The formats and their honest profiles
The framed bench is the committed answer: masonry or foam-form construction inside the membrane, tiled with the room, sloped to shed water, and capable of any dimension the plan affords. It consumes real floor, changes the pan's slope plan, and cannot be reconsidered later, which is exactly why it should be decided from the inventory of who actually sits.
Floating and folding formats trade floor for wall: a cantilevered slab keeps the pan simple and the floor visually open but demands engineered support in the wall; a fold-down seat serves transfer users and small showers, disappearing between uses, and hangs its loads on reinforcement that must exist before tile. Both are wall projects wearing seat costumes, and both are excellent when the wall was prepared.
The movable stool is underrated: quality teak or composite pieces serve occasional needs, test whether seating even matters to the household, and move with life's changes. Their limits are honest, no anchorage, so no transfer loads, and floor space consumed while present. The professional pattern: reinforce the walls during construction regardless, start movable when unsure, and let the built decision follow the lived evidence.
