If you're making the bathroom safer for yourself or someone you care for, two products come up again and again: the shower chair and the commode chair. They sound similar and sometimes overlap, but they solve different problems. Here's how to tell which one you need — or whether you need both.
What is a shower chair?
A shower chair (or bath seat) is a waterproof seat designed to let someone sit safely while washing. It removes the need to stand on a slippery surface, reducing the risk of falls. Most have a lightweight rust-resistant aluminium frame, a drainage-friendly seat, non-slip feet, and often adjustable height and armrests for support getting up and down.
Choose a shower chair if the main concern is bathing safely — someone who can manage the toilet but feels unsteady standing in the shower.
What is a commode chair?
A commode chair is a chair with a toileting opening and a removable pan underneath, used as a portable or bedside toilet. It helps people who can't easily reach the bathroom in time, or at all — for example overnight, or during recovery. Many commodes are height-adjustable and some double as a raised toilet seat or a safety frame over an existing toilet.
Choose a commode chair if the main concern is safe, accessible toileting, especially at the bedside or when walking to the bathroom is difficult.
What about chairs that do both?
This is where the overlap happens. Many modern shower commode chairs combine both functions: a waterproof frame with a toileting opening, often on wheels, so the same chair can be used in the shower and over the toilet. These 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 designs are popular because they reduce clutter and cost, and they're ideal where space or budget is tight.
Quick comparison
- Shower chair — bathing safety only; no toileting function.
- Commode chair — toileting (bedside or over-toilet); not always suited to showering.
- Shower commode chair — both, usually waterproof and often on wheels for transit.
Things to check before buying
- Weight capacity and a sturdy, corrosion-resistant frame.
- Adjustable height so the seat suits the user and any existing toilet.
- Non-slip feet or lockable castors for stability.
- Armrests to help with sitting and standing.
- Easy-clean materials for hygiene.
Explore the range
Browse our bathroom aids collection for shower chairs, rails and toilet aids, or see dedicated commode chairs including bedside, folding and combined shower-commode models. Every order ships free Australia-wide.
If you're still weighing it up: someone who only needs help showering wants a shower chair; someone who needs help toileting wants a commode; and if both are issues, a combined shower commode chair is usually the most practical, cost-effective answer.
