Shower Chairs, Stools and Fold-Down Seats Explained

Why sit in the shower at all

Showering asks a lot of the body: standing on a wet floor, turning around, lifting a foot to wash it, reaching up to rinse hair, all with eyes closed and soap underfoot. Sitting down takes most of that away. A shower chair or stool is a small change, but for someone who gets tired, dizzy or unsteady, it can make the difference between showering alone with confidence and needing help.

It's not only for older people. People recovering from surgery, living with a long-term condition, pregnant, or just wanting a rest while they shave their legs all use shower seats. The right one depends on the person, the shower and how long it's needed for.

The three main types

Fold-down wall-mounted seats

A seat fixed to the shower wall, hinged so it folds up flat when it's not in use. Some are a simple flat bench; others have a padded or slatted seat and a fold-down leg for extra support.

Good for: permanent use, showers where floor space is tight, households where some people want the seat and others don't. Because it folds away, it doesn't get in the way of anyone else.

Watch for: it can only go where the wall has solid backing behind it (more on that below), and the height is set once it's installed. It suits a planned renovation better than a quick fix.

Freestanding stools and chairs

A stool has no back; a chair has a back and often armrests. Both usually have adjustable aluminium legs, a plastic seat with drainage holes and rubber feet.

Good for: short-term needs such as recovery after an operation, trying out whether sitting helps, and showers where nothing can be fixed to the walls.

Watch for: they need floor space inside the shower, they have to be moved for other people to use the shower, and they rely on their feet gripping a wet, sloping floor. A stool gives nothing to lean against, so it suits people with good sitting balance. A chair with arms is easier to get up from.

Transfer benches

A long bench that sits with two legs inside a bath and two legs outside it. The person sits on the outside end and slides across, lifting their legs over the bath edge while seated.

Good for: homes where the only shower is over a bath and stepping over the edge has become risky.

Watch for: they take up a lot of room, the shower curtain or screen has to work around them, and they're a workaround rather than a fix. If the bath is the problem, a renovation that replaces the shower-over-bath with a step-free shower is often the longer-term answer.

What to check before you buy

Weight rating

Every chair, stool, bench and fold-down seat should state a maximum user weight. Check it, and allow some margin: people don't sit down gently every time, and a seat takes extra load when someone pushes on it to stand up. For a fixed seat, the rating only holds if it's fixed into proper backing with the right fixings.

Non-slip feet

Freestanding seats rely on their feet. Look for wide rubber tips or suction-style feet that grip a wet tiled floor, and replace them when they wear or harden. On a shower floor that falls to a drain, the legs sit at slightly different heights, so adjustable legs help keep the seat level and stable.

Height

The person should be able to sit with their feet flat on the floor and their knees at roughly a right angle, and stand up without heaving. Too low and it's hard to get up; too high and their feet don't take their weight. Adjustable legs make this easy to set. For a fold-down seat, agree the height before the wall is tiled.

Seat size and shape

A wider seat is more stable; a cut-out at the front makes washing easier; a padded seat is more comfortable for longer showers but needs drying. Drainage holes stop water pooling.

Backrest and arms

Arms help with sitting down and getting up, and give something to hold when turning. A backrest helps anyone who tires easily. Both make the chair bigger, so measure the shower first.

The shower itself

Measure the shower floor, the door opening and the space between the seat and the controls. A seat is only useful if the person can reach the taps and a handheld shower while sitting. A handheld shower on a sliding rail, with the controls within reach of the seat, makes a big difference.

Blocking behind fold-down seats and grab rails

This is the part that's easy to get wrong. A fold-down seat or a grab rail takes a lot of load, often suddenly, when someone sits heavily, slips or pulls themselves up. Plasterboard, cement sheet or wet-area board on its own won't hold that load, and hollow-wall anchors in a wet area are a poor substitute.

Fixed seats and grab rails should be installed into proper backing: timber noggings fixed between the wall studs, or a structural backing sheet fixed to the frame, at the right heights. The backing goes in before the wall is lined and waterproofed, which is why it's worth doing during any bathroom renovation, even if nobody needs a seat or rail yet. Fixing through tiles and the membrane also needs care so the waterproofing isn't compromised.

In an existing bathroom with no backing, the options are usually to open the wall (which means retiling and re-waterproofing that section) or to use a freestanding seat instead. Ask a builder or experienced installer to check before drilling anything.

About AS 1428.1

Australian Standard AS 1428.1 sets out design for access and mobility, including shower seat and grab rail positions. It applies to accessible bathrooms in public and commercial buildings where the building rules require them. Private homes generally aren't required to follow it, but many people use it as a guide for heights and positions. What suits one person may not match the standard exactly, so it's best to check with an occupational therapist or your builder before settling on positions.

When to get an occupational therapist assessment

A shower stool from a pharmacy is fine for many people. But it's worth getting an occupational therapist (OT) to assess the person and the bathroom if:

• they've had a fall, or a near miss, in the bathroom
• they're recovering from a hip, knee or back operation
• they have a condition that's likely to change over time
• they use a walking frame, wheelchair or other mobility aid
• a carer helps them shower
• a funding program, such as an aged care or disability support program, is paying for the equipment or the bathroom changes

An OT can recommend the type of seat, its height and position, where grab rails should go, and whether a bigger change to the bathroom makes sense. Funding programs often require an OT's report before approving anything.

Getting it built in

If you're renovating, plan the seat and rails as part of the job: blocking in the walls, a step-free shower with a gentle fall, a handheld shower on a rail and controls within reach of the seat. If you're in the Illawarra, we can measure up and quote it.

See accessible bathrooms for how a safer bathroom comes together, full bathroom renovations for the wider process, and our price guide for rough bands. Every bathroom is different, so a proper on-site quote gives you a price for your room.