I will be interested to hear what a pro has to say about this. My gut feeling is that is seems like a waste of money to put up tile and then cover it with glass because the maintenance of tile is really not that big of a deal. Also I am wondering about moisture being trapped between the glass and the tile.
As for cost prohibitive, I paid about $2500 for a custom glass enclosure very similar to this attached photo. So you'd be paying for two extra sides, plus the tile.

This is interesting

I don't know the answer, but I hear you, Christine. Most shower installers/designers never have to consider actually cleaning and maintaining them!!

I don't know the answer either but sounds like it's possible. But, I was also concerned like sam0705 about water/moisture getting trapped behind the glass. Drilling a hole through the tile, and the glass also, then being able to tighten the shower head/faucets onto the glass.

I am thinking there should not be moisture between the glass and tile as it would somehow be sealed? And originally, I thought of adhering pages from classics or inspirational quotes on the wall instead of tile so I could read while showering. Now do you see why my hubby thinks I'm a bit off? but how practical would that be?

As for tile maintenance, I have only had experience with 28 year old tile that has not been sealed in a very long time. So mold is an issue. I read that the best way to maintain a tile shower is to wipe the walls down with a towel after each shower. Really?! No way! May I ask how old your tile is and how is it holding up?

Christine...how about a solid surface surround? Like a granite? Or, very large scale tile to minimize grout lines? A friend of mine had an artsy granite surround installation and I commented it must be easy to keep clean. But, she said surprisingly it showed water spots and squeegee doesn't get every little speck. So, I'm afraid you'd have the same issue with a four sided glass shower.

If you were putting your shower in the middle of the space, then a four-sided glass enclosure makes sense, and could be very interesting, though not unlike a fish bowl in terms of privacy. The idea above is fairly typical, when adjacent to a soaker tub. Whether skinning the wall with tile or a solid surface, I guess the benefit of the type above is that you can build your body jets, valves and shower heads into the wall, whereas, if you are in the previously described free standing type, the fixtures are likely more expensive, due to their fully exposed nature, and require a rail or bar to mount the various fixtures too. One such example are the showers in Le Meridien hotel in Vienna I just stayed in, pictured here, with the 'floating' vessel vanity thrown in for good measure. Happy Houzzing.

@Darzy - yes, the holes are a concern. what to do?

@sam0705 - that shower would make me feel like an exhibitionist. my area has walls on 2 sides. :) but I will check the designer out. thanks!

@eelyram7 - that link was interesting! can I get these products in the US?

eelyram7's idea seems logical! Painted glass surround. Great alternative and you can even have writing printed on it, as you mentioned.

Christine...I'm sure you local glass companies who would customize your doors, could also do the walls.

Christine, eelyra7's response reminded me of one of those bath remodeling shows on television. They actually did backpaint glass and install on each of three walls of a shower, then used clear epoxy to seal the corners. Fine Paints of Europe lacquer paint would be the bomb!!

yes - I thought of granite ($$!!) and large tile. I will prob go with the latter since money is an object for me. I just read the Houzz article about the Tile Expo in Europe. Tile manufacturers are starting to come out with larger and thinner slabs. But no comment about whether they are available the in the US right now and price point.

I recently had granite countertops installed in my master bath. The granite guy told me when I got ready to redo my shower he could get some thin granite slabs for installation.

There is nothing special about that product, it is just tempered glass applied to the wall. The difficulty would be in finding an installer. Look for a tile installer who regularly works with very large-scale tiles, and/or a glass countertop fabricator. Your GC will be the best source for recommendations.

Which reminds me...Bath Crashers installed a very thin stone veneer panels that looked like slate. No grout lines.

We recently built an all Travertine clam-shell shower about 7x9'x11" or so... no curtains or doors to mess with. It is glorious!!! with multiple heads and a niche for shampoo/soap/conditioner. We have a glass shower in our guest suite... a pain to keep clean and beautiful.

@Sustainable Dwellings - do you have a picture of your Travertine shower?

I wish we could have a TV or a book embedded in the glass. I might never come out!

Here's the link to the DIY network on stone veneers. You can even cover existing tile, so it says.
http://www.diynetwork.com/videos/stone-veneer-shower-panels-video/50305.html

@Sustainable Dwellings - sorry for the loss of your home. But it sounds like your new home is wonderful.

In Switzerland I have seen showers with the walls covered entirely in a satin glass (the back is coated in beautiful deep blues and greens colours but you can have any you want) - these are the sides stuck to the wall. The other two are clear, - below is an example with the background wall in the blue satin glass. The glass is tempered and the holes are cut for the taps etc and sealed with silicone before the rosace is put over them. http://www.glastroesch.ch/fr/reference---Verres-tendance-et-design-Habillage-de-parois-Salles-de-bains-et-douches-Protection-optique---efh-dusche-ch-6365-kehrsiten-1091.html The stumbling factor is the calcaire in the water which will drive you around the bend if you have hard water.

You might consider using an etched or textured glass to help conceal water marks. These can also be back-painted.

@ASVInteriors and @eelyram7 - yes, I really like this look. I will research it further. Many thanks, Houzzers!! Can't wait to show the hubby! :)

There are new grouts that resist mold and mildew.
We quickly swipe our tile with a squeegee after showering.

http://www.laticrete.com/homeowners/products/grouts/stainproof/productid/68.aspx

Italian ceramic tile and epoxy grout do not seem to require much maintenance.

ThinkGlass glass is textured on one side and because of this it it difficult to see drop marks and soap residue. It might be interesting to use. look it up: www.thinkglass.com.

We want to add a shower to an existing tub that has an exposed brick wall behind it, so we are also considering the 4-sided glass shower option. We want to be able to see the brick wall. Interesting discussion!

Check Porcelanosa tile, their Urbatek collection. It comes in large tiles (39' by 118'). They sell here in the US and their prices are good

You can have as much glass as you want to clean.

Original shower stalls were often 1 1/2 to 2in slabs of marble. Do you have a shower that is on one wall, two or three? If you only have one wall, a slab of stone (maybe even synthetic stone) for that wall and three glass walls will give you the ease of maintenance you desire for probably no more than the cost of the glass over tile you suggest.

Or, you could just thoroughly clean your shower you have now or the new one, seal the tile, and then spray the daily shower care spray products that are available, on your way out of the shower each day.

One other thing, cleaning glass of hard water is a pain so if you have hard water, budget for a water soften system.

I would not recommend placing glass directly over another material, especially in a shower. It may be sealed when the job is done, but sooner or later the seal will fail and something will get behind the glass.

use a sheet of Corian or another sold surface on the wall that will be up against any existing wall then do a glass surround on the rest. you can clean Corian just as easily as glass

Installing a piece of clear glass over a tiled wall would not be a good idea. Others have brought up the possibility of moisture getting into the space, but other things could as well. There are a host of issues with it. You could have glass installed as the wall covering, but granite or other stone surfaces will be more cost-effective (solid large-format glass can be well over $100/sq ft). I wouldn't recommend Corian or other such surfaces. After a while they look scratched and dull like cultured marble walls. You could also use large-format glass tiles or other large format tiles, just use a premium grout like TEC's Powergrout or Laticrete Spectralock. Or there's always epoxy grout. Hope that helps!

I had an unpolished travertine shower. It was zero maintenance except for the frameless glass door. I hate maintaining glass in the shower almost as much as I hate water spots. I dream of an outdoor shower and would avoid glass enclosures.

Have been doing research on shower surround. Corsentino.com sells Silestone in 3 thickness 1.25cm 2cm and 3cm. Called their number 18662686837 to find distributor in your area. HomeDepot sell 2 and 3 cm and sales is checking for me if they can order 1.25 cm. I called the number and they verified that 1.25cm is strong enough and is used for shower surround application. Unknown at this time color available.