It would be relatively simple for the plumber to put a Y or T in the line for the shower, and connect it to two shower controls, one controlling each head. The challenge may be to find a pair of controls that look good when installed.

You could also do it with one set of hot/cold controls and a diverter that allows you to select which shower head. Something like this would work https://www.efaucets.com/detail.asp?product_id=29104001 although this model has icons for tub vs. shower. There are many other diverters available, so just look through their selection.

Bruce

ip showers has some interesting ones, that combine a rain head with a handheld wand.

ipshowers

Go pick out a brand you like, and then pick a style. Delta/Brizo and Kohler have individual pieces to buy to make your shower how ever you want.

I just used a tub set that had three knobs, one for hot one for cold and one to toggle between the shower and tub. But instead of installing a tub faucet just ran the line straight up into the ceiling for the waterfall shower

Thank you Bruce - I hadn't thought of that angle. I'll just approach the plumbers about it. I was thinking I had to find just the right set/kit.

The other options all seem to involve a wand which we want to avoid. Thanks for everyone's input!

Yes, buy a la carte items within a brand/style. Use a single volume/temperature controller valve with a 2-way diverter or use a diverter separate from the controller valve. It's basically the same setup as a traditional tub spout and showerhead set up but with a rainhead instead of the tub spout.

We used individual Hansgrohe components to create our shower setups in the two recent DIY bathroom remodels in our home.

Excellent. I'm still slightly concerned that there may be some pressure issues with just piecing it together since we want the capability of using both the rain head and the shower head simultaneously. Any cause for concern there?

I have a rain head, shower wand and four jets that can be used simultaneously or one at a time. To guarantee consistent temp and pressure my plumber installed a pressure loop of 3/4 inch pipes instead of standard 1/2 in a new shower. I do have an outdoor shower tower that can use two systems only at once without the loop setup and and only 1/2 inch pipes to fixtures that still has pretty good water pressure when two heads are in use but i have incredibly high water pressured city water not a well.

Thank you - that's great info I'll pass on to the plumber.

Oh, I didn't realize you wanted to run both the rain shower and regular showerhead at the same time. Check your state and local codes.

In California, where I live, building inspectors usually won't pass multiple simultaneous outlets anymore due to the new water regulations. The age of the "human car wash" spa shower is over in CA, lol. Even if each outlet was limited to the national 2.5 gpm, they often added up to 10 gpm or more (old showerheads used to flow about 5 gpm). The Hansgrohe three-way "green" diverter I used met CA code because only one water source at a time could be selected. A non-green code version is available too, but I didn't may any attention to the details because I can't use it here.

The advice to use 3/4 inch pipes instead of 1/2 is good, though I am not well versed on the pressure loop concept. We've always had good water pressure in our house (city water supply and a not-very-old pressure regulator). Master bathroom and hall bathroom's pipes are within a shared wall. We removed all the 1/2 inch copper supply lines and replaced with 3/4 inch PEX while the shared wall was exposed during the first bathroom remodel (1/2 inch PEX from supply lines to each outlet). Water pressure is as good as it's ever been, even with reduced flow showerheads (Hansgrohe Raindance @ 2 gpm).

One way around the issue of two shower sources going at the same time in the same shower area may be to have a controller/valve for each shower spray source, because then it's no different than two people showering at the same time but in different bathrooms. But check with your building department just to be sure. And the cost of two valves, two trim kits, and additional labor is higher, so you'll have to consider if having both showers spraying at the same time is worth the extra expense.

Hansgrohe and Grohe sell valves that allow you to use multiple items at one time without pressure losses.

hansgrohe valve

There is a diverter that matches this for instance. This unit has a 17gpm rate

Good luck!

That is what we are doing in our remodel. I purchased a shower head that I love several years ago Speakman Showerhead and have never liked handhelds. We are adding a flush ceiling mount rain showerhead in our walk-in shower, but leaving the fixed showerhead. Ordered a diverter from a local plumbing supply and the plumber knew exactly what we wanted. The regular showerhead (or handheld if you like or need that) is better for fast showers and shampooing, etc. We will be able to use either one or both simultaneously.

Thanks again everyone. I ended up getting a Moen 3320 shower valve - it has a built-in diverter that will control flow to the rainhead. Plumbers should be installing it next week so I'll update if there were any issues with it.