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A day at the spa can relax and rejuvenate, but at some point you have to head back to the real world. Rather than leave these comforts behind, though, why not bring some of these amenities to your home so that you can enjoy them every day? Here are some serious home upgrades that allow you to get spa-level luxury at home.
Heated Floors
Sparing you from the discomfort of an early morning shuffle across an ice-cold floor, a heated floor can add a real sense of luxury to a bathroom. If you’re a DIY whiz and want to tackle this job yourself, you can pick up the below-floor heating mats at most major hardware stores. But for many, tearing up tile and putting down a new floor is a job for a contractor who can make sure it gets done correctly.
If all-new tile flooring is out of your price range, you can still get a taste of luxury with a heated bath mat. For about $70 you’ll never again have to shiver while you brush your teeth in the morning.
Towel Warmer
If warm floors aren’t enough, maybe you’d also like to add a towel warmer to your bathroom. The Myson Towel Warmer, can keep towels, wash cloths and bathrobes piping hot, ensuring that you’re draped in warmth the second you emerge from the shower.
Singing in the Shower
For many, singing in the shower is one of life’s great pleasures. If you’d like to add a little musical accompaniment to your early-morning solos, check out Kohler’s Moxie, which combines a showerhead with a waterproof bluetooth speaker that syncs up to your smartphone or tablet. With a 32-foot range, the speaker taps into your digital music library, while keeping your phone safely out of water’s reach.
Massage Chair
Weekly trips to a masseuse are a costly expense, but you can get a similar level of relaxation at home with a massage chair. These aren’t the vibrating recliners of yesteryear, however, which would merely shake you like a paint can while doing little to soothe sore muscles. Today’s chairs use a system of rollers and pressurized air bags to squeeze and prod your limbs and body, giving you a thorough working over. Some chairs, like the Sogno Dreamwave, even scan your body, adjusting the massaging mechanisms to match your height and body type.
Steam Shower
There’s no better way to unwind at the end of a long hard day than a sit in a steam room. By adding a steam generator and control panel to your existing shower stall, you can convert it into a steam shower. However, to handle the high levels of humidity, the bathroom will also need an upgrade. The walls and ceiling will have to be covered in waterproof materials, like tile or marble, to prevent rot and mildew. If you’d rather not mess around with a total bathroom renovation, you can also buy a prefabricated steam shower, like Dreamline’s Niagara shower, which features a sealed-off steam cabin that can handle the heat and humidity.
Hot Tub
Many of today’s hot tubs are plug and play, meaning you can set one up without the help of a plumber. As an added bonus, you can move the tub out into the backyard during the summer and bring it back inside during the colder months, making it a more flexible option for those that don’t want to have to chose between year-round use and unwinding beneath the stars when it’s warm.