Custom showers providing relief to weary bones.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Showering isn't just about getting clean anymore. Instead, it's therapy. "It's not just a shower anymore. It's a mood enhancer," says Gary Pember, Moen's group product manager for the bath. "Where people used to go to a spa to pamper themselves, now they want to integrate those features into their own homes. It's part of looking at the whole therapeutic value to water. Today's shower does a whole lot of things for the psyche."

Homeowners can now choose custom shower features that include steam units (with aromatherapy options); body sprays along the walls that make the shower feel like a "vertical whirlpool"; larger and multiple showerheads that offer settings ranging from a misting rain to a hydromassage, and some that even offer mood lighting; ...