We did our master bathroom 1.5 years ago and ripped out the tub and never looked back (but still have one in the hall bath/kids bath). Our master bathroom was super small so it really made the most sense – and for our neighborhood too (mostly older homes with small master baths), which is also a factor. My parents did their bathroom renovation in the early 2000s and replaced their small tub with a walk-in shower – way ahead of the current trend! 😉

  139. When we built our home at the beach a couple of years ago, our architect wanted us to have a tub and a shower in our fairly small master bathroom. He argued that it would help the resale value. This is a second home that will probably be our main residence in a few years. My husband and I always take showers, and I don’t see this house being sold during our lifetime, so we decided to opt for a large walk-in shower instead of a tub and shower. It has no door and no curb to step over. Since we are in our 60s, we made the opening large enough to accommodate a wheelchair. We have never missed the tub! The other bathrooms have tubs, so if one of us gets a hankering for a soak, we can use one of those. Oh, and neither of us has ever been cold while showering. We are so glad we overruled our wonderful architect!

  140. When we built our house 19 years ago, I redid the bathroom plan THEN and added a huge shower. I told my builder, I wanted a shower that I could shave my legs in and not have to fold up like an envelope to do it! Our shower only has one shower head, and I highly recommend that if you put in an extra large shower, do TWO shower assemblies! We have no door either, as you walk behind a huge glass wall to get in the shower. I have LOVED not having a door and it hasn’t seemed to affect how warm, or cold, the bathroom is. If that’s an issue, add another HVAC vent to the bathroom. That may even be cheaper than adding heated floors.

  141. We have just remodeled all three bathrooms in our 1964 ranch. Bath number 3 is in the in-law suite, we kept the shower/tub combo. The shower/tub combo in the hall bath was removed completely and a (not built-in) sauna was put in it’s place. The plumbing remains in the walls, though, for when we go to sell. We put in a large walk in shower with a door and no tub in the master. We use the sauna almost daily, and love the walk-in shower. I do not miss the tubs.No one has taken a bath in our family in a decade- our teen age sons occupy the in-law suite. The best part? We are both Realtors. Removing both tubs where the main bedrooms are located was a battle that I lost, but the deciding factor for us is how we use the house. We understand that we will need to make expensive adjustments when we sell.

  142. bobbi duncan says

    Our MB garden tub gets lots of use…from DUST!! I end up just rinsing it out once a week and wiping down all the surrounding tile. We have a nice, roomy shower, with a door ( last house had one without that was long, so the water didn’t go outside, but it was still chillier even though we had a warm bathroom). I would love to rip out our MB tub and put in it’s place a beautiful French vanity, but I’m too afraid to do it as we’ll be selling this house one day. I would always want the guest bath to have a tub for the grands and others who enjoy a long soak, but our final house will NOT have one in the MB. A seat in the shower is a must, though…no one wants to shave legs sitting on a cold tile floor. You are so right about being “on trend”…who comes up with this nonsense???? The classics, done right, will never go out of style–after all, they’ve endured for hundreds of years. I just chuckle when people say we have to have the latest fad, whatever it might be.

  143. If you have room for a tub…do it. You can still do a combo tub shower. My sister has a tiny bath and put in a deeper tub with jets,with a shower. I dont use my tub that much, but I’m glad I have it. In fact, last year my New Years resolution was to take more baths. Having said that, I wish my bathroom in my Fl house was smaller. I am so over cleaning it!

    • PS Do NOT put in a “rain shower” head. Ugh..they are pretty, but they are like someone spitting on you. It takes forever to rinse shampoo out of your hair. I want a “pressure washer” in a shower head!

  144. I am living life backwards. I have always been a shower person but over the last 5 or 6 years I have enjoyed soaking in a deep bath. The house I moved out of about a year ago was built in 1930 and had a tub that was 60″ long with an arched back to lean on and was deep enough to soak up to my neck. As I have gotten older I get achy when I am cold – which in the northeast winter is pretty often. I still opted for showers for speed and cleanliness and hairwashing. My new (1950’s) house has a small shower in the master bath. The tiny, tiny, tiny bath has no room for a tub and the other bath is only 14″ deep. I want a soaking tub again. Have been researching heated floors and decided they are the way to go. Because heat rises not only is the floor toasty but the air in the room is as well. The warm towel only covers so much of your body but a warm room covers all of you. Someone mentioned fiberglass tubs. Fiberglass and acrylic are not the same. Both will hold the heat better than a cast iron/porcelain tub which takes a lot of hot water to get the metal warm. I do not like fiberglass but the acrylic tub is a solid color all the way through. In case of scratches this is important. To me the acrylics look sturdier and more like a porcelain tub than the fiberglass but then we don’t all see things the same way. Good luck making your choice and do what feels “right” to you.

  145. Hi Susan, We just finished a MB renovation. Previously we had a very large Jacuzzi tub that we could never use because it used so much hot water and was a waste. We have a corner very similar to the one in your photo, and I was advised that a tub is still a good idea when there is room. I love my new tub. We were able to expand our shower size and have a beautiful walk in shower with a glass door. We were advised that the open concept, while beautiful and easy, does end up being drafty- not what we wanted.
    In the end it’s best to do what feels best for you.

  146. You’ll love the heated floor. A 42″x42″ shower stall is a great size. Plenty of maneuverability and cleanability. The whirlpool tub is a dream when you’ve had a busy day gardening or a massage. Anxious to see the final product.

  147. IMHO, I feel the option of having a tub in the Master is one of personal preference. That said; I would not install a free standing one located in a corner namely due to maintenance also with such there is the issue of having toiletries within easy reach. (i.e.: Soap, shampoo etc.) To conclude; as you are renovating the entire space a) I would suggest due to expense, you leave your toilet in the same location b) if floor space is an issue perhaps consider a shower stall combined with a separate tub enclosing the area with one frameless (treated) glass enclosure and c) add heated flooring in the rest of the space. Also shall mention, if shopping for a heated towel bar consider one that will accommodate a large bath sheet and its restrictions for installation. Looking forward to seeing the final project as I know it will be fabulous. -Brenda-

  148. Antoinette says

    Hi Karen, even though you had many comments on this issue from so many people, I decided to add one more! I’m in the process of building a brand new house and one thing that my husband and I requested was NO bathtub in the master shower! We prefer having a large shower instead since we never take baths. Besides the house that we’re building will have a second bath for guests and that one will have the regular tub with shower. I have lived in my current home since 1999, my master bath has a shower and a separate large bathtub with Jacuzzi for two people and we have never used it once! All it does is take up space and collect dust. And whenever I clean my bathroom, I still have climb inside this tub and clean it even though nobody uses it since it gets dusty; needless to say, I am not going to miss this bathtub!

    However, having said that, speaking from an investment point of you, as a real estate agent (I have been selling real estate since 1995), I would recommend having both a tub and shower in your master bath since that’s what most buyers prefer. So, I hope this helps!

  149. Thanks so much for writing this post-Susan. We live in a house over a hundred years old. Our MBR is large but our bath and closets are small. We are due to renovate and thinking about just having a large shower and no tub. It’s all about resale for us so we wanted to make the right decision. I read all the comments and feel a lot better about just having a shower. I love your blog!

  150. Susie Taylor says

    Hello Susan,
    Your comments regarding the Master Bath are very timely. We just completed a Master Bath remodel last fall. Prior to the remodel we had an average size shower and jetted oval bathtub. In the 20 years we’ve lived in our home, I think we may have used the tub < 6 times. In my opinion a total waste of space. In our remodel we enlarged our shower and in place of the tub added a built in coffee station. Including a bar sink, lower and upper cabinets. WE LOVE IT and use it every day. We have a Keuring for a quick cup and an auto drip maker. It's so nice to step out of the shower onto heated floors and pour a nice hot cup of coffee to have while we are getting ready for the day!!

  151. Thanks for hosting Metamorphosis Monday! I would be very disappointed to have a “master suite” with no big, beautiful tub in the bathroom! If I had a tub that I felt comfortable soaking in, I would use it regularly.

  152. My husband and I bought our 1950s-era tri-level home in 1993; the “master” bath was (and still is) in the hallway and for 40 years had been the only bathroom in the house. When we had moderate renovations done circa 1994 we had the bathtub removed and a ‘standard’ tiled shower stall installed … we also added a second bathroom with bathtub on the lower level where there was a very large storage/laundry area adjacent to the family room (on the ‘basement’ level, where there are no bedrooms). It’s only my husband and I in the house, we have no children or grandchildren, so having shower-only near the bedroom hasn’t been a problem but the tub was available on the very few occasions we’ve wanted or needed a soak.

    As I’ve gotten older (I’m 53 and husband is 66) and have seen the needs of aging parents and grandparents, this is what I would love to have: first, a walk-in shower with a bench and grab rails — a bench would have been soooo nice to have when my husband was recovering from knee replacement and bypass surgeries, or when I had a knee injury a few years ago. Second, I would love to have a decent (but not high-end or jetted) tub that would be fairly easy to climb in and out of. Of course, in our present home those two options would still need to be in separate bathrooms, neither of our existing rooms will accommodate a separate shower and tub.

    Personally, the one issue I have with the current style of showers is the glass ‘invisible’ door and/or walls; they’re sleek and stylish but I feel too exposed and feel like an exhibitionist, even with the bathroom door closed and only my husband and myself in the house!! It’s near impossible for me to shower, I keep wanting to cover up and want my privacy : ) For this reason I’ll never be able to get a true ‘invisible’ door or walls, but would be happy with partially frosted or etched glass — frosted or etched from knees to below the shoulders. Again, they’re sleek and I admire them, but they’re definitely not suited for my desires and needs!

  153. Enjoying this discussion….I would choose BOTH! For the last two homes we have had a large soaking tub with jets. First house had a HUGE tub, this one has a smaller one ( and both had separate showers) with jets. I love to take a bath, even if it is only once a week. Each time I take what I call a “tubby” I exit the bathroom and make my husband promise that no matter where we live and how old we get we will always have a jetted tub. We joke that we are on the way to one of those tubs with the door…. But, now we are downsizing and retired…and most places we are looking have just showers in the master bath and no tub, but a tub in the guest bath. So I am ready to compromise – love those new big showers and rainfall shower heads – and am leaning toward that BUT make sure the tub in the guest bath has jets. I guess I am spoiled – ok, I know it – but I love to fill the tub with hot water, bath salts, put classical music on, light a candle, and I have a tub tray that holds my book and a glass of wine….I can read in there forever. Next time I would get an in line heater…the water is hot but these new fiberglass tubs do not retain the heat. So, my vote is BOTH !

  154. You’ll love the heated floor. A shower stall that’s 42″x42″ is roomy and cleanable. The whirlpool is a joy after a long day gardening or after a massage. Just some things to consider.

  155. I am and have always been a shower person while my husband on occasion enjoys soaking in our garden tub.
    If I were to eliminate a tub it would only be from the guest bath. After all, how many times have you actually used a guest bath when visiting someone or one of your guests used a tub unless of course the guest is a child?
    NOT ME EVER.

  156. Brenda smith says

    We just finished a master bath renovation, adding some space to our existing bath and adding on a big closet for me (heaven!). Before, we had an old jetted tub that was so large that the hot water ran out before it was full, and we seldom used it .
    It was suggested that we eliminate the tub, but instead we got a smaller, deeper “soaker” model that’s the perfect length for “head back , feet up ” soaking. I’ve been inspired to get out all the soecial soaps, bath salts, and bubbles that I had and my daughter gave me even more new ones. I don’t use the tub every day, but when I do, it’s a totally relaxing experience . I’m so glad I didn’t eliminate a tub from our bath .., and visiting small grandchildren love it too!

  157. I was shocked and very disappointed when I visited a new development and in one of the models there was no tub in the MB. I never have time for a bath (I have a 3year old and a 6 year old lol) but once in a while I need to have a one so when I remodel within the next few months I am going to get BOTH and do a large sunken tiled roman tub with jets/rain shower in one. Can’t wait!

  158. We’ve lived in our current home for almost 3 years and in that time, I’ve used the oversized (separate) tub in our en-suite three times, but I wouldn’t have been heartbroken if we didn’t have the tub. There’s a standard tub/shower in our guest bathroom and we’ve only used it to bathe our dogs. No guest has ever taken a ‘bath’ in it.

    I’d much prefer having a larger, roomier shower, getting rid of our essentially useless tub and adding more storage (linen closet).

  159. Chelsea says

    You took the words right out of my mouth! I LOVE my bubble baths and the thought of renovating and leaving out the tub is a big no for me. It’s interesting though how this “trend” works, because now it’s no longer aesthetic or ideal to have a shower in the tub. This trend has caused us to need more space in the bathroom for a stand alone tub.

  160. I didn’t even realize it was a trend when I began thinking about getting rid of the useless big soaker tub in the master bath.

    I just knew that I’ve been in my house for 13 years and except for bathing my dogs in the tub, the tub in the master bath has not been used in at least 10 years. I shower exclusively now and have for years. The shower in the my master bath is really small. I can barely turn around in the thing, so about a year ago, the first thoughts of one day getting rid of the tub and expanding the shower entered my mind.

    That being said, I’m not sure when or if I would manage to transform my bath. From what I’ve been reading, it’s not a cheap transformation to do. But, today, if nothing else, I decided that I would at lest get pricing on transforming the bath.

    I’m in my mid 50s and when I was younger I had to have a tub. Loved coming home on a Friday night and soaking with a glass of wine in hand. Now, I could care less. Working and being the sole care giver (only child) for my elderly parents, I don’t have time or the desire for such luxuries. Besides, I’ve found that I can get the same relaxing benefits from a steamy shower.

  161. Gabrielle Marie Cobb says

    Wouldn’t ever consider a home with no bathtub. I’m 44 and have always soaked in the tub at least once a day.

  162. No one uses tubs anymore! The young ones like me think they’re wastes of both space and water, they’re a pain in the butt to clean, too. The only people who take baths are children. If you want to soak in something, get a hot tub. You don’t have to drain it every time you use it, the maintenance is pretty simple, and the water is ALWAYS hot.

  163. Kevin R Atkins says

    So I have a question for you Miss. I wanna keep my tub, cause I’m not “trendy” How often do you actually USE your tub that you think keeping is a good idea??????

    • I don’t use mine a lot, but the second I didn’t have one, I would probably dream of the days when it was available for a good soak when I felt like it. Of course, you need to always have at least one tub in the house in case a family with children wants to buy your house one day if you list it for sale. Also, I would be concerned that not having a master bathtub reduces the pool of possible buyers somewhat, when you do one day list a home for a sale.

  164. You know, I love hot tubs and soaking tubs. A small bathroom with a typical tub just doesn’t offer enough room for me to enjoy a tub, so my minuscule bathroom will get a makeover with a nice shower instead. If I have room somewhere to put in a large soaking tub (in addition to an outside hot tub — I don’t care for interior jetted tubs, they take forever to fill, are noisy and a little smelly from standing water in the jets, and they get cold fast), I will do that, but a tub for tub’s sake isn’t enough reason to keep them. They’ve got to be large and deep, or what’s the point? I’m seeing portable, collapsible tubs that can be placed inside showers for children to use (and maybe dogs to be washed, and bedspreads that get soiled and need to be dropped somewhere). But what I’m really thinking of is a shower with a relatively high lip, so I can wash things off that take up a lot of room. Trends — remember no doors on the bathroom? Who thought that was a good idea? Functionality will always win. By the way, doors on a shower help retain warmth.

  165. I am totally a tub person; I read in there every night! And I have long, curly hair that I don’t need to wash every day, so I wrap my hair up in a turban and relax away in the bathtub. We are house hunting now, and it’s so frustrating to see all these updated homes, with no soaking tubs. I hate the idea of ripping out a $20-30k bathroom just to get a tub…but it’s a deal breaker for me. Besides, my kids love to come soak in our tub after a long day of sports…it’s so therapeutic.

  166. We lived in our last home for 23 years and are currently building our forever home. In the 23 years we lived in our home I used our master bath jacuzzi tub maybe 3 times… it took tons of water to fill it, it did not stay warm, and because it had not been used regularly, it would hold water in the pipes so gross mold would come out… hence we had to fill it up once and let the jets run with Clorox, then drain, clean the tub, and then fill to use the jets… are you kidding!! NOT worth it!! My kids used it only as a “swimming pool” when it rained, probably 5 times in all of those years. It took up space and like others said it was just a dust collector that had to be regularly cleaned. After year 3 (really before) of living in the house, I wanted to rip out the tub and put in a large shower (so not “trendy”–just practical)…. 4 years ago… we finally were able to do just that! We DIY built a 4ftX 9ft walk-in shower (which includes a 3ft. step out) It had an open arch entrance (no door), a window that looked outside and a glass window adjacent inside the shower wall. We ABSOLUTELY LOVED it!! It was not drafty or cold, it was easy to keep clean and all guests who stayed with us loved it and would comment “I feel like I just went to a spa”. Our tween girls preferred to shower in it than their bathroom. (We had a large shower head and a hand-held sprayer) Other visitors asked for dimensions, details of build out, and took pictures so they could do the same thing. We sold our house this past year in 3 days and everyone that walked in loved the walk in shower!! We sold it for full asking price to a young couple with kids. We had a tub shower combination in the guest bathroom which is sufficient for children and any soaking needs. (I soaked in it when I wanted to soak even before I took out the jacuzzi tub–didn’t get as cold as fast) As far as selling a home… having or not having a tub in the master bath is not what will sell the house…Location, and having an updated, maintained, clean and uncluttered home will make all of the difference in how quick and much you sell your house for. Don’t forget, you live in your home and should love it. We are currently building our new home and we have designed the footprint of the bathroom almost exactly the same. The new shower will be 4ftX10ft. (includes a 3ft. walkout) and we will not have a tub. (We will be putting in a wall mounted fireplace in the extra space!!) The 2 upstairs bathtubs will have shower/tub combinations and the guest bathroom downstairs will also have a walk-in shower,(3.5X5ft) but will have a curtain closure. (This shower will be for one of our aging parents, because they cannot climb into a tub.) The tubs are upstairs for our teens, our grown children and grandchildren if needed. All of the workers that have come in to work on our home along with guests who have come by to see it being built have commented how they love the idea and never use their own tubs. Its not “trendy”…its practical. “Trendy” was Jacuzzi tubs. IF I ever had a tub in a master bath, I would only get a deep pretty soaker…not ever a jacuzzi…but like someone else said… as you age, climbing in and out gets harder and harder, no matter how fit you are! I hope our experience helps!

  167. I’m doing a major remodel of my house ( new electrical, plumbing , kitchen & bathroom). I am eliminating the tub & going the large shower route. Haven’t used the tub in 29+ yrs. & as you mentioned a hot tub would require keeping the water continuously warm. Note: One of my goals is to make the house more energy efficient. So a hot tub seldom used makes no economic sense to me. Make sure you check out the annual costs, not just the one time cost. I use the hot tubs when l’m on vacation a few times / yr. & that adds to the vacation feel. Good luck w/ your decision.

  168. Brenda Britton says

    I love my soaker tub and use it daily. The master bath also has a very nice stand alone shower with a bench, but I would never replace my tub. It’s a fad. Just like getting rid of formal living rooms and dining rooms. We will see the pendulum swing back and the prices will be astronomical.

  169. I see this is an older post but I have a current, strong opinion so I am gonna share it. 🙂 Our house was built in the 90s and has a big tub with jets. But it is totally the wrong shape for actually soaking your entire body. So I hate it. Not to mention that the jets and everything get gross… I’m just not a fan at all. I’ve considered remodeling (someday) and getting a big, deep tub with no jets… but really I keep thinking — what do we even need a tub for? We use our shower nearly every day… why not expand it to include a seat? (It would make shaving my legs easier and more enjoyable!) That way when we are ready to sell it’ll be nice for older folks, too, or anyone who has less mobility. Just something I’ve been kicking around lately. Our bathroom sure needs a makeover… both bathrooms, actually… because they both have CARPET in them. BARF!!!!!

    • My neighbor just renovated her three baths and she removed the tub in the master bedroom. She said she asked her realtor if that would be a mistake and the realtor said it would definitely eliminate some buyers but that she didn’t think it would be a big problem since houses in our area sell quickly anyway.

  170. Jeannine says

    FYI- I have passes on buying a home because they did not have a tub in the master bath. It was a deal breaker. Why do you need such a huge shower???

  171. I found this post because I have been watching a lot of House Hunters and Love It or List It, and I’ve been utterly puzzled by the number of homes without bathtubs! I find myself repeatedly saying “Why isn’t there a bathtub?” or “There’s no bathtub! Who would buy a house with no bathtub?” Because I certainly wouldn’t! I was never allowed to take bubble baths as a child (my mother thought the bubble liquid would cause irritation), and in fact was moved rather quickly to the shower even when I was still at the age when I was being bathed—my mom just used a handheld shower and was careful. I always dreamed of delicious bubble baths. I watched Calgon commercials with envy and vowed that would be my future. As soon as I was on my own, baths with heaps of scented bubbles were my common practice. (I tried Epsom, but it stings my skin. I do enjoy the occasional oatmeal soak.) For a while I didn’t really want to get out for anything, so I’d even turn around in the tub and rinse my shampoo out under the faucet before applying conditioner. I did rinse off again with shower water before exiting to save filling the entire tub with clear water for a non-soapy rinse. But otherwise, it was all submerged bathing, plus relaxing soak time when I had the opportunity. At present, all I have the opportunity for are occasional quick soaks before a shower, which is a shame. To me, showers are a sad punishment of twisting and turning and trying to get everything scrubbed and then rinsed properly, with a good measure of standing and thinking too much while dropping things and having them slide all around as you try to pick them up. Baths are warm, floaty, zen dream indulgences. Showers, I’ve also found, are where one goes for a good cry in privacy when one lives in shared spaces, so somehow the falling water always reminds me of those terrible times of sobbing in secret despair. So it’s at least a boring, stressful annoyance, and at worst a depressing chore. The only way I can get through a shower pleasurably is by singing, which other people don’t always want to hear. I can’t wait to move to a new home with an even bigger tub—and now they even have heated tubs, so the water stays warm without adding more! Angels sing. I feel sorry for all the people here who say they’re shower people. To me that’s like seeing a lovely garden or forest and saying “Ho-hum, I’m really a concrete person. That lush greenery is just a waste. I just end up draping my clothes on those useless branches and shrubs.” (Seriously, why are people draping their clothing on the bathtub? Isn’t it also dragging on the floor then?)

    • Amber, I enjoyed reading your comment so much. You make me want to get busy and renovate my master bath now so I can start enjoying those long, relaxing soaks. My current tub is definitely not soak-worthy. lol Thanks again for such a lovely comment…love your writing style and the way you express yourself.

  172. Typing in my extended spa tub that we remodeled be our current master bath with ….. We are home buyers at the moment and we are extremely frustrated by the lack of master tubs out there. Especially in newer construction. It has become the first thing we check for. No tub/no good and we move on.

  173. I must be the only one who hates this trend, but as a buyer I veto any home without a tub in the master. Soaking in the tub is how I relax and a home without a nice soaking tub is a deal breaker for me.

  174. It makes me sad that so many say they can no longer get out of the tub. I’m 66 and love baths. I have a grab bar on one side and the soap dish on the other side functions as a second grab bar. It is a 1930’s era house and I don’t think the soap dish is likely to come out of the wall. They knew how to do things in those days. But it is a real effort to get up after my bath. Takes strategies and more than one try. I would never take a bathtub out. Lots of orthopedic conditions benefit from hot soaking. I like my older house with its tiny bathrooms with original black and white tile. Small bathrooms are easier to clean.

    • I love the older bathrooms with the black and white tile, too. My son and dil live in a 1920s home and they have similar bathrooms and I really like them

  175. Lee Browning says

    Im removing the tub!
    Unhealthy to begin with and a water hog! Lux Showers are It!

  176. Here is the only true answer, no one younger than 40 wants or uses a tub.

    • Sorry, I have to disagree. I’m 31 and I love baths. I just bought a house with no proper soaking tub, and it was nearly a deal breaker for me. If there had been any other houses for sale in the neighborhood with one, I would have bought it instead.

      I work pretty long hours, but a 20 minute soak can make all the stress disappear. I desperately miss steamy baths. I’d love to renovate our master bath and put one in, but I’m not prepared to drop 10-20k on a renovation just yet when there are so many other things with the house that need my attention currently.

      My only alternative for now is laying on a heating pad before bed now. It’s… suboptimal.

  177. You are RIGHT sister!!! I agree with you and I do what I want to do and not what the trend du jour is. Everything changes. And we all know that what is trendy today is not tomorrow. So in my opinion do what YOU want for the reasons you need/want.

    Plus I COMPLETELY disagree that no one has time for baths today. I run the tub while I’m doing something else, then jump in and enjoy!!!

  178. Americans replacing bathing in a tub with showering has been on the increase since the ’60s. Mostly due to time constraints, and lifestyle. I live in a two-bathroom home. In our second bath (hallway) we have a soaker tub. Standard 5 foot. In our master bath, we replaced a garden tub and a postage sized shower with a 5-foot shower and a laundry closet. (We are in a by-level, bedroom/kitchen floor laundry is more important.)

  179. So glad I found this website this really helped me to confirm what to do. I have a small shower and a garden tub. I never used the garden tub since I moved into this new home at the time I thought it would be a good investment in case I wanted to sell my home. It is now 15 years latter and I can’t afford to buy another new home so I am replacing my garden tub with a shower and where the shower was into a linen closet.

    The reason I want to replace the garden tub is this it is hard to clean, I only used it for my one cat who liked fresh water so I let it drip for him but he is no longer with me plus the fact to get in and out of is really hard. I also have a big window and a blind over the tub so if I want to open the window I have to get into the tub to do this what a pain that is, also it is very cold in bathroom with that big window over the tub. It does provide light which is the only thing that window is worth having but I want to remove and replace the tub with a new shower with a door and after reading the comments I would like to put a seat in it for the future in case some health problem comes up. I never was a tub person love the shower and the way the water bill keeps going up this is the best option for me.

    I was glad that someone people pointed out about those walk-in-tubs that you have to wait tell the water resides before getting out of a tub. Glad someone else pointed out not to get the rain shower head but get a pressure one. As for that radiated heating on the floor it sounds great but what people said about the repairing of heating system and the cost of the power in my opinion would make me turn away from this option.

    I do have another full bath in the home and I do have carpet in my house I am very cold blooded and like the feel of carpet plus I have feet issues and this helps me walking on something soft. In fact I just replace my bathroom, kitchen and laundry room with vinyl flooring easy to clean and care for no grout to clean don’t have to put rugs down to walk on the flooring.

    I would like to know what people do with that big window over the garden tub when they replace the tub with a shower any ideas?

    By the way the few bids I got to pull tub and replace shower was over $12,000!!!!

    Thanks again for this site!!!

  180. Thanks for this article! We bought a house with a rather large master bath (14×12). It has a small soaker tub with a big window above it and a large walk in shower. About the only thing the tub has been useful for is washing the dog. We’re adding a pool to the backyard and I told my husband that I want to take the tub out and put in a door (preferably French doors if we can make it work) to the outside where the window is now. We plan to put a spa on the pool so essentially we would have a door to the outside spa instead of the bathtub nobody uses. I was worried about losing the tub, with 3.5 baths it would only leave one tub upstairs by the kids’ rooms. But after reading the comments here, I think potential buyers (not planning to sell for a looonnng time) would appreciate private master bedroom access to the outdoor spa instead of a soaker tub.

  181. I would never buy a house without a large tub in master suite. Did that and for ten years no bath. Shower quick and handy, but not a bath. Finally renovated and put in large bathtub and shower combination with a nice fake fireplace. I soak in my tub at the end of the day and read a book and watch my fireplace crackle.

    You really need a separate shower and bath in your master. If I bought another house this is what I would look for in a bath. Also like the idea of two sinks unless that meant no counter space for make up. Would also like a heated bathtub. I did not even know they made heated tubs. A tub in another part of the house would not work as well, because you want privacy and no interruptions when relaxing.

    So, definitely not going to buy a house without a decent size tub in the master.

  182. Why do people want giant showers? Are you inviting the neighborhood over to shower with you? So much more to clean, seems like such a waste of space. Kinda gross too, if you don’t clean it. Why or why do people want this? It’s like the giant whirlpool tubs in bathrooms back in the day.

  183. carolina del pardo says

    My husband and I are debating this right now. We don’t use the tub. We have no intention of selling and want our home to be for us. I don’t like the idea of trends but I also don’t like doing something because someone tells me its in my best interest (ha, I’m stubborn) like keeping a useless (to us) tub. We would both much rather have a nicer shower and larger walk in closet.

  184. We are redoing our master bath and I cannot wait to get rid of the tub. It has tile stairs to it that are steep and scary. We have NEVER used it in 11 years. And besides… I would never clean myself in a tub. Am literally sitting in my own filth. The only reason our family (4 kids) ever used a tub was for when the kids were little. At age 6, we taught them to the shower. They have a shower/tub combo in their bathrooms now, and at times, it has been a slip and slide disaster. If I could, I would get rid of all of them. But in the master, we have decided to take the tub out and put in a hot tub. How nice would that be at the end of the day???

  185. I don’t think it would discourage potential buyers from purchasing a home without a tub in the master bathroom. Do people really soak in a tub that often? Is there a tub in another bathroom? I’d much rather have a larger, nicer shower!!

  186. Jocelyn Wolters says

    I didn’t know this was a trend. I too, shy away from design trends (my background is in architectural history and preservation) and go for classic. I have been planning to 86 my tub though as it is only used as a hamper for my dirty clothes…because I have no space for anything more than a teeny tiny hamper in my bathroom. I design my home for me and my family and the way we live, not resale value. That said, I will also make sure plumbing is put in so that someone could add a tub later if they chose to. 😉

  187. Shepherdkisses says

    I guess the tub thing is all personal taste if you don’t care about resale value. I think you have to have at least one tub in the house for resale and medicinal needs. If the doc says you should soak something and there is no tub you are looking at a large pot. I hope it all fits, Lol. If you are really limited on space then a shower might be all you can do. I think a lot of folks won’t care about a tub, but a lot of them will. Basically it’s your call. Just know that there will be buyers who will consider no tub a deal breaker.

  188. Love this site, so glad I found it.
    We have one tub only in our house and Reno will take place in 6 weeks. We never use the tub, and are thinking of having it removed and large shower with bench. What’s everyone’s thoughts on no tub in the house?

  189. Diane & Mike B says

    I’m wondering what the total count ended up for or against keeping the tub? Here’s my thoughts….I had a jetted jacuzzi tub for 20 years in our current home that I referred to as “the dust bowl” and only used to store mops and buckets! I can count on one hand the times it was used for bathing or soaking. It took forever to fill and once it had enough water the temperature was cold so not a pleasant experience. Cleaning was an exercise in stretching followed by aerobics no one in the family volunteered to take to heart. As a result we decided to eliminate the feature from our master bathroom remodel. We have access to a bath/shower surround in our family bath. We now have a spa like curbless shower with a large bench, two niches and two shelves. Instead of a shower door we had a pony wall with glass blocks on top installed as a divider. Water stays contained the huge shower footprint and flows into a linear drain. The tile contractor we hired utilized the Schluter system so we have a waterproof wet room essentially. We did not want to lose the natural light source in the room so we replaced the original large window over the jacuzzi with a energy efficient vinyl glass block window which matches the pony wall glass block. We increased our insulation in all walls instead of adding a floor heating system. It looks great and is a warm and comfortable. We have no regrets and think the update of our space is an asset for resale…for the time being it’s ours to enjoy! Our house is a one level ranch and we assume seniors will be our resale target buyers. I’m in a wheelchair so for us this “aging in place remodel” was a necessity as well as a luxury. You can’t please everyone, so some may pass on this option, just like those who can’t do stairs, so we were willing to take the chance.

    • laura carrots says

      Ranch here with 1987 jacuzzi tub. We are about to renovate. Considering no tub & curbless walk-in shower, no door. Do you have photos to share of your reno?

  190. We are planning to remove the master tub and go with bigger shower and storage. There is another tub in main bathroom. We used the master tub once but with a cathedral ceiling and no shower curtain your upper body feels cold quick.

  191. I am currently buying and immediately nixing homes without soaker tubs. Doesn’t have to be a garden, but does have to be a soaker. People die of stress related illnesses all the time (I am an RN of 30 years so definitely see it) and to claim no time to soak is ridiculous. It’s a matter of priorities. Skip an HGTV show once a week and there you go, half an hour of soak which makes a world of difference on mental and physical health (reduced anxiety, reduced cortisol, etc). Just make the bath intentional. Nice music, good book, cup of tea, etc. All those things we KNOW we should do.

    So keep at least one deep tub in the home. I found a place with a garden tub and a deep soaker tub/shower combo in the other bath. In a home right now with just a shower, I literally purchased a gym membership just for the hot tub. Can’t wait till close!!!

  192. selfremodelerwa says

    Finished remodel of master bath in 2018 and got rid of tub for large shower with door to keep the heat in. tiled the ceiling over the shower and adjacent to forever eliminate ceiling mold. secondary bedrooms bath tub and shower ten feet away if a tub is needed.
    love the extra room and love the spa like shower experience. i installed a multi jet unit rather than in wall fixed multi jets.

  193. Although this is an old post, I decided to reply.
    Our house was built around 1990 (we are not the original owners) and does not have a master bath. I have lamented that since we moved in and frequently have to use my child’s tub for a soak. Bathtubs are not only for luxury, they are for times when you have aches and pains and injuries and need an Epsom salt bath…and when you can’t stand for long. And if people don’t have the time to take a bath, how do they find the time to clean all that tile in a massive shower? I personally would prefer to remove the shower and have a large tub either with shower doors or a curtain. Also, something to consider: a tub is a great storage space for ice or water in case of emergency.

  194. Same here, understand older post but still very much a relevant topic.

    Finished our master bath remodel 30 days ago, and spent a great deal of design time and effort to include not only a larger shower, but a conversion of a dated “garden” tub to something much higher quality in terms of materials and aesthetics.

    From a resale perspective alone if you can accommodate both a tub and decent sized shower in your master I think it makes sense. But the notion of having a shower so large you can hold line-dancing classes in it seems a bit weird to me anyway. Big showers like that do not retain steam and heat, allow much more air circulation, and thus get cold fairly rapidly. Plus as others have noted here already, cleaning a shower full of tile is laborious at best, so why add acres of unnecessary tiled space to that chore? We are just bathing, not playing touch football in our showers, right?

    So we kept the drop-in tub layout, but used granite as the decking material (and throughout) and did a square six foot Kohler cast iron soaking tub. The entire remodel was based on classic (not on-trend) design, and I actually referred to photos of public and residential restrooms from the 1910s for tile patterns and layouts. Managed to convert a dated garden tub into something that looks solidly classic and traditional and not dated nor “trendy” while adding 25% more shower space. Not big enough for a mosh-pit, but very comfortable nonetheless.

    It’s all personal choice, but going from a full bath to a 3/4 bath doesn’t seem logical in terms of valuation.

  195. I had no idea this was a “trend”, but I’m about to remodel my master bath and the tub is going away. For me, it has nothing to do with being trendy. It’s just that we never use the tub, we still have the one in the other bathroom if we need to soak an injury, we already have a pool and spa in the backyard if we really want to relax in the water, and we would definitely use the extra closet space every day instead of the tub once a decade.

  196. Dustin Nguyen says

    I have a one-story house in San Jose that has two bathrooms with bath tubs in both. Is it a good idea to convert the master bath tub to a walk-in shower in terms of resale value?
    Thanks.

    • Dustin, I wouldn’t want to guide you on that decision since I’m not a real estate agent or developer. I’m actually struggling with that same decision myself–trying to decide if I should remove my master tub and just have a nice, big walk-in shower in the master bath when I renovate it in the future. What I’ve read when researching this topic is that you definitely need to keep at least one tub in the home, preferably the one that’s in a hall or near the other bedrooms so if there are children living in the home, there’s a place to bathe them–so that’s good that you do have another tub in the house. I think I’m going to call a few of the real estate agents in my area and ask their advice on this. You may want to try that in your area.

  197. Thanks, Susan. Please share what you learn from these agents with us. I have to make a call within a few weeks. I think I’ll probably convert the hallway bathroom first and keep the master bathroom tub for soaking.

  198. Hi, Susan-
    I love your newsletter & reading about all of the things I wish I had time to do myself! Thank you for all the time you spend on your lovely website.
    We remodeled our bathroom about 5 years ago & I have a lovely clawfoot tub that I would never want to be without. I’m glad you decided to go with a tub!
    As far as doorless showers go….we recently stayed at a boutique hotel had remodeled our room’s bathroom between the time we booked (I wanted a tub) and our arrival. There was a half wall and no door on the shower. It was cold, humid and water was all over the floor outside the tub after a shower. This meant that whatever you meant to dry off with (towel) or put on after the shower (robe) was damp, the floor was slick, and it took forever for the mirror and items on vanity to dry out. Wallpaper would be a disaster. I can only imagine mold would become an issue in such an environment.
    Just my two cents!
    Have a wonderful week!

  199. Britney Jones says

    We are going through a bathroom renovation and we decided that we had to keep our bathtub as well! Our bathroom is beautiful and we still have our bathtub! Thank you for the post!

  200. Here’s your answer: If the room only has a sink & hopper, it’s a half-bath(room). If it has a sink, hopper and shower only it’s a three-quarter bath(room). If the room has a sink, hopper and bathtub with shower, it’s a full-bath(room). If the room has everything a full-bath has, plus urinal and/or additional water facilities, then you have a master-bath(room).

  201. My hubby and I are debating this for a future bathroom renovation for our master bath – kitchen to be done this year, so we’re waiting on the bathroom. While we’re older and have tubs in other bathrooms, we have a pool bathroom with only a shower. I won’t forgo the master bathroom tub because the master bathroom should be a relaxing, spa-like and if another bathroom is being used, you don’t need to give up when you want to soak. Just my 2-cents, but I won’t give up on the tub. They come in different sizes and a narrow one can be just as relaxing.

  202. Susan I’m reading this much later than when posted. I stayed in a home with heated floors and it was dreamy to have that in a bathroom. As for large shower ….remember unless you dry the whole thing down every time, the more tile you have, the more issues with moldy grout down the road. Personally I’m getting rid of tile in the shower as soon as I can afford to redo our bathroom. Going back to a solid surface material for easier upkeep….I don’t care what the trend is either!!

  203. Adrienne Crawford says

    The article presents different perspectives, highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of both options. Ultimately, the decision depends on individual preferences, lifestyle, and the specific needs of homeowners. By exploring various viewpoints, the article helps readers consider important factors when planning their master bathroom design. Thank you for sharing this thought-provoking article that encourages readers to carefully evaluate their choices and make informed decisions based on their unique circumstances. Well done on addressing this design trend and its implications!

  204. It comes down to choice and space. We renovated our bathroom for us, not resale. Given the size, we chose a large walk in shower and long separate vanities. We could have shared a vanity (2 sinks) and added a separate tub, but chose the separate vanities. Absolutely love the layout.

  205. Stacy Young says

    We are looking for a new home I’m newly married and at a place where my new husband and I can have a really nice house something I’ve never had. Other than when I lived with my parents. We’re looking at the new builds due to interest rates being way better then buying an older home. I’m not happy about the new homes omitting the tub in the master. I’m 55 and I’ve probably taken a shower less then 10 time in my lifetime and when I used a shower it was simply because the hotel we were staying in didn’t have a bath tub as a option. So unfortunately we will have to probably renovate a brand new home to have a tub added to the master right before we move in.

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