The outdoor shower situated off of the master bedroom is enclosed to offer privacy and features a courtyard garden. Michael Arp of Lanoha Nurseries designed the house's landscaping.

An outdoor shower was the family’s first construction project. “Doing the shower made us realize we can build things the way we want to build them,” says Meg.

A wood-lined outdoor shower adds a modern touch to one of the decks.

A serene outdoor shower space is surrounded by shou sugi ban wood.

An outdoor shower tucked behind a screen off the master bedroom neutralizes this threat. “We thought it sounded great for muddy kids to run up and shower off there,” Coco says.

Mimicking the cantilever of the house, an outdoor shower just off the master bedroom stretches out gently toward the surrounding woods.

Dunbar describes the bathroom as an outside-in room because it has light, air, and sometimes, when it drizzles and the skylight left open, even rain. Designed for exactly these circumstances, a blue-glass mosaic tile floor is laid at an angle to drain with ease.

The shower provides a glimpse of the outdoors.

The rain-catchment system next to the outdoor shower collects and disposes of the first five gallons of rainwater to ensure that the cleanest water is diverted into the cistern.

A dramatic departure from your typical cabin on the lake, this unique retreat adds shades of black to a tiny island awash with local color. A modern brick outdoor fireplace, tall and slim, is flanked by Philippe Starck’s outdoor chairs for Kartell for cozy fireside seating.

The wood screen concealing the outdoor shower was painted yellow and white, matching the color scheme in the guest bathroom.

While Nature Pod pictured here has a showerhead installed outside, it is normally placed in the in the bathroom behind a glass door (or a curtain if the home is purchased without insulation).

Set on the Blue Lagoon, Silica Hotel is one of Iceland’s ultimate indulgences. The location is unbeatable for its landscape, curative waters, and wellness services.

The yard also features a rustic outdoor shower.

The Yucca Valley retreat includes an outdoor shower with byCocoon showerheads and faucets.

Balnarring Retreat is a minimal residence located in Victoria, Australia, designed by Branch Studio Architects. The retreat embraces a low-tech aesthetic towards the operation of the building itself, fully embodying the idea of retreat and slowing down. Celebrating craftsmanship and integrity of materiality instead of technology, every wall of the building have been designed to contain components that manually fold, open and close to manipulate the space and transform the program of the building.

An alfresco shower encourages guests to linger outdoors.

An outdoor shower is made from one complete concrete module—a visual demonstration of how the entire house was built.

The showers are made from stock-watering tanks from the Ideal Stock Tank Co. and have waterproof canvas curtains. Less expensive than prefab shower-tub units, stock tanks are built of weatherproof galvanized steel and are sturdy enough for cows to drink from—–and, ergo, for you to bathe in.

A second-story outdoor shower sits at the top of the stairs. California Faucets supplied the shower head and shower arm. Eco Arbor interlocking deck tiles were used on the floor.

An outdoor shower offers a zen-like sanctuary to wash off the day.

A custom aluminum-framed skylight with a 3M solar membrane floods the bathroom shower with light; the fixture is by Castel.

The secluded location of the house at the edge of a retired shale bank allows the luxury of an open outdoor shower. Corrugated steel siding provides a durable, zero-maintenance exterior finish and captures the changing sun and woodland shadows.

The outdoor shower.

A Voido rocker by Ron Arad for Magis sits by the outdoor shower, also new.

Architect Janna Levitt devised a creative emellishment for a residence in Canada. Photo by: Philip Cheung

An outdoor shower allows for a quick rinse after a jaunt to the beach.

A door in the master bathroom connects the indoor shower to an outdoor one. Here, Feldmann and the couple's three-year-old son, Eli, wash their dog Arnold--named by the previous owner after the local St. Arnold Brewing Company.

Dwell Outdoor Takes Center Stage at Dwell on Design This year, for the first time, the ever-popular Dwell Outdoor will live right in the middle of the show floor, immediately viewable at the entrance. Beneath a stylized “rope-art” canopy created by Sausalito-based Shades of Green and outfitted with their myriad trees and plants, the new Dwell Outdoor, sponsored by Blu Homes andLumos Solar, promises to inspire. Populating the 18,000-square-foot-plus space will be full-scale structures from prefab companies like Sett Studio, who is “obsessed with energy efficiency, sustainable building materials, and designing thoughtful space.”

A bentwood Robin Day chair keeps the Herman Miller classics company. Through the office’s door, nestled in the bamboo grove, is an outdoor shower, fashioned after those found in San Onofre, farther south.

To date, the pair and their pals have built a compound complete with sheds, tree decks, a pavilion, a wood-fired hot tub, an outhouse, an outdoor shower, and, now, a redwood cabin where an ever widening network of friends gather for skill-sharing workshops and events.