Whether you’re an ice-cold Wim Hof devotee or an extreme-steam junkie, we can all agree that there are few things more disappointing than a lacklustre shower. From painfully unreliable temperatures (hot then cold then scalding – sound familiar?) and puny pressures to flimsy shower heads, a joyless shower is barely worth disrobing for. Yet it’s an experience many of us face every single day – gritting our teeth each morning as we lather up.
Considering that many of us (62%) bathe or shower at least once a day, and spend seven to eight minutes in the shower, the number of us tolerating mediocre showers seems puzzling. Particularly when you consider that swathes of us have already invested in serious digital upgrades around the home to make our lives easier – from robot vacuum cleaners to smart lightbulbs, virtual AI assistants and video doorbells (even our pets now have their own security cameras). Yet here we are, still lagging behind in the shower stakes.
But all that looks set to change. Digital showers – or “smart showers” as they’re also known – have well and truly arrived. Designed to solve the age-old problem of unreliable temperatures, they promise to seriously upgrade both the look and feel of our showers, turning a perfunctory wash into the ultimate spa experience. They work using an advanced form of thermostatic mixer, taking water from your home’s hot and cold supplies and combining them to create the perfect temperature (which allows you to make a precise adjustment instantly). It’s the thermostatic technology inside the digital shower mixer valve that keeps the temperature constant – and best of all, it works even when water is used elsewhere in the home (think: taps being switched on in the kitchen, or the toilet being flushed).
There are plenty of smart features to get excited over, too. The latest digital shower controls and smartphone apps enable you to set your water temperature precisely, or choose from a range of presets. Mira smart showers, when paired with the Mira app, give you options that include a “post-workout shower”, the “wind-down” or a water-saving “eco” mode. There’s even a futuristic “warm-up” mode that heats the shower to your ideal temperature, then pauses the flow until you’re ready to jump in (no more wet sleeves as you test the temperature for the fifth time). You can also link your smart shower to your smart speaker, enabling you to use a voice prompt to turn on your morning shower from the comfort of your bed, so no more standing around in the bathroom waiting for it to get hot.
Mira’s smart showers come in three ranges, Activate, Mode and the new Platinum, and as they share your shower’s live temperature and flow rate on the app, you can keep an eye on your water and energy usage – in turn, making each shower more sustainable and helping you to save money. Installation is reassuringly straightforward since digital showers work alongside almost all boiler and hot water systems – it’s just a matter of choosing one that’s right for your type of system. When it comes to showerheads, Mira’s smart ranges give you plenty of choice: a fixed rainfall option, a removable handset – or both. The shower’s “mixing unit” can be hidden in the ceiling or a wall cavity, keeping the shower itself sleek and minimalist.
For, as nice as the tech is, it’s not all that’s impressive. The fittings themselves are seriously cutting edge, with the multi-mode shower head on the Platinum range offering four different spray experiences – from the “Rain” drench spray to the “Burst” invigorating spray, each shower delivers a restorative dousing, taking you somewhere far more exotic than your bathroom. And better still, diving into the future doesn’t necessarily mean breaking the bank – Mira’s high-tech digital showers start from £500. A plush, spa-like shower experience at your fingertips whenever you want it. Now all you need to decide on is which playlist you plan on belting out …
Inspired to upgrade your shower set-up? Head to Mira Showers to learn all about its new Platinum digital shower and how to get one installed through its shower replacement service
