It’s been a growing trend, over the last decade or so, for Americans to renovate their bathrooms – especially master bathrooms – creating spaces that feel just like luxurious spa-like retreats. And it’s never been easier or more affordable than today, as many companies have joined in to offer incredible products that help create that environment.
One of those products is the Shower Panel System, which is a single unit that mounts on your shower wall, and includes the shower flow/temperature valve, horizontal body jets, handheld shower wands, and overhead shower head or rainfall heads. It’s an all-in-one system that delivers a spa-like, massaging, relaxing, luxurious shower every time you step in.
It’s impossible to know your exact situation, the styles that fit your taste, and what budget you have, but we’ve weighed all the factors to come up with our Top Picks that would generally be the best fit for most people in each category. Here are our favorite shower panel systems that will help turn your bathroom into a spa-like oasis!
The Highest Quality Shower Panel Systems On The Market
Pulse 1016 Mojave Hammered Copper Shower System
Although it’s at the top of the price spectrum, we chose this model because of its extremely well-built construction, and great reviews from buyers. With its stunning beauty & design, if your budget allows for it, getting the Pulse Mojave shower system would help you create the most beautiful, relaxing, and impressive spa-like shower.
BOANN BNSPS903 Stainless Steel Rainfall Shower Panel System
Stainless steel construction and easy installation means it’s built to last in a shower environment and this shower panel system from Boann has great reviews from satisfied buyers, getting a 5 out of 5 rating. It has a 7 inch rainfall shower head, along with 5 adjustable body jets and a hand shower wand.
Aston 6-Jet Stainless Steel Shower Panel System
Rounding out our top 3 picks for highest quality shower panel systems, this model from Aston has a 4.7 out of 5 customer satisfaction rating, and is constructed of durable stainless steel with chrome-finished hardware. It has an 8 inch directional/adjustable rainfall showerhead above, along with a handheld shower wand and 6 directional body jets.
The company boasts the models minimal out-of-the-box assembly and easy installation.
Best Shower Panel System On A Small Budget
AKDY 39″ Rainfall Shower Panel
For less than $200, this shower panel system from AKDY has all the basics one would need: a 2.5 gallon per minute rainfall shower head above, a handheld shower wand, and a couple of body spray jets.
Why so cheap? Well, it’s only 39 inches tall, whereas the average shower panel system is around 50 to 60 inches tall, allowing for more body spray jets and other features. And this model also has a flow restrictor to meet strict environmental guidelines of some states, so it won’t deliver a high flow of water that some nicer, higher-end models will.
But for the price, you get a nice shower panel system that has a 4 out of 5 customer rating, that will do the job!
Blue Ocean SPA392M 52 Inch Aluminum Shower Panel
It’s on the lower end of the price range for shower panels, but still has about 100 4 & 5 Star reviews on Amazon! It has a tempered glass, mirror-silver surface, along with a digital water temperature display, that give it a modern flare. It includes an overhead rainfall shower head, 8 body jet sprays, a handheld shower wand, AND a tub spout…so if you want to install this in a tub enclosure, this could be a great option for you, having that tub spout built in, which many other models do not.
It’s got a 3.6 out of 5 customer rating, so not the highest rated shower panel available, but one that does the job, has the general features most people want, looks nice, and gives you great “bang for the buck”.
Best High-End Luxury Shower Panel Systems
Pulse Waimea Matte Brushed Stainless Steel Shower Panel
Pulse is known for high-quality, very attractive, and very uniquely designed shower panel systems. This one is unique with the distinctive curve of the panel going out to the overhead rainfall shower head, all in one piece. It exudes a feeling of sophistication and contemporariness with its matte brushed stainless steel finish. It features the 6 inch cascading rainfall shower head, a handheld wand, and 3 extra sized adjustable body jets.
The unit is completely pre-plumbed, easy to install, and surface mounted on whatever tub enclosure or shower wall you have plumbing ready for it.
Pulse 1006W-CH Molokai Tempered Glass Shower System
As mentioned before, Pulse is known not only for high quality, but also for distinctive, unique, classy designs that make them stand out from the “standard” shower panel systems. And unique this model definitely is! It’s white with a chrome finish, covered with tempered glass.
The shower system features a chrome rain style showerhead, handheld wand with stainless steel hose, and 4 2-function body spray jets (gentle mist or massaging spray).
Like other Pulse showerspa panels, it’s completely pre-plumbed, ready and easy to install, and surface mounted.
Pulse 1039W-BN Tropicana ShowerSpa Panel
This Pulse shower panel has a large 10″ round rainfall can head, 6 body spray jets, and a handheld wand. Its finish, like other Pulse shower panels is what really makes it unique and classy. It has a soft white tempered glass panel strip down the middle, framed on each side by brushed stainless steel panel, and finished off with brushed-nickel fixtures.
It’s also completely pre-plumbed, ready and easy to install, and surface mounted.
How Do You Install A Shower Panel System?
The vast majority of shower panel systems available today are designed to be very easy to assemble. Little assembly of the unit itself is usually needed, and if assembly is required, it’s something simple like screwing/attaching the shower head arm or handheld wand to the main panel.
If you have an existing shower, the current diverter valve will need to be removed, and a washer plumbing wall box or something similar will need to be installed in the wall, with hot and cold shutoff valves in the box. You’ll see details on this in the videos below.
Watch these How-To-Install videos from some shower panel manufacturers to get a better understanding of how to install your own shower panel system:
Pulse is the maker of these shower panel systems available on Amazon (some that we reviewed above).
Valore shares how to install their shower panels.
The ToolTutor YouTube Channel shows how to install a new shower panel, including changing the plumbing in the wall to fit the new shower panel system.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shower Panel Systems?
Q. Which Shower Column or Shower Panel Is Best?
A. It’s impossible for us to say exactly which shower panel is best for your specific situation, since budgets, tastes, and shower setups all vary widely. But, in the reviews above, we’ve done our best to share as many of the key features with you as possible of the top rated, best selling shower panel system models available. We provide price ranges, ratings, features, and other important information, for your comparison.
Lastly, we sifted through the reviews, and weigh out all the factors to come up with our Top Shower Panel System Picks, which we think would be best for the average shower project, for a person with an average budget…you may have the taste for something more custom and higher quality. If that’s the case, we recommend you go with the one that has the look & design that appeals to you and hast the best ratings.
Q. How Do You Install A Shower Panel System?
A. As mentioned above, a shower panel system comes mostly assembled, and is installed onto the shower wall using an included metal mounting bracket. You may need a tile drill bit to drill a few holes in the tile where anchors need to be inserted into the wall.
You will also need a valve box in the wall containing hot and cold water supply valves. If a shower currently exists with a mixing valve in the wall, it will need to be removed, and the valve box installed, with plumbing being connected to it.
Take special care to ensure you buy a water supply wall box that is narrower in width than the width of the shower column, so the recessed valve box opening doesn’t protrude from the sides of the shower panel.
Once the water supply valve box is in place, and tile or other surface of the shower is finished, you’re ready to simply install the mounting bracket(s) included, attach the water supply hoses on the back of the shower panel system to your supply valves, and then hang the shower column on the wall mounting bracket(s).
If you purchased a shower column with LED display, there may be a box on the under side of the shower panel where you need to install the battery that supplies power to the LED display.
