Shower trays replace bathtubs in new Spanish housing

Bathtubs lose ground in new homes: less water, higher price

Forum discussions reveal that bathtubs are disappearing from new property developments. The argument used to remove them—high water consumption—is the same one justifying shower trays, which take up less space and allegedly do not reduce the price per square meter. This contradiction has sparked a debate extending beyond the bathroom: real housing costs, accessibility, home safety, and uses with no substitute. For forum users, the bathtub was not killed by age but by economics.

Why are bathtubs removed from new builds?

The first post lists four reasons: they cost more, occupy more space, are less accessible for those with mobility issues, and increase slip risks. In contrast, shower trays free up centimeters, which in an average apartment are the most expensive part of the house. The thread’s initial diagnosis is blunt: lying in a bathtub requires a contortionist’s body. One user has a standard jacuzzi that nobody uses, and disuse is its strongest argument against it.

Some recall another lost bathroom fixture: the bidet, missed without shame after realizing a wet wipe is not the same.

Water saving as a commercial argument

It is important to separate two things: water consumption and price. Some claim the environmental excuse is a clumsy trick to save space and charge more for the same home, arguing that promised savings never reach the buyer’s bill. Conversely, accusations of water waste open the debate itself.

Nostalgia also plays a role. Twenty years ago, according to several posts, it was normal to deliver two bathrooms with two tubs each; now, some promotions only include shower trays. A user challenges shower tray advocates: those who call the bathtub useless often fill it completely on their first night in a hotel that has one, a behavior attributed to those lacking a private tub.

What is a real bathtub used for?

Mainly for bathing small children. This is the most repeated use and one that glass screens cannot adequately replace; one post suggests using a plastic basin inside the shower tray while the child is very young. Beyond that, the list grows: sheets after a child vomits, rugs, duvets, shoes, tents, wetsuits, and pets that fit nowhere else.

Then there is the therapeutic use described by users. A long bath with two kilos of salt, or one kilo of salt and two liters of thyme and rosemary tea, is cited as a home remedy for hangovers: half an hour soaking restores a sense of strength that vanishes upon exiting, when gravity weighs heavily again. There is also a logistical use few anticipate: filling and covering it to store water during restrictions, or turning it into an auxiliary fridge with ice when a party exceeds the main fridge’s capacity.

Standing showers in a bathtub: the risk

Moving while standing on a convex, slippery surface is more dangerous than doing so on a flat tray. Those who have chosen to line the bottom with stone point this out, noting that the material grips so well it abrades calluses. Add the accessibility detail: according to one post, those who need a tub for children often remove it when they age, meaning the same house may require two opposite renovations over twenty years.

From bidet to Japanese ofuro: what is lost along the way

The Japanese comparison appears early. According to posts, in an ofuro, the body is cleaned in the shower before immersing in hot water preserved for multiple baths, since water there is not used for washing; micro-apartments with this layout are mentioned, antiestéticaturing a shower next to a small tub. The proposal gathering the most consensus is not choosing between shower and tub, but having both in two separate bathrooms: one with a tray and one with a tub.

The shower tray defends itself alone: those who prefer it summarize it as “a one-square-meter shower with its screen.” Some shower mostly with cool water, though acknowledging that sitting in a warm bathtub feels royal, especially in winter.

With these elements, it is predictable that bathtubs will continue retreating in new builds and holding ground in resale properties, where they are already paid for. This is not a firm prediction. The generation currently washing rugs in the bathtub will have to redo that bathroom in two decades, and then the same debate will return with roles reversed. The shower tray wins today. No peace treaty has been signed.