I have just started my master bathroom remodel and I am wrestling with the same questions.

Shower. The length of my shower is set by the architecture of the house. Will be about 6' long in the interior. The minimum width is 30" interior by code, but I prefer wider. I'm deciding between 36", 42", or 48."

Shower bench. Previous shower had no bench. Wider shower space would allow bench to go on the long side. With 36" width, I will have either (1) bench on short side or (2) no bench and go doorless. I was hoping for curb less, but would be lots of extra work to make that happen.

Bath. How are you measuring your tub? If it is 5' along the top, the "seating area" at the bottom is likely closer to 4' because of the slope on the sides. I'm 5'1" and would feel squished in a 5' tub.

I use my tub a lot and have spent months trying out tubs to replace my cast iron tub. I have narrowed my choices to free-standing, oval, soaker tubs (no bubbles) in composite materials (not acrylic or cast iron).

Tub sizes I'm considering: 67"x34", 72" x 33", 68" x 31", and 69.5" x 35".

If you don't use your tub much, you can probably go with acrylic, which is less expensive than composites.

Our shower is 48x37 and has a 13 inch deep built in bench. We did not have the bench go to the floor though because we didnt want our toes bumping into it. The shower is plenty roomy for us. You might want to consider a fold down seat/bench or a portable one. We thought a bench was a good idea but now see that we could easily have done without it as we never really use it for sitting down on.
Here's what it looks like in case you are interested.

The master shower in my previous home was 42" wide x about 66" long with a bench on the short end, and it was plenty big enough for two people to shower at the same time. That said, the bench was a total waste for us - we never used it for anything other than propping up a leg to shave it, and for that I would have preferred a lower ledge.

Our current shower in our condo (no possibility of enlarging it) is 30" x 60". Its plenty big for one person, but given the choice, I'd have widened it.

Thanks for the feedback. I know DH will use the bench. We are considering a steam shower so he might hang out in there a while.

I love your shower badgergal. Thanks for the photo!

I wouldn't go smaller than 5' for a tub. If you go smaller, you might as well get rid of it, because it would be too small to sit in if you're over 5' tall.

As for resale, I think that's BS. Unless your house is grand and has seemingly unlimited space, I don't buy that not having a tub makes it unsellable. If your house is averaged size, then people recognize that you have to use the space wisely. There are people out there who would rather have that space used for bigger showers, or storage. I find it laughable that there is nobody in your city who doesn't take baths. You don't want a tub, so there's at least one.

If you've got a tub somewhere in the house, then for the maybe 20% of people out there who need a tub in their house, it's there.

We have a bench that I never use.

When we remodeled, I thought that I would sit on it and shave. It's waaay too cold! (even in the south)

I use it just to prop up my legs to shave, also to put soaps, etc that wont fit in the niche.

Something I recently saw (maybe I missed it for years), we just returned from a cruise and there was a bar, about 18" high on the corner of two walls--just big enough to prop your foot to shave--great idea.

I always encourage people to not do a built-in bench and instead go for a teak-type of bench or stool. A moveable seat ic just that...moveable. You want it in, it;s in. You want it out, it's out. You want is under the shower head, across from the shower head...there it is. If you ever have any medical issues and need assisted bathing, built-in benches are the absolute worst from both the caregiver and the receiver's perspectives.

Built-in bench dimensions? Figure on having the finished seating surface about 18" +/- above the finished floor. It's a personal thing, but even going up to 20" high is fine. Higher or lower depending on stature and comfort when getting up or sitting. The depth can be 16"-20" if it'll be for lounging, or 12"-16" if it'll be a foot prop and/or bottle storage and for an occasional rest.

If able, my general recommendation is to have a minimum of 42" of floor space in front of the bench. That'll allow decent floor space for someone to shower while another is sitting on the bench.

I personally prefer floating benches (open underneath) over built-in (with an enclosed front). Fold-down are an option, but there's usually a weight restriction.

There are different ways to do it. A few years ago for a steam shower I built a floating teak bench top that had an open grate design. I built a couple of lugs into each sidewall of the shower, the teak bench top could be placed on the support lugs and you had a floating steam shower bench. When they weren't steaming, they either left the bench top in place, or they'd put it on the floor just outside the shower. There it would function as a teak "drying off platform". The bench top was also wide enough to span their tub and I detailed the bottom edge of the bench apron to nestle on the rim of the tub. They sometimes used it as a bath caddy when in the soaking tub.

Different strokes.

What great ideas and feedback! I can't wait to start.

I am working on a layout and will post it for feedback soon.