What Is A Chinese Table Shower? (Find Out Now!)

Paige Hanawalt
by Paige Hanawalt

When it comes to personal health and relaxation, we often think of a day spent at the spa. Spa treatments specialize in comfort, peace, and well-being. More and more spas are investing in a Chinese table shower. This unique and interesting way to unwind is becoming popular both in public spas and personal, at-home saunas.

You can get the same level of rest and relaxation at home as you would booking a whole day at the spa. We all know the bathroom is one of the most important rooms in your home. We often don’t think of it that way, but it is.

An underappreciated space where you both begin and end your day, the right— or wrong — bathroom can set the mood for your entire day. A luxurious and decadent bathroom will help you unwind and prepare for the daily commitments, struggles, and celebrations. Why not give it an extra bit of luxury by adding a Chinese table shower?

A Chinese table shower is a type of waterproof table with five to seven rain shower heads positioned above on a long metal rod. Offered at many spas throughout the world, it is a way to cleanse the body before a massage. Water pressure is often high enough to count as its own mini massage.

Read on to learn more about the benefits of a Chinese table shower as a way to relax and unwind.

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What Is A Chinese Table Shower?

A relatively new addition to the spa experience, the Chinese table shower— also known as an Asian table shower or a Vichy table shower— is often offered as a hydrotherapy treatment at a massage parlor or spa.

Origins Of The Chinese Table Shower

The table shower itself has origins in both Asia and Europe. Vichy table showers originated in a part of France during Julius Caesar’s time. The benefits of hot springs were as utilized then as they are today.

Physicians in both France and western Asia would use table showers to focus individuals with health issues having to do with the liver or metabolism. Today, the table shower isn’t used so much in the medical realm as it is the therapeutic realm.

Chinese Table Shower In A Spa

The Chinese table shower is a simple way to rinse the body before a massage. It can also be used as a stand-alone service, thanks to the 5-7 shower heads above the table. Some table showers also have nozzles on the side. The numerous showerheads work together to cleanse the skin, open up pores, and gently massage tired muscles.

The average Chinese table shower delivers 13 gallons of water a minute. That’s around 100 gallons of water massaging your aching muscles in 10 minutes. If you’re someone who shies away from deep tissue massage, the gentler table shower is a great alternative.

Chinese Table Shower Massage

Water has long been proven as a way to relax and soothe. Jacuzzis, saunas, hot springs, and table showers are all great ways to unwind and rebalance both the body and the mind. Some spas still have traditional showers attached to treatment rooms, but many more are switching over to rooms with Chinese table showers.

Massage therapists will often work in conjunction with the table shower to provide an experience you won’t forget. Sugar scrubs work to exfoliate dead skin. Hand-held nozzles are used to focus on particular muscle groups at a time to alleviate soreness. Oils or scented lotions will be worked into your skin while the shower heads rain down warm water from head to toe.

Benefits Of The Chinese Table Shower

The benefits of a Chinese table shower are numerous:

  • Increased circulation
  • Lymphatic drainage
  • Stress reduction
  • Pain relief
  • Exfoliation

Not only will you leave feeling more relaxed mentally and emotionally, your body’s physical reaction to the Chinese shower table won’t go unnoticed. Many individuals who experience chronic pain often turn to aquatic therapy to help manage their discomfort. The Chinese shower table is a wonderful, homeopathic way to help your body heal itself.

Alignment With The Chakras

Many Chinese table showers have seven shower head to align with the seven chakras of your body for a head to toe realignment:

  • Crown chakra
  • Third Eye Chakra
  • Throat Chakra
  • Heart Chakra
  • Solar Plexus Chakra
  • Sacral Chakra
  • Root Chakra

Whether or not you believe in chakras, the placement of the shower heads is sure to send you into a trance-like state of heavenly relaxation.

Adding a Chinese Table Shower To Your Home

More and more homeowners are looking to add saunas, pools, and table showers to increase their property value. We live in an age of affordable luxury. Adding a table shower to your bathroom will elevate your space into the epitome of an at-home spa experience.

In order to reap all the benefits of a Chinese table shower, regular use is key. Having one in your home will allow for continued healthy living. Relaxing on a table shower after a morning run is only going to make exercising that much better.

Where Is It Best To Add?

Homeowners and builders are starting to add table showers to homes with a built-in pool and sauna in order to take advantage of already existing pumps and water resources. If you live in a house with an in-ground pool, adding a table shower is a great way to rinse off and relax after a swim.

What about installing an indoor one? Installing a Chinese table shower to an already existing walk-in shower isn’t as difficult as one might think. With a little bit of tweaking to your plumbing and tile, you can easily combine a seven-nozzle shower head to an already existing shower system.

Many home renovations include a two-part walk-in shower. Attached to the traditional standing shower is another shower space for the Chinese water table. A luxuriously designed shower enclosure can easily include a Chinese table shower.

Costs of Installing a Chinese Table Shower

The average cost of adding a table shower to your bathroom is going to be between $2,500 and $5,000 depending on how luxurious you want to get. Having an entirely separate enclosure from your regular, every day shower will up the cost. Adding a table shower to an already existing standing shower will certainly be cheaper.

Steps To Prepare For An At-Home Chinese Table Shower

When renovating your bathroom to accommodate a Chinese table shower, you’re going to want to follow these simple steps to make sure you’re fully prepared financially and structurally:

Step 1: Acquire a permit. Any renovations or expansions done to bathrooms requires a permit. Be sure to contact the building services of your home’s municipality.

Step 2: Check what’s underneath the surface. When demolishing an old bathroom to make way for a new addition, you’re going to want to make sure that you check for any water damage beneath the surface. If there’s anything alarming, you’re going to want to fix that before you start redoing your space.

Step3: Make sure your table is waterproof. It’s imperative that whatever material you choose for your table shower should be waterproof. There are a few types of woods ideal for at-home table showers and saunas:

  • Cedar
  • Golden yellow abachi
  • Reddish brown alder
  • Light or dark-colored aspen
  • Black locust.

Step 4: Be prepared for a rise in your water bill. Once you add a table shower to your bathroom, you’re guaranteed to use it frequently. That means your water bill is going to go up. Make sure you’ve budgeted it not only for the cost of the addition, but also for the added cost over time.


Related Questions

What Other Treatments Accompany A Chinese Table Shower?

Chinese table showers are often associated with Japanese, Thai, or Korean spas. You can also enjoy treatments like akasuri, a Japanese salt scrub. Mud, seaweed, or chocolate wraps are often done in conjunction with a Chinese shower table massage. Buckets of cold, hot, or warm water will also be poured all over you between treatments depending on what you desire.


What’s The Dress Code For A Chinese Table Massage?

The dress code is up to you. Many salons will provide you with a towel to wear during the massage, much like in a traditional massage setting. Be sure to check with your particular salon for dress code rules before making an appointment.


How Long Is A Table Shower Session?

Some spas offer Table Showers on-demand and the session can be as short or as long as you would like.  Generally, a paid massage on a Chinese table shower can last anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour.

Do You Need to Hire Shower Installers?

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Summing It Up

Though a relatively new addition to the spa experience in America, Chinese table showers have been around for centuries. During a Chinese table shower appointment, you can relax and enjoy all the calming effects of a hot, warm, and cold water massage. Adding a Chinese table shower to your home sauna is more affordable than you think and will increase your property value.

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Paige Hanawalt
Paige Hanawalt

Paige is an elementary school librarian with a passion for writing. Her hobbies include reading an exorbitant amount of fantasy, slowly teaching herself to draw, and home decor. While she isn't the most talented artist or interior designer, what she lacks in skill she more than makes up for in enthusiasm. When she's not curled up with a book, you can certainly find her curled over the keyboard.

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