Folding Shower for Small Spaces - Tiny House Blog

Folding Shower for Small Spaces

For a tiny house or small studio apartment, a folding shower just might be the answer. This shower when folded up looks like a built-in cabinet. It is easy to install and remove and comes in several different colors. The shower uses thermostatic valves to pour hot and cold water for a relaxed shower experience. You can learn more at the Supiot website. If you are the do-it-yourself type person, take this idea and create your own version.

It appears this company has gone out of business since this post was published in 2011.

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Harvey Pwca - October 23, 2011 Reply

This idea is absurd. ANYONE with half-a-brain (3/4 of it being tied behind their back) simply KNOWS that the more space saving and cost conscious way of doing the same thing is to:
a) pick the spot where you want the shower,
b) slope the floor to one side (or the center) in the 1 – 1.5 meter area desired for the shower
c) install a drain at the low point of the slope,
d) install hot/cold plumbing
e) suspend rod (as square or circle) from ceiling leaving 3 cm clearance,
f) hang plastic from rod. (making sure plastic hangs 360 degrees around shower area.

Done!

Cost… A great deal less than the boondoggle the above company came up with.

Space savings… since the flooring is the flooring whether sloped or not it’s still completely free for use when not showering. Need it “unsloped” easy peasy.. saw wedges matching slope, attach to plywood. Lay plywood on floor. No more slope. AND… my method doesn’t have that monstrous plastic bit hanging off the wall sticking out into the shower area. AND… my method (if an RV or other such mobile ‘home’) adds far less weight to the vehicle.

When?!?! Will people learn that old skool is COOL.

    Mel - October 24, 2011 Reply

    I had the exact same thought…why bother with the gadget when you can just shower over the floor? That’s what my bathroom is like…it’s great! just squeegee it all down the drain (AND your bathroom floor never gets dirty hehehe).

      Mary - October 29, 2011 Reply

      Why not just a small room with toilet, sink, and shower as an all in one. You could sit on the toilet while taking the shower, or stand in the bit of floor in front of the toilet. The only two issues at that point would be where to keep the toilet paper and remembering to wipe the seat off before leaving the shower.

        Joyce Rader - May 20, 2013 Reply

        Lady asks where to put the Toilet paper in an all-n-one shower—simply install a plastic box in between the wall studs like a recessed space. Be sure to use one with a pull down lid to reach your paper roll. If you feel the paper is unsightly, use the same idea mailboxes use for locking the mail away from thieves. The outer lid matches the wall and hides the plastic box.

    Arlos - October 29, 2011 Reply

    Harvey, you are missing the point It’s about space saving. From the submarine service to the commercial kitchen, it’s about saving space. You have to check your old school at the door and think outside the box. A standard 3’sq shower is 9sq ft or 72 sq ft and used less than 15 minutes in 24 hours time. That is a lot of wasted space if living in a 120 sq ft home. As a mechanical engineer and plumbing contractor who designs and builds fluid processing equipment, I would have and plan to build something similar but with a deeper pan to facilitate a sump micro pump with 1″ discharge. Based on this concept, an entire bathroom could be designed in the same manner and folded away when not in use. The average bath in the US is 5’X7′ with a common plumbed wall. An enormous waste of space and money as we downsize.

    Sandra - May 7, 2012 Reply

    Harvey, when I saw this fold up shower I thought about camper van conversions/trailers etc. If you have no space for a shower this is a good option.

    Peter - February 9, 2022 Reply

    Maybe this is for people who enjoy boondoggling. Or is that boondocking. lol

www.kevinsmicrohomestead.com - October 23, 2011 Reply

that is slick ! or you could do this .
http://youtu.be/FC4nihIuKAM cheap and fun .;)

    Ralph sly - November 7, 2011 Reply

    I love your Idea and have been using it for weeks. Laughed when I seen the video. I arrived at an old shack I have. The hot water tank was broken and no hot water. I bought the Colman heater a couple of years ago and thankfully stored it at the shack with lots of propane bottles (which last a long time on this, so will 1 charge. The pressure is perfect for showering). Being somewhat pudgy but extremely cute, I use a bigger tub with no curtains; I just put a super large towel on the floor and am getting good enough to keep the towel mostly dry. I have a facecloth at hands reach hanging from the ceiling to wipe the soap off my hands to shut the water off and on when needed. Several years ago I had a basketball ring mounted to frost fence post on the bumper of a station wagon and was showering using your bag idea in a rough campsite. A troop of bicycle tourists came by and ask me if I did what they think I did and when I answered yes they ask if they could use it. I told them to fetch the water from the creek, keep the water heating on the fire pit and have at it. While they (about 20) went through the shower, they brought out the brandy and we had a good time by the fire pit that they fetched the wood for. They thanked me and I enjoyed the company.

PBeat - October 23, 2011 Reply

I imagine that even a small studio apartment would already include its own restroom & shower. When folded up, I somehow doubt this “New Concept” unit would fool anyone into thinking it was a cabinet. It looks more like an oversized version of the diaper-changing table, that one might find in a public restroom. If you venture onto the manufacturer’s website, I hope vous parlez français. There, however, you’ll notice an unforeseen drainage pipe which empties onto a tiled, and presumably drainable, floor! Which leads one to ask: Why would anyone install this item within an existing shower room?

JT - October 23, 2011 Reply

That is cool !!!!

alice - October 23, 2011 Reply

I think this concept would be really handy for an outdoor shower using a solar shower bag instead of plumbed water. Being able to close it up helps keep it free of leaves and other debris, keeps it out of the way when not needed. You can make a version out of wood that looks more like a cabinet. A nice rustic version out of cedar would be perfect outside a sauna. You could also rig up some way of collecting the shower water for re-use rather than letting it drain away, maybe by setting the base higher, above a small tank. That way you could use it in a place that didn’t have a floor drain. You could make it mobile and use it in various places depending on the season. You could build a totally self-sufficient version using a built-in water tank and propane on-demand heater as well as a greywater collection tank. Lots of possibilities.

    Susan - October 23, 2011 Reply

    thanks for your cool ideas

Josh - October 23, 2011 Reply

I don’t see how having this thing attached to the wall in your bathroom is more advantageous than just building a small, permanent shower in there. Not to mention the price difference. I guess I can see how it might be useful as an outdoor shower. But, this is from France after all, and France hasn’t been too valuable as far as innovation and invention for a while!

Sun - October 23, 2011 Reply

What’s with all you haters? So you don’t like it, why do you feel you have to shit all over anything that isn’t your idea? Harvey, maybe ppl would like something a bit less ghetto than your DIY version, which from the sound of it, would look like warmed over crap. In fact, it sounds just like the old spider infested showers they have at kids camps. I sure wouldn’t want something like that in my nice clean decorated bathroom. You know, you could just hang a hose off the side of the house, seems like it would be more your speed anyway, and you could wash that motor hanging from the chain in the tree out front at the same time. Geez.

    www.kevinsmicrohomestead.com - October 23, 2011 Reply

    LMAO Sun good for you. I agree if someone takes the time to create something and shares it as a possible solution and then a person puts it on there blog at least appreciate all the effort. If you don’t like it I think we allready have enough critics negative comments don’t solve anything. 🙂

    Josh - October 23, 2011 Reply

    So you don’t like it, why do you feel you have to shit all over anything that isn’t your idea?

    It’s called critique; people are expressing their concerns that it’s not really a viable alternative to a normal shower, and wondering what the point of it is, since it needs to be located in an area where a shower would normally go anyway (let’s look at the pictures provided – it’s situated in a room with tile walls and tile floor, undoubtedly with a drain somewhere to dispose of the water; how would this be better than having a regular shower there?).

    That’s great if you’re in love with it; go to France and buy one. But there’s no need to get your panties in a bunch because you feel that people are “…[shitting] all over anything that isn’t [their] idea…” The point of having comments on these posts is to discuss things, right? It seems clear that some people don’t see what advantage this has to offer. I’m having trouble seeing it, and I assure you, it’s certainly not because I wish to shit on it because it’s not my idea – I wouldn’t have any desire to pursue an idea that didn’t seem to offer anything of value. It’s entirely possible that there’s some niche market in Europe for something like this, but I’m not seeing much use for it in the United States, whether it be in tiny houses or anywhere else.

      Alex - October 29, 2011 Reply

      Critique – Novel solution but, there are cheaper simplier solutions.

      Shit On – This idea is absurd. ANYONE with half-a-brain (3/4 of it being tied behind their back) simply KNOWS that the more space saving and cost conscious way of doing the same thing is to:

      Sometimes a comment says more about the poster than the product.

    Mel - October 24, 2011 Reply

    Showering over your bathroom floor isn’t ghetto…it’s pretty normal in many countries. Though I don’t use a shower curtain. The only difference in appearance is that you can’t put little rugs in the bathroom…but you can still tile it beautifully and have nice fixtures. It’s ok to not like everything on THB, and to critique it as well. These things are put on the site to show new ideas but also to generate discussion.

Kenny G - October 23, 2011 Reply

My first thought was “cool”. On second thought I worry about mold, with all the moisture tucked away in a moist humid place. Still a nice space saving idea. Which is the kind of thinking that brings us here. I’m sure this article wasn’t meant to offend anybody. Where does the water drain to? Is that just a collection basin? Wish it was more pleasing to the eye, which would be easier on a DIY project.

    Aaron - October 24, 2011 Reply

    That was my first thought. You’d either have to dry it thoroughly after each use or leave it unfolded to dry. With a shower every day I don’t see myself ever folding it up.

      Josh - October 24, 2011 Reply

      With a shower every day I don’t see myself ever folding it up.

      I think you just hit on something there. Here in America we like to shower at least once a day, but let’s remember this thing is from France, and, well…

        Kate - October 28, 2011 Reply

        I don’t know from firsthand experience, but I’d imagine that people in France shower just about as often as Americans, on average. I know you probably meant it merely as a joke, but if you were serious, would that be so bad? In many countries showering once a day is seen as an unforgiveable waste of good clean water. It’s possible to keep clean and uphold body hygiene without using copious amounts of running water every single day.

          Nancy DuVal - October 29, 2011 Reply

          That’s why the French have bidets~~~

          kyle - November 13, 2011 Reply

          its no joke , or bad. every 3 days or so everybody shower, last one drys and folds it up. we have 7 living in small space, really need bathroom as little unwasted as possible. we will use this as idea. i enjoyed this

BigGoofyGuy - October 23, 2011 Reply

I think it would not only be good for small apartments and houses but also for campers and cabins where space is a minimum. I think it is a neat idea.

Shalin - October 24, 2011 Reply

Clever idea…but I think it’s too complicated and it simply doesn’t need to be.
It could be a good solution for an semi-enclosed outdoor shower for resorts…perhaps.
I love collapsible furniture and similar things, but this just seems like a solution that is overkill.

–S

Arlos - October 24, 2011 Reply

The point is, the lav, kitchen and any function can be designed to be hidden when not in use at times with a second purpose. A legal minimum sized shower at least here in california takes up 9 sq feet. That is precious space if you are a minimalist. This opens a whole host of possibilities for my slow moving conversion of our large Isuzu NPR into a road warrior for my wife and I not to mention the conversion of our 2,300 sq ft home into a triplex so we can hit the road to teach, consult and still have a reasonable income. Kent, another great find! Thank you.

V - October 24, 2011 Reply

you still have to plumb a drain,m which isnt in the illustrations… and for those wheelchair bound or inthe position tonot bend much, the tiled, pitched floor with a drain is the way to go. BTW fully room showers are the big NEW in bathrooms.. will start to see them as MUST HAVES just like granit on cuntertops. also, the footprint on this small shower is just that A FOOTprint. pretty small. you;d not be able to bend down without water escaping… it might be a nice conept for a laundry center… tho i wouldnt iron in the bathroom because of the waawaa.
I am not sure i agree that anyone was SHIT on in the comments. a single idea received some brainstorming is all. down to the point… cost and materials. after we have made these panels and then find we dont like the shower, and toss it where do you think it will go.. LANDFILL. If we are going with LEss is better, then let’s do less. re the illustration. I presume the floor of this will be ON the floor (for supprot) and there will be a sufficient flange to keep the floor dry. ????????

    Carolyn MVaussies - October 30, 2011 Reply

    I agree, this really is only good for like a workplace. Where only used in a emergency, Chemical spill, etc. where someone has to shower fast, but not in normal use. I’ve done Tile for 30+ years. And have put in the sloped floor with built in drain showers, it is the way to go, Handicap. Many Tiny House Trailers(plus real life Tiny RV’s too) use the concept, with whole bathroom AS the shower. The idea came from the Boat world. Wet room “Heads”. As far as cute rugs………….. hang it outside while you shower.
    My last house will have a “Roll in shower downstairs from day one. I have always hated shower doors anyways. A pain to keep clean, a curtain liner, it gets too dirty toss & replace.

V - October 24, 2011 Reply

the best little space saver I ever saw in europe was a sink that folded up…. when down, it drained into the toilet bowl… very flat sink, it was lightweight tho i dont know the material.
was on a spring that needed to be locked into place when down…. i wish i had taken a pic of it… was sin venice near to the tourism office on the island from the train station

alice - October 24, 2011 Reply

Just another idea to do with these folding showers, you could rig the drain so it goes into a small outlet in the floor when let down rather than having a sloped floor with drain in the entire bathroom area. You’d just need the actual shower floor to have a slope. I’m sure there’s some sort of coupling that would work and be nicely sealed on the floor when not needed. That way the shower could be part of any room, not restricted to a special ‘wet’ room. You could also use some kind of drainage hose as long as the end was lower than the shower floor.

bill - October 24, 2011 Reply

looks like just and advertisement

Engineer Guy - October 28, 2011 Reply

My own mentally-Bookmarked design for a future Trailer was to nab a used Shower Pan from the local Building Recycling joint. Recess it to be flush with the Trailer Frame/Floor. Modify Frame as necessary. When not in use, a piece of Cabinet-grade Plywood would set in – on small Blocks, if necessary – to create flush Floor space. A Porta Potty, or Sawdust ‘Bucket’, could optionally sit there otherwise.

Bend some used Conduit into a square-corner ‘U’ for the Shower Curtain Rail. Install opaque Curtain, if desired, to use the Shower Curtain outside, too. Mount Rail into 2 – 45 degree Wall-mount Flag Holders, as used outside Homes. These hold the Curtain Rail by friction fit, allowing Rail removal/storage as req’d. Or, allow the Shower Rail to hinge down on a pinned arrangement. The Shower Rail end not on the Wall could be held up by Cord and a Hook.

Plumb like any other Trailer Shower. Use a Propane Demand Water Heater. Alternately, use a ~10 Gallon Electric Heater to allow use on Grid Power. Optionally Solar heat Water in 10 Gallon Heater by circulating w/a low Voltage Pump through 1 Rooftop Solar Panel.

Use +12 Volt Trailer ‘Demand’ Pump [‘Shurflo’] for Water pressure. As always, reusing components when possible would lower Project cost.

    alice - October 28, 2011 Reply

    Thank you!! That flag holder idea just solved one of my outdoor temporary canopy project problems! Good shower solution too.

      Engineer Guy - October 28, 2011 Reply

      My pleasure. Forgot to mention… A 4’x 8′ Panel of Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic is USD ~$19- at a Big Box Store. Being solid material, it’s great for protecting a Wall [and, it’s thin].

      There’s Shower Curtains out there with lil Magnets sewn into the lower edge seam. They stick to Tub Metal. You can mount a few Ferrous Discs to the Shower Pan vertical, inside edge to capture the Shower Curtain and prevent leaks. You can also sew the Ferrous Discs into the Curtain Seam, so they won’t get wet and rust. Stick small disc Magnets onto the Shower Pan. Shower Curtain Discs will stick to them. If they’re coated, they won’t rust and discolor.

meredith - October 29, 2011 Reply

So many of these commenters obviously think that everyone owns their living spaces and have construction skills good enough to rip out walls,,,install plumbing, tile walls, etc etc. They also seem to believe that landlords (who didn’t care in the first place) are now all of a suddenly going to be willing to bear the expense of remodeling. How silly!

This is an ideal solution for those who have very little space (only have a 1/2 bath sink and toilet) or for those who have NO space inside their home (Tiny houses???????) and are currently sponge bathing or using neighbors showers, or public solutions, (college gyms, swimming pool locker rooms etc that have showers)
Many of the tiny homes on this blog have NO place to shower……But then so many people are locked into their own world reality and find it hard to comprehend how MOST people in this world live!!!!!!

    katie - October 29, 2011 Reply

    Meredith, you captured my thought exactly. Not everyone have the experience, confidence, or expertise to make something like this for themselves. I am the person who lives in a cabin and find other places to shower. This fold-up, creative idea seems great for me.

    Thanks Tiny House Blog!

meredith - October 29, 2011 Reply

sorry about the grammar in sentence 2…lol

Rick - October 29, 2011 Reply

I think that using a bathroom tiled floors and walls threw people off to the true utility of this brilliant little invention. Portable living such as in a Yurt this little device would come in awfully handy and folds away like a dream giving you much desired floor space. It doesn’t have to be mounted in a bathroom and I think that is a valid point. In tiny spaces this little beauty would be advantageous to say the least.

holly - October 29, 2011 Reply

i think its cool. I also think a much cheaper DIY version can be done..but it does have me thinking. It is very cool that it can be mounted anywhere. Its unfortunate that everything cool has to cost your first-born and then some. Most of us are not rich.

Teresa - October 31, 2011 Reply

OMG… I got so excited I ran downstairs in my undies. I have been saying I want to run my shower off the back of my fifth wheel so that i can rearrange and make space inside. This is perfect!!

    Ralph Sly - November 7, 2011 Reply

    Wished I had been there! One thing, all this gab about showers shows we all want to be clean and agree with the writers that it’s a big problem figuring out the space saving ideas for our needs. In my previous comments, I was stuck and did not want to go without a shower and buddies idea was only a natural solution. Now I can figure out a more permanent one but for now the tub and Colman works great. This debate has been super. Good thing we aren’t on religion!

For Rent - November 3, 2011 Reply

Great looking shower and it really is a space saver. It is not only good for tiny houses but even for lofts and apartments. Looks good!

Frederick Buriak - September 30, 2012 Reply

Seems like a neat product. It is a good thing Henry Ford didn’t listen to the naysayers when he started building cars.

Sherry k - January 24, 2013 Reply

Where can I buy a folding shower?

House Sparroe - March 4, 2013 Reply

I am considering moving into an 8×10′ shed this spring. I have been wondering what to do about showering. This looks like a workable option. I don’t shower daily, sponge baths work nicely. I will be using a camp sawdust toilet. I could have this next to the toilet, move the toilet, open the shower. When finished, clean and shut shower and move toilet back. That would work fine with me. I wipe the shower down after every use anyway in order to keep the mold away, so that is a non issue. I had considered using a animal feed tub as the shower basin and using a ring and a curtain for the surround. I think making something similar to this out of wood and found material might work better than my idea.

The Many Options for Showers in Tiny Houses - May 20, 2013 Reply

[…] back to a post from October of 2011, Kent Griswold of Tiny House Blog shared this clever shower design. The website is in French and I am not even sure if this is available anymore, but the design is […]

Linda - December 2, 2013 Reply

Sink Positive is not going to work. The back of the toilet is ALREADY FULL when you use the basin to wash your hands. So the water used will go into the back of the toilet, but the toilet will get rid of it immediately because of the float system. The water will simply go into the toilet bowl and out the bottom without flushing. The only way Sink Positive will work is if you start with a toilet tank that is not already full. If you can wash your hands immediately after flushing, this will work. Otherwise, it’s a wash, if you know what I mean… wasted water as usual.

Melinda - January 2, 2016 Reply

Where can this supiot folding shower stall be purchased?

Putting a Tiny Home inside a Van, opting out of debt slavery - Page 3 - Honda-Tech - September 2, 2016 Reply

[…] I think the company maybe out of business… this blog has some good comments about it. Folding Shower for Small Spaces googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-14'); […]

The Most Common Tiny House Shower Ideas — Tiny Houses - December 8, 2016 Reply

[…] so that you can have both hot and cold water for a nice bath experience. You can also call it as wall mounted shower that frees up flooring […]

Roland Krolikowski - January 8, 2017 Reply

I really could of used it. I cannot expand my space. But could not find website

Marjorie Mickaels - April 19, 2017 Reply

I could really use a fold up shower in my new to me used horse trailer.
The living quarters have everything but the shower+ fridge . I even have the water tanks for it. Depending on it’s size, I have about a 2×2 space for a mini shower.
After pulling the small sink and cabinet.
Thanks M

Erza - November 4, 2018 Reply

To all the naysayers… STFU!!! THIS IS A PERFECT SOLUTION FOR SMALL OR LIMITED SPACE LIKE A CAMPER VAN DICK BRAIN! In camper van you utilize every space hence when shower is fold up it free up the space to maneuver around the van. Learn to think outside the box before putting down someone’s idea you morons!

Amber - February 20, 2021 Reply

I love this idea for my van that I’ve converted into a camper. There is not enough area to create a permanent bathroom space. I am trying to think of a way to put something like this on a slider track so it can essentially be tucked away and then pulled out to use.

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