First we had claw foot tubs; at some point, showers were introduced; then, many of us grew up with built-in bathtubs that had both a faucet and a shower head; now in 2025 there are several popular ways to include a tub and shower in a bathroom. We’ll take a look at each of these options, their pros and cons, and what types of bathrooms they are suitable for.

 

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A Tried and True Choice

While it’s not the hottest trend, the traditional tub/shower combo mentioned above is still very much in use. Why is this approach still popular? It tends to be less expensive than the other options. It also has a relatively small footprint while still providing both options: bathing and showering.Those who wish to dress it up can do so in several ways:

A hinged door beside a glass panel held in place by clamps. (In-line door and panel enclosure.)

A frameless sliding shower door system .

Semi-frameless bypass doors.

A splashguard that is either hinged or affixed with clamps or U-channels.

In addition to the upgrades discussed above, you can also style up such a tub by tiling the walls (if it’s not a full insert) or adding some extras to the interior such as glass corner shelves or a posh shower head.

 

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Two Separate Fixtures

A more modern approach is to have a free-standing soaker tub in one part of the bathroom and a glass shower enclosure nearby. This is a more elegant way to offer both bathing and showering possibilities within the same room. It’s a wonderful idea as long as you have sufficient space and funds. Some homeowners, however, try to squeeze both a tub and a separate shower stall into a bathroom that’s really not large enough to accommodate both. Possible issues that can arise include:

A soaker tub installed so close to the wall or the shower that a gap is created which is difficult or impossible to clean.

The room is overcrowded, leaving insufficient floor space for convenient use.

A swinging glass door is installed so close to the toilet or sink that the door panel hits the other fixture when opened.

In summary, this can be an elegant and convenient approach as long as you can afford both fixtures separately and have a sufficiently spacious bathroom to accommodate them.

 

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Tub Inside the Shower

Another recent trend takes a different twist on this. Instead of just a glass shower stall, some homeowners have a much larger glass enclosure built to house a free-standing tub as well as sprays and an area for showering. This is another appealing design if you have the space and money to pull it off. Cramming a tub into a moderately sized glass shower area, however, is a recipe for disaster and could even be a fall hazard, not to mention a cleaning nightmare.

 

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What are your preferred tub and shower trends? Whichever type of shower enclosure you prefer, Glass Simple is a convenient and customer-care oriented supplier of frameless glass shower hardware. Give us a call at (571)707-7760 to get answers to your questions or create a business to business account and receive discounted prices.