Master Bath Retreat

As we look to escape the stresses of our busy lives, we have transformed the master bath into our own private sanctuary - a place to retreat for relaxation and repose.  The master bath is the room where we spend time preparing to begin our day and winding down to end our night.  Homeowners want this space to be soothing, tranquil, and beautiful.  Regardless of style preferences, creating a master bath retreat is all about luxury, comfort and personal indulgence.   It’s no longer a master bath - it’s an experience.

Creating the Master Bath Retreat

High-End Hotel or Home Spa?

Today’s bathroom getaway is strongly inspired by luxurious, five-star hotels like the Four Seasons and the Zen-like tranquility of the resort spa.  Luxury consumers who have spent time in high-end hotels or enjoyed the pampering experience at a spa resort want to create the same kind of space at home in their bath.   The luxury, high-end bath and the home spa bath share many of the same amenities, but their styles are distinctly different.

Five-Star Hotel Master Bath

How do you create your own hotel-style bath?  Hotel designers must create spaces that are elegant and distinctive, yet still classic enough to appeal to a broad range of tastes.  High-end hotel baths are clean-lined, well-organized spaces.  Since hotels must be impeccably maintained to make the best impression on new guests, materials in a hotel bath must be beautiful, durable and easy to maintain - like Travertine marble and granite.  To keep your master bath as tidy as a high-end hotel suite, you’ll need to incorporate plenty of practical storage into the space. Counter tops and surfaces should remain clear of bathroom supplies and personal products.  Of course, great lighting around a large expanse of mirror is a necessity.  But lighting also factors into the ambiance of the space; adding dimmers to fixtures will let you control the level of light, so you can have great task lighting for putting on makeup or shaving, or soft lighting for soaking in the bathtub.

Beyond that, creating a high-end, hotel-style bath is all in the details.  Layer on the luxuries, and you’ll have your own high-style bath retreat:

• a plush bathmat or rug
• sleek hooks for hanging your posh robes
• thick, over-sized bath sheets
• plenty of candles for the tub surround
• a beautiful vase to hold a few fresh flowers
• some fine toiletries

The Zen Master Bath

Luxury consumers interested in creating the home spa experience are drawn to the minimalist design of the resort spa.  Spa-style baths are designed to maximize space, minimize fuss and exude a simple elegance and tranquility.  To achieve the Zen feel in your spa bath, draw from the elements of nature.  Incorporate rich wood, smooth stone or slate and calm neutral colors.  Keep the fixtures and fittings sleek and understated and the accessories simple and minimal.  A Zen environment is the antithesis of clutter!

The spa lifestyle focuses on wellness, healing, fitness, stress reduction, meditation, beauty and vitality.  Many aspects of the spa experience can now be attained at home by incorporating these sensory therapies into the master bath:

• massage
• chroma therapy - presenting a series of colors in progression to relax or stimulate the body
• aromatherapy - emitting the pure essence of aromatic plants to establish harmony between body and mind
• lumen therapy - applying full spectrum light to combat the physical effects experienced by the seasonal lack of natural light
• thermotherapy - producing dry heat to raise the body temperature and boost metabolism.

Whether you choose the classic, high-end style of a five-star hotel or the minimalist, Zen-style of a resort spa, a true luxury bath must include some of the latest design developments in bathing technology.  Bathing isn’t just about getting clean anymore - it’s so much more.

The Power Shower

The old, adjustable Shower Massage shower head is passe.  No longer do we have to settle for a shower head that only delivers water from overhead.  Now we can create a custom shower experience to satisfy our personal preferences.  Call it shower utopia.  Create a rain forest in your shower with an overhead rain bar.   Install a steam shower to envelope yourself in a healing, heated mist.  If you like a more invigorating shower, install horizontal shower panels and pulsating body jets for an all-over body massage.  Or if you can’t decide on just one shower experience, you can have all three - and then some.  Steam showers can be customized with add-ons like rain shower heads, body jets, bench seats, chroma therapy, aromatherapy and built-in speakers for music.  While you’re getting clean, you can get a full-body massage, clear airways, open pores, release toxins, and enhance circulation.  Sounds like a great way to start the day!

The Spa Bathtub

The modern tub is a departure from the whirlpool tub and its powerful water jets.  Called the “airbath,” the new tub systems deliver a flow of warm air bubbles like an effervescent hot spring to coax and sooth stressed muscles.  The airbath is a more sanitary system that doesn’t require the frequent cleaning of the old whirlpool baths.  They’re also typically smaller and quieter since the air blower can be located in a space outside the unit.  If you prefer a more simple, calming bath, the soaking tub may be the right choice.  Soaking tubs are deeper and more upright to completely envelope the body in soothing waters.  Add the soft glow of candles, peaceful music, and aromatherapy oils, and you have a complete sensory experience.

Radiant Heated Flooring

Once you’ve created a luxurious bathing experience, who wants to step out onto a cold stone floor?  Enter the radiant heated flooring system.  Radiant heat evenly heats the floor from below and warms the body through the feet rather than the air.  Since the heated floor warms the people standing on them and not the air, homeowners may be able to adjust their thermostats down a few degrees.  Overall, radiant heating systems are said to save homeowners between 10 and 30 percent on monthly heating bills over conventional forced air heating systems.

Towel Warmers

To further add to the comfort of your bathing experience, why not enjoy the simple luxury of a freshly, warmed bath sheet to dry yourself?  Electric towel warmers heat up with an internal heating element; they can be freestanding or wall-mounted units that are plugged into a standard wall outlet or hard-wired like a built-in appliance.  Hydronic models connect directly to the home’s hot water heater; since they operate with water heated from another source, they can begin to warm towels in as little as five minutes.  Electric units heat up in 15-20 minutes, but may take as long as 30-45 minutes to thoroughly heat a large bath sheet.  Both the electric and hydronic units can be hooked up with a programmable timer so homeowners can wake to warm, fluffy towels every morning.

Bathroom Multi-media

No need to listen to music on the shower radio.  A luxury master bath should be outfitted with a complete home theater system.  The latest flat screen plasma TV is discreetly installed within the bathroom mirror.  When it’s on, the image is visible through the mirror. When the TV is off, the technology disappears and all you see is a regular mirror.  Speakers can be mounted inside the walls for true surround-sound.  Whether you prefer to listen to soft music while you bathe in your soaking tub, or watch the morning news while you get ready for work, the bathroom home theater system has you covered.

More Amenities

Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up to a freshly brewed cup of gourmet coffee waiting just a few steps from the bed?  Include a coffee bar in your luxury master bath.  More and more homeowners are including kitchen-style amenities in their master bath suites for the ultimate in comfort and convenience.  Before you step into your relaxing airbath, uncork a bottle of chilled wine from your wine cooler or refrigerator drawer in your master bath.  Sipping wine in a bubbling tub…sounds glorious doesn’t it?

With your master bath transformed into the perfect getaway, you won’t have to travel far to reach vacation-level relaxation.  In fact, why don’t you set aside the annual vacation fund and give yourself the gift of ultimate luxury - an in-home master bath retreat.

For tips on planning a bathroom renovation, read my previous post Planning Your Bathroom Remodel.

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