WATER has influenced mankind, where and how we live, perhaps more than any other specific thing. But water has also come to be significant in many other ways than as its ultimate role as the essence of life.

Each of us uses about 50 litres of water every day for washing and showering, 10 times the amount used for drinking, and the act of washing ourselves has moved from a ritual to a daily expectation.

Showering, particularly, has become as much a part of our culture in the past 20 years as eating out. This, coupled with the increasing desire to stamp our personalities on our own homes, and the growing in interest in DIY projects as a leisure activity, has seen our bathrooms undergo a metamorphosis.

The showroom of Crest Bathrooms perfectly reflects our increasing love affair with what used to be known as the smallest room in the house, and is now second only to the kitchen as somewhere to spend vast amounts of money.

This family-run company offers 56 bathroom/shower enclosure displays with a range of acrylic, steel and cast-iron, built-in and free-standing baths at its Hillington showroom. Customers can order a full range of suites sourced from the UK, Europe and Dubai, with delivery times ranging from one to six weeks. All the suites for sale are of contemporary design and excellent quality.

Bathing options vary from the whirlpool, which is a normal domestic bath that can be converted by adding a pump, pipework, water jets and a control, to spa or traditional.

With whirlpool baths, water is drawn from a suction point on the side of the bath and is delivered, mixed with air, via the pump to the jets. The jets are strategically positioned around the side of the bath and the volume of air from the control determines the power of the jets. Almost any new bath can be converted with no inconvenience.

A spa bath, however, uses a blower instead of a pump. Warm air is blown through small air jets strategically positioned on the base of the bath to create a massaging turbulence throughout the bath. The water is not re-circulated. Almost any new bath can be converted, but because the jets are on the base, it is not suitable for baths with non-slip patterns.

More than 500 different sized and shaped baths are available at Crest, with large baths as big as two metres by one metre on offer.

The growing trend for shower enclosures has seen increased floor space devoted to displaying these poplar bathroom items. Enclosures are walk-in showers with no moving parts. There are no doors, just a dry space which leads to the wet space. Shower enclosures are available with electric, power or conventional operating systems. They can be rectangular, square or offset corner located and can be designed to fit even the most awkward spaces.

The added luxury of steam enclosures are also proving popular with many Scots families redesigning their bathrooms. These offer conventional showers with the added attraction of a small steam room. The moulded back panels inside the enclosure include a small seat and have an enclosed dome at the top. Steam repeatedly comes out of jets at the bottom of the enclosure, rises to the dome and sinks down. Adding your own favourite aromatherapy oil is a straightforward option, perfect for treating head colds and aches and pains. Combined with a thermostatic shower with body jets, neck and shoulder massage jets and colour co-ordinated to any bathroom, prices for the steam/shower enclosures start at (pounds) 2400 for a range of different sized offerings from as large as 1200mm x 900mm or as compact as 900mm2.

Shower consoles are free-standing showers with hinged or sliding doors. These days, the popularity of baths with their taps sited in the middle rather than the end of the bath, which allows for artistic shapes, can also accommodate over-bath showers, as there's a range of hinged doors which can be located in the middle of the bath rather than at either end.

Crest also offers a huge range of ceramic floor and wall tiles, mainly imported from Spain and many are exclusive to Crest. The company has in excess of 300 different wall and floor tiles and each wall tile has a matching or co-ordinating floor tile and wall and ceiling moulded panels.

The company also offers a wide choice of bathroom mirrors, with and without lights, and attractive accessories from free-standing storage units to soap dishes and central heated or electric radiators in a vast range of styles and finishes. The radiators include the standard to more unusual with chrome, ladder rack and wave styles all currently very popular.

Wash-hand basins are available in glass on semi or full pedestals or as free-standing units with glass or ceramic bowls. Designed for urban young professionals, the shallow bowls are incredibly stylish but probably not that practical for a family bathroom.

Fitted bathroom furniture for vanity units and extra storage come in either 300mm or 200mm depths to allow for space saving. Available in laminate and resin (marble effect) surfaces, there are four ranges of fitted furniture with more than 300 door finishes, although white is currently the most popular with Crest's customers.