After writing about Bossini’s Aquavolo, a dual showerhead with regular and waterfall sprays, I received some interesting comments regarding the fixture’s practicality. One reader wondered if Aquavolo’s rainfall setting produced a stream of water that would be far enough away from the wall of the shower. Another reader was completely taken in by Aquavolo’s dual action.

Raindance Rainfall AIR. Designed by Hansgrohe.

If you were intrigued by Aquavolo, then the Raindance Rainfall AIR from Hansgrohe will make your head spin with excitement. “A special experience in so many respects,” Raindance Rainfall AIR provides three distinct spray modes: rain, whirl massage, and rainflow. The 10-inch Rain AIR spray delivers a healthy rain shower, as if you were caught in a strong April rain (not too hard, not too soft). The Whirl uses powerful jets to give you “a powerful massage”—a good setting for athletes or tense people in need of muscle relaxation. The Rainflow “places you under a lush waterfall.” And the design of the Raindance Rainfall AIR takes practical matters into account, since “it projects far into the shower area.”

Whatever the pleasures of “the natural power of water,” they mean little if the showerhead looks unappealing. Here too Hansgrohe has preempted criticism. The “innovative look” of the piece works well in modern bathrooms, where the chrome or brushed nickel finish of the Raindance Rainfall AIR complements clean lines and geometrically inspired furniture. Installing the unit flush against the shower wall also makes the Raindance Rainfall AIR memorable, since this streamlined application is still unusual in showerheads (we remain tied to the tube, partial to the pipe—take that however you want, but it’s NOT intended as a metaphor). One last thing that makes me love those Hansgrohe people: Raindance Rainfall AIR spray nozzles have a “Quiclean anti-limescale feature for easy cleaning.” They are a company after my own heart—massaging away my physical ills and my neurotic woes (you’d be surprised how much I worry about cleaning)!