That does not depend on the GU10 socket, but on the IP rating of the fixture and on where it sits in the bathroom. Above the bath or shower you need at least IP65 on the visible side. Further away, at the sink or the door, IP44 is enough in practice.
The socket says nothing here
GU10 is a lamp base: two pins with a thickened end that you turn a quarter turn. Whether the fixture holding that lamp can cope with moisture is entirely separate. You can find the same GU10 lamp in a spot rated IP22 and in a spot rated IP65.
So never look at the socket, look at the IP rating. You will find it on every one of our product pages.
Our GU10 spots and their IP rating
- Privo — IP65, Ø68 mm, aluminum, €11.95. Suitable for the wet zone.
- Feno — IP22, Ø80 mm, €10.95. Not in a wet zone.
- Luma — IP22, Ø72 mm, €12.95. Not in a wet zone.
- Plano — IP22, Ø80 mm, €9.95. Not in a wet zone.
Of these four, only the Privo is a bathroom spot. The other three are perfectly good spots, but for a living room, hallway or bedroom.
What the zones mean
A bathroom is divided into zones around the bath and shower. The closer to the water, the stricter the requirement. Directly above the shower you are in the strictest zone; a meter or so away you are not.
The practical translation: if your spot sits directly above the bath or in the shower ceiling, take IP65. If it hangs above the sink or by the door, IP44 will do. If you are not sure, choose IP65 — the price difference is small and you never have to think about it again.
Watch the second IP rating
Some of our spots list two ratings, and that is not sloppiness. The Lesto states IP65 on the front and IP20 on the back and the driver. On the Lyvo and the Quaro, the spot is IP65 and the driver IP20.
Translated: the underside you can see may get wet, the top side may not. That works fine in a bathroom ceiling, because the driver sits dry up there. It does not work if you put that driver in a damp crawl space or outdoors under the eaves.
Ventilation is the real enemy
What wrecks a bathroom fixture over time is usually not a water jet but steam that cannot escape. Condensation creeps into the driver and attacks the contacts. A properly working extractor does more for the life of your spots than one extra IP class.
Watch the material too. Most of our fixtures are aluminum, which copes well with moisture. On a wall light against an exterior wall that matters more than on a ceiling spot indoors.
There is one more thing that often gets forgotten: the lamp you screw into it. With a GU10 fixture you buy the light source separately, and it sits in the wet zone behind the glass of the spot. Choose a lamp that can take heat and stays within the maximum wattage of the fixture. Too heavy a lamp in a sealed housing gets hot, and heat is the second reason after moisture that bathroom spots give out early.
What if you already have IP22 spots up there
If they hang outside the wet zone, you can leave them. If they hang above the shower, replacing them is sensible — and that can usually be done through the existing hole. The Privo has a cut-out size of Ø68 mm, which matches most ceilings.
All IP ratings are listed per product in the recessed spotlights collection. More about what the digits actually cover in How waterproof is IP65 exactly?
Is a GU10 spot suitable for the bathroom?
That depends on the fixture, not on the socket. Look at the IP rating: IP65 for the wet zone, IP44 outside it.
Can an IP22 spot go in the bathroom?
Only outside the zones around the bath and shower, so by the door for example. It does not belong above the bath.
Why do some spots list two IP ratings?
Because the visible side and the back are protected differently. The IP65 then applies to the underside, while the driver stays IP20 and has to sit dry.