Going Japanese one answer to bathroom blues

A renovator is planning a renovation of the small bathroom in her apartment and would love to install a bath. “A few years ago when I bought this place I didn’t think I would mind just having a shower,” she writes.

 “But there are times when I would just love to sink into a tub of deliciously warm water and meditate for an hour or so.  My problem is that whatever way we look at the floor plan there just isn’t enough space for a standard bath.”

 This complaint is not the first I have heard along these lines. A shower is great for getting you awake and sparkling for the working day, or for a quick freshen-up before a night on the town, but it’s hard to beat the therapeutic value of a nice long soak when there is time to spare.

 For many Japanese the daily bath is an essential ritual, an almost sacred rite cleansing not only the body but the mind - maybe we can learn something from them.

 Because space is at a premium in crowded Japan, most homes are much smaller than their European counterparts and what the bath lacks in length it makes up for in depth, ensuring that when you sit in it the water reaches up to your chin.

 The Japanese traditionalist does not actually clean himself in the bath, rather he may shower first and then simply immerse himself in the hot, clean water for relaxation, but in the West many homeowners are installing these baths as a space-saving alternative to the shower.

 There are two main varieties – the timber, free-standing tub or the acrylic bath either sunk directly into the floor or, if this is impractical, built into a platform. Both are now available from selected suppliers in Australia

 If you want to reproduce the Japanese experience your bathroom should have large windows, inviting the natural world to become part of the ritual. You should also have large wooden ladles to splash the water over the parts of your body the bath does not reach.

 The short but deep Japanese bath does not require any more water than its Western equivalent, and will fit more easily into a small bathroom. Maybe this is the answer to our reader’s dreams.

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