How to make your bathroom a space for wellness and relaxation

With benefits including the ability to reduce pain, aid in relaxation and assist in recovery from workouts, people are finding ways to experience hydrotherapy at home.

“We’re seeing an increase in clients creating wellness spaces within their bathrooms,” says Steve Price, commercial manager at Metrix.

A luxurious way to experience hydrotherapy at home is with German brand Dornbracht’s ‘horizontal shower’: “Lying on your stomach or on your back, the innovative reclining shower offers a completely new feeling of wellness and relaxation – tension is relieved, everyday stress is washed away and the body and mind experience are revitalised.”

“It’s a modern interpretation of the Vichy shower therapies, with the pressure temperature and flow fully adjustable for each shower head,” adds Steve.

For an at-home spa experience, steam showers are also high on the must-have list for homeowners.

“Steam showers or hammams offer the same physiological experience as a sauna but with high humidity and lower temperatures – for example, 100% humidity at 40°C.

“Our clients have experienced these in spas or resorts and wish to have these experiences at home – Covid restrictions have meant people haven’t been able to travel and are creating wellness spaces in their homes.”

Steve explains that the premium brand Effe excels at steam showers that fit into a standard shower spaces without the need for external steam generators. It all fits in a 90mm wall.

Innovations in technology are also being seen in this space: “Effe has technology within the generators that allow them to drain themselves after every use, making them almost maintenance free. You don’t have to worry too much about it, because the technology is there to do it for you.”

The Touch&Steam Shower by Effe also allows any standard shower to be transformed into a steam shower.

“All Effe steam generators are connected,” says Steve. “For example, if you are on the journey home and feel like having a steam shower, you can turn on the steam generator from your phone. It will detect if the door is closed and 10 minutes later when you arrive home it is all ready to go.”

Advancements in technology are also making bidets more favoured across New Zealand.

“We are seeing a massive uptake in bidet seats,” says Steve. “The Starck F Sensowash is the third generation Duravit bidet seat and the technologies are installed inside the vitreous china pan – meaning it looks like a standard toilet. However, it is a fully functioning bidet seat with bluetooth connectivity.”

Steve believes the reason for seeing this increase in popularity is because people are becoming more familiar with the technology and benefits.

“The new bidet seats are incredible with all of the technology hidden, so when the lid is down the toilet just looks like a standard pan. The old way of doing it was to have a separate bidet and toilet which would take up a lot of space. So by combining it in one, you’re saving space.”

Added features available today include heated seat, self cleaning functions, odour extraction, warm air drier, front and rear wash along with saved user profiles, all of which can be adjusted via your phone or the supplied remote.

“People are really seeing the benefits of bidet seats. They are building substantial, forever homes and are looking to future proof,” says Steve. "They also offer independence to ageing users and those with medical conditions or physical impairments. It some cases we are giving people their dignity back which is very satisfying”.

As well as designs becoming more seamless in design and aesthetic, they are also embracing curved forms.

“Five years ago, everything was minimal and very architectural – cylinders and rectangular shapes. There’s been a real softening in the designs coming through and a real leader in the tapware space is Dornbracht, which is the premium German tapware brand,” says Steve.

Ideal for bathrooms where a sense of calm is the ultimate goal, curves are effective in promoting feelings of serenity and relaxation – making tapware options such as Dornbracht’s Vaia range a popular choice.

“Rimless is the next trend. I would say that in the next five years, most toilets will be rimless by design because that is what the market is getting used to and that’s what the market is asking for.”

Steve says there are two reasons for this: hygiene and efficiency in cleaning.

“The advantage of the rimless pan is there is nowhere for it to harbour bacteria. At the same time, it’s really fast to clean because you can just wipe it with a cloth.”

Explore bathroom products from Metrix.