Where to Put an Outdoor Shower in Your Garden
Put the outdoor shower on the way from the door to the water.
The best spot is on the route people already walk, on ground where the water can run away, with a hot and a cold supply within reach. Then everyone rinses on the way to the hot tub or pool.
Give it gravel or a soakaway to drain into, and keep it a little away from the house.
From above: the door, the dotted route people walk, the shower on gravel, arrows to a soakaway and the hot tub.
Three things decide the spot
Reach
Near enough to the hot tub, pool or back door that rinsing off is easy. A shower people have to walk across the garden to will not get used.
Ground
Firm, level and free-draining. The base has no drainage, so the water runs off onto the ground and needs somewhere to go.
Supply
A hot and a cold pipe have to come up under the base, with an isolation valve you can reach. The closer the supply, the shorter the run.
Next to a hot tub
A one minute shower before you get in washes off dirt, sweat and body oils that would otherwise use up the water treatment.1 A shower on the path between the house and the tub makes that rinse automatic.
Put it where you can step from the shower to the tub, with the water running away from the tub and its base. See our hot tubs.
Anywhere you get messy
An outdoor shower also suits a gym area, a spot to cool down after exercise, or a place to wash muddy boots and paws. The hand shower on its hose is made for that quick rinse.
Where the water goes
Stand the shower on gravel, a drained patio or a soakaway bed, a little away from the house wall and any doorway, so water does not pool. Leave the height and reach clear: the chrome Suva is 2.1 metres tall with a 500 mm long head, and the Fiji is 2.3 metres tall with an arm that reaches 450 mm.
Keep the isolation valve within reach. Before the first frost, close it and drain the shower down as set out in the manual.2 Our outdoor showers are the chrome Suva, the matt black Fiji and the brushed brass Fiji.
Questions about where to put an outdoor shower
Open a question to read the answer.
How far from a hot tub should an outdoor shower be?
Close enough to reach from the hot tub without a long walk across the garden, and far enough that the water from the shower runs away from the tub and its base. Put it on gravel, a drained patio or a soakaway bed.
Can I put an outdoor shower against a wall?
The shower is freestanding, so it does not need a wall. Stand it a little away from the house wall and any doorway, so water does not pool against them.
What does an outdoor shower stand on?
The included base has no drainage, so the water runs off onto the ground. Choose firm, level ground that drains, such as gravel, a drained patio or a soakaway bed.
How much room does an outdoor shower need?
The chrome Suva is 2.1 metres tall with a 500 mm long head, and the Fiji is 2.3 metres tall with an arm that reaches 450 mm. Leave that height and reach clear, with room to stand under the head.
Should I be able to reach the water supply to turn it off?
Yes. Keep the isolation valve where you can reach it, so you can close the supply and drain the shower down before the first hard frost, as set out in the manual.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Swimming-related Illnesses, reviewed 6 June 2025.
- WaterSafe Register, Wrap up outside taps and pipes against winter chills, accessed 27 October 2026.
Paul Margerison
Managing Director & Founder, Outdoor Living
The right spot makes an outdoor shower something you use every day. This guide is here to help you find it before you pick up a spade.