We're about to have one in our new 8x8 bathroom, but all of the ceilings upstairs are vaulted. I never really thought about it not feeling cozy, but I'll be interested to see what people say. In your case, my concern is that it might feel weird to walk in the bathroom and have it be the only vaulted ceiling in the house, sort of like it's disjointed or something.

I wouldn't have a problem with a vaulted ceiling in a bathroom. I'd like the added drama :) There are other ways to make it feel cozy if that's a problem. But, I agree, it sounds like it might look out of place and "feel" strange if the rest of the house is "typical and boring". Do you have any plans on remodeling/updating any other parts of the house? Our home is 1800+ sq feet and the only part that has a vaulted ceiling is the den, but that's common.
Monica

Besides adding the new master bath, we're also gutting the main part of the house (kitchen, family room, living room, and dining room.) The walls around the kitchen won't be put back, and the wall between the the family room and living room will be moved a few feet and contain a double-sided gas fireplace. So....no vaulted ceilings anywhere else in the house after the remodel.

I was hoping to have a chandelier over the tub. That might help feel like the ceiling height is brought down some.

I have a feeling that the GC has already ordered the scissor trusses for the vault, so it might be too late to change. I couldn't reach him late today.

On the other hand, maybe it will make the bathroom feel special if it's the only vaulted room in the house! Maybe??

So you're updating most of the rest of house! Then I say go for it :) Surely the house won't be "typical and boring" after a facelift and yes, imo, your bathroom will feel special (and elegant) with a vaulted ceiling and chandy over the tub :) I have a small chandelier over my tub too and love it!
Monica

Thanks Monica! I'm starting to feel better about this. You're right; the house won't be a boring early 70's house when we're done. It'll be modern, updated, and full of gor-ge-o-sity! HUGE tub and beautiful chandy here I come!

I think it is a great idea. I have a skylight in our family bathroom and it adds to the room. Perhaps a functioning skylight could work for you as well. That would give you some height and added light without doing the whole room vaulted.
It also makes it a little lighter during the night so you do not need to turn on bright lights to use the bathroom (we leave a nightlight on for the kids).

We thought about the skylight and nixed the idea. The neighbor's HUGE big leaf Maple tree leans over that end of the house quite a bit. We'd be forever fighting leaves and maple seeds on the skylight. It would be slimy and messy so much of the year. (We live in Washington State so we're experts at growing mildew!) We've thought about a solatube though.

we have a vaulted ceiling in our master bath and i love it...adds interest. i also feel like that there's more room for the steam to escape to, so the bathroom doesn't get so steamy...tho now we've just installed a fan directly over the shower, so maybe steam won't be so much of an issue!

Good point about the steam. busybee3. I hadn't thought of that one. Turns out GC hadn't ordered trusses yet, but I decided to go for it!

The only cathedral ceilings in our 60's house are in the bedroom and master bath. Our bathroom is 9 by 11. We have no problem with steam and we don't even have a fan. It makes the bathroom feel way bigger than it actually is, the only drawback is how difficult it is to paint.

We are going to have a solatube in our new master bath. It won't be able to open, but we wanted the light and it is a small room and the budget is tight (thanks to the kitchen eating up a huge portion of the budget, lol). We will have 2 very large skylights in our renovated living space.

Our skylight in our family bathroom is the nicest feature in the room. It is on the north side of the house and really helps the natural light which even shows in our hallway when the door is open. I know skylights don't seem to be as "in" as they used to be, but we are real skylight junkies, lol. I just would never put one in the bedrooms as I am very sensitive to light when I sleep.