Dornbracht Horizontal Shower | Potential Accessible Shower

Ever wonder what a shower would be like in a lying down position? Admittedly I never have until I saw this concept horizontal shower by  Dornbracht, a German company that creates high end bathroom and kitchen products. Obviously most of us take showers in a standing or seated position. Many people with disabilities use the seated position. Though even with the use of hand held showers and body sprays, a full rinse may not always get accomplished while seated. However a horizontal shower could give a full rinse. The Dornbracht horizontal shower consists of a marbled horizontal surface for lying down on and another marbled horizontal block above that has six water jets that rain down along the length of the body.

Dornbracht is combining this concept with their Ambiance Tuning Technique technology. Basically this technology would allow the user to program the temperature, pressure, and timing of the water jets in a choreographed way. The goal being a shower experience that affects the mind, body, and soul. For more detailed  information on the Ambiance Tuning Technique read this article from Architonic.

For people with disabilities to use this shower they would have to be able to transfer onto the lying surface. A low surface height and grab bars could make this task easier. One possible issue with taking a shower while lying down is washing your head and face while keeping water out of your nose. This could be solved with an inclined plane of some sort. Even better would be an inclined plane that could be electronically raised and lowered like a bath lift. Having an assisted incline will also help when washing and scrubbing the lower half of the body. Though not specifically designed for people with disabilities, this concept horizontal shower by Dornbracht does have possible accessible benefits. Below is a promotional video by Dornbracht of the horizontal shower.