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The Nebia Shower System: Worth the Hype?

Nebia_08-08-17_02-3The Nebia shower system attracted a lot of attention when it launched on Kickstarter in 2015.  The product was backed by companies including Apple, Google, and Equinox, and reached its Kickstarter funding goal within a matter of hours.  The product supposedly uses 70% less water than a standard shower while still providing sufficient water pressure and heat.  Kickstarter backers began receiving their Nebia showers in early 2017.  Here at Ashokan Water Services, our Nebia arrived in June, and now it’s time to see if it lives up to the hype!  The product has been reviewed by tech nerds, business people, lifestyle bloggers, fashion writers, and more.  Here’s the opinion of water conservation and management specialists.

I never thought too much about my showers until now, but I can say for certain that many either used too much water, or had terrible water pressure.  My point of comparison for the ideal shower is my shower-head at home, which is round and flat with decently sized holes such that water pressure is just right and the water retains heat.  There is nothing worse than water pressure so strong it might as well be from a power washer, or so weak it might as well be from a misting fan found along a queue in an amusement park.  A good shower should also have a gradual temperature range- not just a freezing and a burning setting.  Finding the perfect water temperature should never be frustrating.  I’m curious to see where the Nebia falls on this spectrum of pressure and temperature controls.

As the Nebia shower was originally intended to target water scarcity issues in the developing world, I feel that it is appropriate to compare a Nebia shower to an actual shower in the developing world in terms of experience, design, and water usage.  I once spent a month living in a small city in Nicaragua called El Sauce, in which there was only running water for a few hours each day.  For a city with relatively limited water access, every act of water consumption used a great deal of water (notably, the shower).  It struck me as strange that the shower in my humble home did not have a shower-head.  There was no bother to break water up into droplets; instead a waterfall-like deluge rinsed me of sweat and dirt, then consequently of shampoo, conditioner, and soap.  There was never an ounce of soapy residue on my skin or in my hair, which in my opinion is the sign of a successful shower.  However, this successful cleansing was only achieved by using a lot of water.

Water is rationed in El Sauce as a conservation effort, for the area often experiences drought.  It would be amazing if a product like the Nebia shower system, if installed at a large scale, could allow similar communities to run water throughout the day. If Nebia succeeds, perhaps it really can solve some of the world’s water problems.  Perhaps it can standardize the shower experience, creating some sort of shower utopia.  But showers are an extremely subjective matter, and for now, I will have to find out for myself if I think Nebia can inspire a global shift in shower norms, creating a world in which a shower in Brooklyn and a shower in El Sauce are exactly the same.

One of the most common and understandable complaints about the Nebia shower system is the price.  When we purchased our Nebia at Ashokan, it cost around $400.  In New York City (with water priced at $0.013 a gallon according to Nebia’s website) a single person taking one eight-minute shower every day will break even in water and heat savings after four years of use.  A household of four, taking one shower each per day, can cover the cost in savings in just one year.  However, the current price of a Nebia shower system on the official website, which is the only retailer for the product, is a whopping $649.  It would now take one person about six and a half years to make up cost in savings, and it would take a family of four about a year and a half.  Nebia released a statement in March that the price of their product will eventually rise to $699.  Making the switch from a traditional shower-head is pricey, but Nebia offers a monthly payment plan which hopefully makes the product more attractive to prospective customers.

With all of this in mind, I prepare myself to try the Nebia shower system.  I have done extensive research, and read countless product reviews.  I am expecting to be shocked, maybe even confused, by the feeling of tiny, atomized water droplets on my skin and the all-encompassing, cloud-like immediate wetness.  I am not able to wrap my mind around these sensations.  Folks on the internet have very mixed opinions about whether or not the Nebia shower is capable of getting the rinsing job done.  One of these opinion groups must be doing something wrong (too much soap, or not enough?), so I need to see for myself.  There are also many complaints about the fact that the main shower head does not turn off when the wand is in use. We were questioning whether this was a feature or a flaw in our device, since showers generally have an option for the wand to be used alone.  My research has confirmed that the simultaneous use of wand and shower head is intended, making this a feature, not a flaw. But what does this mean in terms of water use? If the product is designed for conservation, having the option to use the wand alone seems practical.

Using the Nebia shower system is unlike using any other shower I’ve encountered.  Despite my research findings, I was skeptical about whether or not this thing was going to be warm or able to clean effectively.  But I was proven very wrong!  It is extremely important to note that the distance between the shower and your head will make or break the experience.  If the shower-head is too high up, the water is not warm by time it reaches you.  The hottest water is at the source, so the closer you are to the shower-head, the warmer the shower.  I was impressed at how easily adjustable the neck is.  It slides effortlessly to any height (being a mere five feet tall, I had to move it quite far down), with no notches or knobs involved in the adjustment process.  The magnetic design of the wand is excellent as well, allowing for easy grabbing and storing.  In terms of experience, I didn’t mind that the wand could only be used simultaneously with the shower-head.  It was nice for rinsing my legs, since the main stream of water becomes mistier and less effective at rinsing as it descends.

There are two water settings, one using slightly more water than the other.  I found that both had more than adequate pressure, but the higher setting made the shower feel slightly warmer.  I successfully rinsed myself of shampoo, conditioner, and soap.  My hair and skin feel refreshed and soft!  Because the water droplets are so tiny and are forced from the nozzle at high speed, it almost felt like warm air was being blown onto my scalp.  This windy sensation was pretty relaxing, but did rustle the shower curtain a bit, which was slightly annoying.  My only true complaint is that water got all over the floor outside the shower.  However, this is a very easy problem to fix! If you don’t have a shower with a door, I would recommend weighted shower curtains that stay in place.  If you have a bathtub, this is likely less of an issue for the walls would contain the mist that otherwise sneaks its way onto the floor.  Although the floor was wet, the rest of the bathroom was totally dry.  There was no steamy condensation on my glasses which were sitting nearby, and my clothing which was hung in the bathroom stayed perfectly dry.

Moreover, the concept and execution of the Nebia shower system is truly revolutionary.  The experience is enjoyable, and the product is beautifully designed.  The steep price is certainly a drawback, and I commend those who have taken the initiative to make the investment already.  In a day and age where conservation should be a top priority, I truly hope Nebia can be successful such that the creators are able to achieve their initial goal of delivering an affordable solution to water scarcity issues globally.  Here at Ashokan, where our goal is to save water and money, we would love to see Nebia shower system become both an affordable product and the norm for shower water consumption.

Allegra Miccio