This does not solve your problem permanently, but in the meantime have you tried one of the low-flow showerheads made of a steel plate with a (relatively) small number of perforations? "The Incredible Head" is one that seems to be everywhere (hardware stores, Home Depot) for $6, but there are numerous similar ones. I'm not sure who was first.

The advantage is that the restriction in water pressure actually improves the subjective feel (water forced at you with a high rate of speed), whereas flow limiters in regular showerheads turn a dribble into an even weaker dribble.

Your water pressure may be so crappy that even one of these will just piss weakly, but they're so cheap that it's worth a shot while you try to figure out the real cause. (Or if you're lucky, the increased backpressure will break whatever's causing the problem and result in a proper repair.)

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If the water to your apartment comes through a single source, it could be well worth getting a plumber in to install an isolator. Then you can mess around with this or any other issue to your heart's content.

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(I know you said it's a major fuss, but it's a one-off fuss...)

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