Bathroom or spa?

The title refers to the term Spa or "salus per aquae" which comes from Latin, meaning "achieving health through water" and indeed taking a bath or a shower at the right temperature, with the right pressure creates a sense of relaxation or can be invigorating.
Ancient Romans were famous for their Terme, with "calidarium" for hot baths, "frigidarium" for cold water, "tepidarium" for a pleasant warmth. Massage, essential oils, all kind of treatments... were used to achieve the most pleasing experience, and I leave it to your imagination...

From Wikipedia: "The baths were an important place in the lives of Romans. Built as public monuments, they were used by everyone, whether rich or poor, free or slave. A person could eat, exercise, read, drink, shop, socialize, and discuss politics. The modern equivalent would be a combination of a library, art gallery, mall, bar/restaurant, gym, and spa.
When asked by a foreigner why he bathed once a day, a Roman emperor is said to have replied "Because I do not have the time to bathe twice a day."

This year the Furniture fair in Milan had also “Bathrooms” as a special feature, and "Eurocucina" for kitchens (more on this later). There were so many great ideas to make a bathroom not just that but an area of relaxation filled with beauty and comfort it was difficult to select products but some of the most impressive were certainly the following:

This is a magnificent tub, by Neutra. Water, wellness, stone is their mantra and they talk on their website of the purity of water, the energy of stones, and the warmth of wood.

This tub also by Neutra really caught my eyes and I could not believe the beauty of its shape, the feeling when my hands were caressing it and the strong impact of nature in this bathroom.

The wood comes from new Zealand and I was told it is million years old. In this case, to appreciate its natural beauty it was not treated but in a real bathroom it would be, to avoid problems with humidity and water marks.

Another beautiful sink by Neutra to go along with the magnificent tub.

Other interesting ideas for bathrooms in the huge display:

Ceramica Cielo. I had to stop to take a picture of this absolutely charming and daring ensemble of

toilet and bidet, with the most extravagant pattern. It made me smile.

Okite by Karim Rashid. Over the top for my taste but certainly luxurious look .

By Milldue a very elegant and simple tub and sink, please go to their website to appreciate more of

their products.

Clean lines for Zucchetti.

What a great day it will start with such a treatment and how relaxing to have a shower here, after a full day of work, returning home.

A more traditional look with a free standing tub.

To end the post, here you could see a fun way to create a modern bathroom returning to its origins…to a time not so long ago in our part of the world when people were filling containers, mostly made of zinc, with water and barely splashing their face or part of their bodies.

I don’t want to spoil the beauty of the above images ….but a reminder is due…water is still a major luxury for most of our planet, let’s not waste it.


Photography by Albarosa Simonetti