Spa Serenity

Ever get the chance to steal away on a spa vacation?   Maybe you have enjoyed a resort getaway complete with effervescent bubble tubs, heated floors, surrounded by the beauty of stone, but returned to your functional bath with a standard tub/shower combination.   While function is important, luxury can be incorporated into any design.

What creates a luxurious atmosphere? That depends on the elements you enjoy. A large multi-spray shower with thick glass doors, a long soak in a large tub, sound systems, flat screen or in-mirror televisions to watch your favorite movies, a fireplace warming the room, ambient lighting, heated towels or floors and the natural feel of stone. This is a small list of essentials driving bathroom trends for 2007. These trends are fueled by functionality, comfort, and spa indulgences.

When you look at the function of your current bath, you may already have the basics, a sink/vanity, a toilet, and a tub, shower or tub/shower combination. What would you do to improve this space? You may want to upgrade your current countertops or walls with stone.  You could relax with a hot cup of tea or wake up to a fresh cup of coffee in your own bathroom because another popular trend is to incorporate a mini bar near the dressing area of the room.  Small undercounter refrigerators store fruit and snacks giving your master suite the functionality of a small apartment. More amenities include: custom glazed cabinets that incorporate your decor, tankless hot water heaters to provide continuous hot water and low noise vent fans. These elements help add comfort to the functionality of your bath.

Now, let's add some spa indulgences using water. Large soaking tubs have always been popular. Hydro and air jet massage, heated headrests, and chromatherapy (small streams of color shone through either standing or running water, where their hues diffuse with enhanced intensity) are available options to relieve tension. If you don't enjoy a long bath, remodeling your space to include multiple showerheads and body sprays can give you the same hydrotherapy benefit of a soaker tub. Ceiling mounted rain showerheads, shower tiles, rain bars, and a combination of steam and shower units provide an exhilarating way to wake you in the morning or a tranquil massage after a long day. Combination steam and shower units can also warm even the coldest panhandle days. Grab a warmed towel from a heated rack as you step onto the stone heated floor, hang an elaborate chandelier over your tub; or cozy up to your fireplace hearth and take your bath to a new level.

Customize these amenities by adding to your current bath space or open up the area and create your own human car wash. Turn your bath into a serene spa.

Bobby Sanders is a Certified Graduate Remodelor™ (CGR) with an exclusive professional designation designed to emphasize business management skills as the key to a professional remodeling operation.

The CGR designation requires that graduates meet prescribed standards of business practice, possess a minimum of five years remodeling industry experience, have a proven track record of  successful project management, complete a comprehensive education curriculum, and pledge to uphold the program's code of ethics.

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