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Everyone loves a long, hot shower. But it's becoming increasingly difficult to justify one. Fortunately, a handful of companies are looking at ways to cut water consumption while saving the experience. With the Quench, from Australia's HydroCo., the first cycle is a normal shower for sudsing, shampooing and rinsing that lasts two minutes. Then it starts recycling the hot, suds-free water, saving about 114 liters for a seven-minute shower (starting at $4,000; quenchshowers.com).

Other devices being planned aren't so kind. The Eco-Drop Shower, from Italy's Tommaso Colia, consists of floor mats with concentric circles that look like ripples in a rain puddle. The circles pulsate to become uncomfortable for a person showering too long (tommasocolia.com). Another prototype, from a Belgian design student, is a see-through bathtub marked like a measuring cup; the levels tell you how much drinking water you're wasting. A full tub equals 100 bottles. The question is whether the guilt defeats the stress-reducing benefits of bathing in the first place.