Room of the Day: Restorative Power of a Japanese Soaking Tub
A traditional tub made of hinoki wood sets a calming tone in this master bath renovation
The hinoki wood used for this tub made a long trip from Japan to Georgia for this bathroom makeover. “One of my clients is Japanese, and the health benefits of the hinoki soaking tub were a very important part of the renovation for her,” bathroom designer Michelle Fee says. The rest of the room developed around the Japanese soaking tub and its calming power, and the result is a warm and relaxing master bathroom.
AFTER: In the renovated room, Fee created a wet area that encompasses the soaking tub and the shower stall, with the tub placed directly underneath the existing window. While the homeowners weren’t crazy about the window, surrounding it with tile gave it a stronger connection to the room and saved them a lot on the budget.
The room was a combination of splurges and saves that kept the budget balanced. The bathtub and the hidden drain (the line between the tub and shower area is a narrow trench) were splurges. Finding modestly priced faucets at Signature Hardware and choosing ready-made vanities over custom pieces saved them money. Of course, this waterfall faucet is nothing to scoff at — it’s an artful way to fill the tub.
Another artful touch is the pebble floor in the wet area. It breaks up the space between the travertine tile floor and wall, and feels wonderful under the feet.
Faucets: Signature Hardware
The room was a combination of splurges and saves that kept the budget balanced. The bathtub and the hidden drain (the line between the tub and shower area is a narrow trench) were splurges. Finding modestly priced faucets at Signature Hardware and choosing ready-made vanities over custom pieces saved them money. Of course, this waterfall faucet is nothing to scoff at — it’s an artful way to fill the tub.
Another artful touch is the pebble floor in the wet area. It breaks up the space between the travertine tile floor and wall, and feels wonderful under the feet.
Faucets: Signature Hardware
Soaking in a hinoki wood tub is a Japanese tradition. (These short, deep Japanese soaking tubs are referred to as ofuro tubs.) “It’s calming and gives the mind a rest at the end of the day,” Fee says. “Hinoki wood has healing properties. You shower first to get clean, then you soak up to your neck, and the oils help you relax.” Hinoki’s scent is said to reduce stress, while the oils are believed to help heal skin problems like rashes, abrasions and other irritations.
The wood was harvested in Japan and shipped to the States, where Fee had it kiln-dried and prepped. Then her woodworking team crafted the tub from the raw boards. Hinoki wood has similar properties to teak — it is a cypress that is well-suited to holding water. This tub is 46 inches across and 26 inches high. The soaking area is 22 inches deep.
Reston wall-mount waterfall tub faucet: Signature Hardware
The wood was harvested in Japan and shipped to the States, where Fee had it kiln-dried and prepped. Then her woodworking team crafted the tub from the raw boards. Hinoki wood has similar properties to teak — it is a cypress that is well-suited to holding water. This tub is 46 inches across and 26 inches high. The soaking area is 22 inches deep.
Reston wall-mount waterfall tub faucet: Signature Hardware
While Fee’s original plan was to go curbless, the homeowner’s desire to let the water spill over the edges of the tub necessitated a curb at the edge of the wet area. The designer used travertine that matches the floor tile and fits the scale of the space.
His-and-her vanities stand atop tall feet and have a furniture look. Their dark color adds contrast. “We didn’t want the mirrors to look too plain or flat,” Fee says of the choice of tilting mirrors. “These mirrors add depth and a more transitional touch in a fairly contemporary room.”
Wall paint: Agreeable Gray, Sherwin-Williams; Philadelphia bath lights and 36-inch Seattle rectangular tilting mirrors: Signature Hardware
His-and-her vanities stand atop tall feet and have a furniture look. Their dark color adds contrast. “We didn’t want the mirrors to look too plain or flat,” Fee says of the choice of tilting mirrors. “These mirrors add depth and a more transitional touch in a fairly contemporary room.”
Wall paint: Agreeable Gray, Sherwin-Williams; Philadelphia bath lights and 36-inch Seattle rectangular tilting mirrors: Signature Hardware
A tall shower niche offers plenty of storage with a shaving ledge at the bottom. The hot water from the shower head heats up the wet area sufficiently so that the open shower is not drafty or cold. There is an additional handheld shower head for washing. “It’s also really useful when cleaning the shower,” Fee says.
Mojave honed filled 8-by-16 travertine and small tan-grey pebbles 12-by-12 tile: The Tile Shop
Mojave honed filled 8-by-16 travertine and small tan-grey pebbles 12-by-12 tile: The Tile Shop
BEFORE: The bathroom’s footprint remained the same, and the private water closet remained in the same place.
AFTER: “We needed to add some visual interest behind the tub because it is the most important feature in the room, and we needed to make it special,” the designer says. She put in a stacked-slate wall behind the tub, which added some contrast and created something different and eye-catching. It brings a rougher texture to the soothing area.
Slate: Change Your Bathroom
Slate: Change Your Bathroom
Here is a closer look at the hinoki wood. The wood gives off a lemony scent and is said to work well as a nasal decongestant.
“It’s absolutely wonderful — it smells great if you just walk in the room, but if you fill it with hot water, then it’s really aromatic,” Fee says.
Don’t have the budget for a hinoki wood tub? Fee recommends buying a bath tea with hinoki wood shavings that will give you the aroma and add the benefits of the oils for a healthful Japanese-style soak.
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“It’s absolutely wonderful — it smells great if you just walk in the room, but if you fill it with hot water, then it’s really aromatic,” Fee says.
Don’t have the budget for a hinoki wood tub? Fee recommends buying a bath tea with hinoki wood shavings that will give you the aroma and add the benefits of the oils for a healthful Japanese-style soak.
Browse more Rooms of the Day
Bathroom at a Glance
What happens here: Deep soaks, showering, getting ready for the day
Location: Alpharetta, Georgia
Size: 180 square feet (16.7 square meters)
Designer: Michelle Fee of Change Your Bathroom
BEFORE: The existing bathroom was tight and very blue. “My clients love blue, but this was too much,” Fee says. “They wanted something that was updated but that they also could live with for many years to come.”