If Tucson’s Canyon Ranch isn’t on your agenda this fall, think about bringing five-star indulgence to your home by building a spa-like bathroom that brings the resort to you.
Bring nature indoors
What distinguishes a luxury bathroom, one that would make those with 24K taste happy? Think nature: stone, water, light and a splash of green plants. What was once just a way to get clean has become a respite from a hard day’s work, a shower that is nearly as big as a closet.
Wet rooms are all the rage with top-notch designers. House Beautiful magazine describes a wet room as “a splash zone for your bathroom, an area where the shower and/or bathtub are placed… where the water can stay separate from your sink and toilet.” Carisha Swanson, the magazine’s director of special projects, says “The style can be quite luxurious as if you have your own at-home spa.”
If the warmth of stone seems like an oxymoron, it is. Adding natural stone to your bathroom “spa” brings a visual and tactile approach to the décor that elevates the room. The wide range of natural stone for your spa bathroom includes marble, granite and quartzite, a stone that’s highly resistant to water. This, of course, makes it ideal for double-wide standing showers, walls and floors. One designer suggests putting in two nozzles if there is enough space.
A stone soaking tub is just the right touch for bringing the spa to your home. Choosing the right type of stone for your tub, complemented by some rustic tile or monochromatic walls, gives your bathroom the elegance of a resort. Add a stool close by for your towel, a bathtub caddy for your book and maybe a glass of wine, and you’ll be transported without ever having to leave home.
Take it outdoors
What can be more luxurious than an outdoor shower, designed to protect your privacy while giving you a just-came-in-from-the-beach rinse? Outdoor showers are perfect in Arizona weather where the temperatures allow us to spend so much time out in the sun. With an appropriately modest hedge or climbing vine, you can rinse off the day and begin your evening with a soft wind and the last rays of the sun.
Back inside, use soft lighting with dimmable sconces, strip lighting or candles (real or battery-operated for safety) to create a warm glow. Recessed lighting helps to set the stage for a relaxed experience. Finish off with fixtures of matte black, brushed brass or champagne gold to complete the elegance of your bathroom retreat.
Other experts recommend focusing on a calm color palette, quality fixtures like a soaking tub, natural materials and minimal clutter to bring that spa-like essence to your home bathroom. Heated flooring is another addition that can transform a regular bathroom into a spa getaway.
