December 01, 2025

Play music in the bathroom when you start a shower

Having music in the bathroom is one of life’s luxuries. However, remembering to turn on your favorite jam isn’t always easy, especially early in the morning. Automate your shower soundtrack for the perfect start to your day.

Use cases

Morning Routines

Morning Shower Music - Automatically start your favorite playlist when shower begins
News Briefing - Catch up on morning news while getting ready
Multi-User Households - Everyone gets their preferred audio automatically

Entertainment & Relaxation

Podcast Listening - Continue your audiobook or podcast during shower time
Relaxing Bath Sounds - Calming music for evening bath routine

Products needed

Essential Equipment

Smart Speaker/Music System

Popular brands: Amazon Echo, Google Home, Sonos, JBL waterproof speakers
Waterproof or water-resistant recommended • WiFi connectivity

Trigger Option (choose one)

Smart Light Switch: Trigger when shower lights turn on (easiest, most reliable)
Contact Sensor: Trigger when shower door opens (best for glass enclosures)

Optional Enhancements

Smart Fan Switch

Also turn on fan automatically with music

Motion Sensor

Alternative trigger option for bathroom entry

Basic automation setup

IF shower lights turn on AND time between 6:00 AM - 10:00 AM THEN play music on bathroom speaker AND set volume to 35%

Triggers (choose one method)

Method 1 - Light-based: Shower lights turn on
Method 2 - Door sensor: Shower door opens (contact sensor)
Method 3 - Combined: Shower lights on AND door opens (more reliable)

Conditions (optional)

Home Mode: Home is NOT in Night mode (don't wake sleeping household)
Time-Based: Only between 6 AM and 10 AM (morning routine)
Day of Week: Only weekdays (different weekend routine)

Actions

Play music/podcast on bathroom speaker
Set volume to preset level (30-40%)
Optional: Turn on bathroom fan
Optional: Flash lights if doorbell rings

Platform-specific examples

Home Assistant

Trigger Shower lights turn on

Condition Home mode, Time 6-10 AM, Weekdays

Action Set volume 35%, Play Spotify playlist

SmartThings

IF Shower lights turn on

AND Home mode "Home", Time 6-10 AM

THEN Play music, Set volume to 35%

Hubitat

Trigger Shower light turns on

Condition Mode is "Home", Time 6-10 AM, Weekdays

Action Set volume 35%, Play playlist

Setup: Use Rule Machine with speaker integration

Apple HomeKit

When Shower light turns on

Condition Time 6-10 AM, Weekdays only

Do Play music on HomePod, Set volume 35%

Alexa

When Shower light turns on

Condition Time 6-10 AM, Days Mon-Fri

Action Play playlist, Set volume to level 4

Google Home

Starter Shower light turns on

Condition Time 6-10 AM, weekdays

Action Play music, Adjust volume to 35%

Advanced features

Auto-stop music

Turn off music automatically after shower ends:

Create automation with these elements:

Trigger: Shower lights turn off for 2 minutes
Action: Stop music playback on bathroom speaker

Pause instead (for podcasts): Use pause action instead of stop to maintain position for next shower

Context-aware audio

Play different content based on time or day:

Use conditional logic:

Weekday morning (6-8 AM): Play news podcast
Weekend morning: Play relaxing music playlist
Evening (after 6 PM): Resume previous podcast
Default: Play favorite shower playlist

Automation checks day of week and time, then plays appropriate content.

Bonus automations

Since your smart home knows when you’re showering:

Flash lights for doorbell: When doorbell rings while shower lights are on:

Flash bathroom main lights
Send mobile notification: “Someone at the door!”

Lock front door: Automatically lock front door for security

Adjust temperature: Increase thermostat by 2°F for comfort

Troubleshooting

Issue: Music doesn’t play

Causes:

Speaker not connected to WiFi
Music service not linked or subscription expired
Automation not triggering
Speaker already playing something else
Volume set to zero

Solutions: ✅ Verify speaker shows as online in your app ✅ Test speaker manually - play music directly to verify it works ✅ Check music service login (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) ✅ Review automation logs to see if trigger fired ✅ Test trigger manually (turn shower light on via app) ✅ Ensure volume preset is audible (30-40% recommended) ✅ Add stop/pause action before playing new content

Issue: Wrong music plays

Causes:

Playlist URI incorrect
Music service changed playlist ID
Speaker grouped with other rooms
Previous music still queued

Check:

✅ Verify playlist URI/ID in automation matches desired playlist
✅ Test playlist manually in music app
✅ Check speaker grouping - ungroup from other rooms
✅ Clear speaker queue before playing new content
✅ Use specific content type (playlist, album, station)

Fix: Sequence of actions:

Clear previous queue on speaker
Set volume to 35%
Play specific playlist by URI

Issue: Music too loud or too quiet

Causes:

Volume preset incorrect for room acoustics
Previous manual adjustment not reset
Speaker settings changed
Time of day not considered

Solutions: ✅ Adjust volume level in automation (test range 0.20-0.50) ✅ Set volume BEFORE playing content (shown in examples) ✅ Use volume presets automation to reset daily ✅ Add time-based volume:

Early morning (6-7 AM): 25%
Morning (7-9 AM): 35%
Evening (6-10 PM): 30% ✅ Test with actual shower running (sound dampening affects perception)

Related automations: