10 Tips to Transform Your Bathroom into a Spa

Sweta Shah

Architect

Text: Manali Bhutwala
Photographs: Sweta Shah

Most of us would love to unwind amidst muted lighting and rich aromas over the perfect hour-long rejuvenating massage therapies, but many of us just can't find the time to block sessions at our favourite spas. While there may be no substitute for the complete experience, there are many easy ways in which to create a spa-like ambiance for the perfect end to that long day. We bring to you some quick tips from architect Sweta Shah, who has extensive experience in luxury design and wellness spaces.

1. Create The Illusion: Aromatic diffusers placed in niches in stone walls, rustic earthy colours and textures, or floating vanity counters for washbasins with soft lighting underneath - you can't go wrong with these basic features that instantly create the illusion of a spa.

2. Lay It Out: Have lots of room to play with? Create the complete experience by designing separate zones for a lavish dry area, double Jacuzzi tubs and separate shower cubicles. For the dry area, if the height permits, chandeliers or artificial skylights are great elements to use; for the shower area you can go with a rain shower coupled with mood lighting.

3. Simplify, Segragate, Separate: Clearing away the daily clutter is a must. Use wooden stands to hold your stack of neatly rolled-up napkins, or towel rods fixed onto the cubicle door. Aesthetic cabinets can neatly place all the essentials. Use floating vanity counters with lighting below that draw attention to a bed of pebbles or decorative patterns. Overhead cabinets can be covered in either designer mirror pieces or frosted glass shutters.

Functional stuff can be turned into objects of great beauty, like this embossed metal washbasin. Use such elements in your spa-bathroom.

4. Accentuate: Tall vertical mirrors flushed with the wall create the illusion of space especially in bathrooms which are not very large. Alternatively, create a stand-out feature wall within the shower area or slatted stone pane along the shower panel. Materials such as copper and natural stone are great choices for washbasins.

5. Colour it up: Go with stark white or a beige to enlarge the scale of the bathroom. If you prefer a bolder look, create a statement with a splash of colour against a muted backdrop. For instance, an abstract design in bright orange or a large colourful mosaic wall with the rest of the area toned down with a subtle grey.

6. Go Plane By Plane: Work on the touch and feel of the flooring, walls and ceiling. You can use a combination of marble and carved natural stone to separate the wet and dry zones. Alternatively, you can go with tiles – flooring can be done with non-skid slate finish floor tiles to create a nice dark palette; for the walls try using large light tiles with self-embossed patterns. Another excellent option to give a resort-like look to the bathroom is by using waterproof wooden slats for the ceiling.

7. Illuminate: Lighting plays a crucial role in creating that perfect ambience. Feature walls can be lit with indirect lighting so as to create a diffused focus that highlights the wall yet just about illuminates the whole area for functional activities. You could go with ceiling rain showers that have colour changing lights. Use candles in groups, in slots within a console or niches in walls or partitions.

Use candles in groups to create an indulgent feel in your bath. Rose petals are the proverbial cherry on the cake.

8. Multiply And Magnify: To heighten the expanse of the area of the bathroom, place mirrors – which are back-lit or have light slits – behind the counter. You can even place large mirror panes along strategic locations or near the entrance to amplify the scale. Another great trick is to position mirrors in a way that they reflect and reinforce important spa accessories such as candles and flowers.

9. Enrich With Aromas: An aroma that instantly reminds most of us of spa is that of lemon grass – although now quite extensively used, it still forms the core fragrance of a spa facility. You could go with more subtle aromas such as those of lavender, ylang ylang and jasmine as well.

10. Where's The Music?: Go on – create the complete immersive experience with surround sound speakers installed into the bathroom ceiling that can play music from your room equipment. You could also go with wireless docks or pods to play whatever you wish from your cell phone, be it an inspirational talk, some spiritual music or your customized playlist.

Looking for property portal?

Find a property Post property

About the author

Sweta Shah

Architect

Sweta Shah is the principal architect at Sweta Shah and Associates. Sweta received her Bachelor&#39;s of Architecture from Kamla Raheja Insititue for architecture (KRVIA), Mumbai. She set up Sweta Shah and Associates in 2006, which is an emerging firm dedicated to a collaborative design process that explores the boundaries between architecture, art and environment.

5 Things to Keep in Mind when Designing an Office for a Startup

Anchor – Jhumur Nandy Photo Courtesy : amazonaws.com,poobqid.com Various startups begin their journey with a small space – small or shared offices or even home offices. While an office space may be small, that doesn't mean it has to be un...

Tuhin Roy

Co-founder of Jumping goose
Jul 09, 2018
5 tips to create the perfect room for naps

Anchor: Jhumur Nandy Photographs: Shutterstock A good night sleep makes a person healthy, confident and energetic and its importance cannot be stressed enough. Unhealthy sleeping pattern creates chronic health disorders, which can be dangerous in...

Sonam Gupta

Textile Designer
Apr 13, 2017
How well do you know about Materials for Modular Kitchen? Read 7 tips

Picture courtesy : Pexel Concept of modular kitchens is gaining popularity with coming days, as they are not only appealing but also are comforting to work while cooking. In addition to the development in kitchen materials, variety of materials ar...

Alok Bhagat

Architect
Jul 23, 2018
5 creative concepts to display artefacts

Anchor: Priya Arya Photographs: iStock So you are one of those who just can’t resist a beautiful pot, that utterly charming rag doll or that interesting rock sculpted by the wind and the sea. But their beauty will only receive its due when th...

Aman Gandhi

Architect
Jan 04, 2017

See comments (0) Write a comment

Leave your comments

Comments

Be first to comment on this article

Meet our experts