Shower Thoughts

When I think back to my very first apartment search, I always laugh a little to myself. I was so inexperienced and did not know what to do. I remember the landlord, a very nice older woman, taking me around the apartment and blurting out a bunch of dimensions and rules and possibilities with this empty space in front of me. Having no idea how to properly respond, I looked at her and agreed with every hint and tip she gave out. I ended up taking the apartment, at a good price of course, and moved in quickly, excited to start my new life of being independent from my family. 

What I did not realize was that there are actually a lot of things I had gotten used to from living with my family that my nice, small and rather strange apartment did not have. Now I am not going to talk about regrets but if I had one thing I could and would have changed, it would have been that awful shower.

So to give you some context, everybody has that one room or area or activity that helps them concentrate and just relax and kind of zone out. I guarantee you just thought about your own quiet place! Now for me, my quiet place is in the shower where I can zone out and just overthink everything in life and not need to make any decisions whatsoever. Living with my family, they would go crazy when I zoned out in the shower and finished all of the hot water. That’s why I was put on a timer when I was younger. But at last I had my own shower (and definitely my own water bill) and could stay and relax as long as I pleased.

It’s funny thinking back to my apartment search because not once did I realize most showers would not have the same features that I had gotten used to: proper water pressure, proper changes in temperature and a hand-held shower head. 

Now I’m sure we have all had a couple of showers in our live where the water suddenly goes cold or even worse, never heats up in the first place! Now I’m not saying that my shower was freezing but it would be a lie if I said that I could get through my entire shower without freezing near the end. That is why I always tell people to just run the faucet or shower a bit and make sure that you feel hot water and that the hot water tank is big enough for you. Trust me there is nothing worse than having a very sensitive shower dial where the water temperature changes from freezing cold to boiling water while you are standing there frozen in shock. Trust me, it’s definitely worth testing the temperature with your hand before jumping in! 

When it comes to proper water pressure, I think it’s a given that we all appreciate having water come out fast enough that we don’t need to be hiding directly underneath the shower head just to get some water. Although the water pressure was good at my first apartment, it was always changing. Some showers were nice and normal, water pressure was strong and I didn’t even think about it. Others were terrible, having to suffer through a shower by hoping to get enough water angled on my head to remove all of my shampoo. You might not even think about it but water pressure is definitely something I look for at every hotel or apartment I visit!

The last thing I took for granted and I really appreciate is a hand-held showerhead. No details here but it is a lot easier to clean your shower and to fight off invading spiders when you can control where the water flows rather than having to scoop up water in your hands and throw it to the preferred destination. But, contrary to the other two requirements, a showerhead is actually one of those things that you can fix. It is actually not too hard, meaning you can definitely find a video on YouTube, where they can show you how to disassemble and reassemble a hand-held showerhead. Now I was lucky enough to already have one set up when I moved into my apartment but trust me, I googled it, and it didn’t seem as hard as I would have thought. Just remember to shut off the water and only test it once you are completely finished or else you might take an unforeseen shower. 

These were just a couple of reasons why I always look at the shower before I decide on a hotel or a place to crash for the night. Do you care as much as I do about showers? Is there something specific that you cannot live without? Let me know down in the comments!