Bathrooms Have Become Personal, Spalike Retreats

Three weeks later, the completed room had the modern look that Ms. Roth, a retiree, wanted.

Light-colored bamboo replaced drab beige carpet and also was used on part of the ceiling around a skylight. Recessed lighting was added above a new whirlpool bath. The roomy shower was made over with seamless natural stone and thick, hingeless textured glass doors.

Ms. Roth got something more than the updated room she envisioned in her Modesto home. She gained a space that, in her eyes, is a retreat.

Before the remodel, the bathroom was a place where Ms. Roth swiftly took care of basic grooming needs. Now, with a tub tailor- made for soaking the day's cares away and walls awash in subtle earth tones, it's become a place where she can linger and relax.

"I take more time for myself in here," she said.

Ms. Roth is among many home dwellers adding more spalike comforts to their bathrooms.

Sean Ruck, a spokesman for the National Kitchen & Bath Association, said the trend started several years ago. Mr. Ruck explained that the bathroom used to be a "strictly utilitarian" spot in the home.

Bathrooms were built just large enough to house the basics: a sink, toilet, tub and shower. Lighting typically consisted of one fixture, usually above the sink.

Over the years, however, houses got bigger, as did bathrooms. With more space to work with, people are spending more money to outfit bathrooms with an assortment of creature comforts. They are making the rooms places where they can escape and pamper themselves.

Some of what's being incorporated to enhance the spa feel:

* Design that emphasizes a clean look and feel: more open lines of sight, glasswork, natural tile, and mirrors to make the room appear more open, grand and airy.

* Whirlpool baths with jets and soaking tubs. Some tubs even come equipped with colored lights for chromotherapy, a treatment in which color is used to enhance physical and emotional well-being.

* Showers big enough for two and equipped with extras such as benches, programmable thermostats to control water temperature and multiple shower heads and body sprays mounted on opposite walls. The shower heads deliver an assortment of water pressures, from pulsate streams to steam to water that cascades like a waterfall or rain.

* Heated flooring and towel racks to help folks stay warm and toasty, and fogless mirrors.

* Built-in vanities with comfortable seating.

* Remote-controlled toilets and bidets with seat warmers and jet sprays.

* Dimmer switches so users can control lighting.

"A lot of our members are dealing with clientele that's spending a bit more, and there's more freedom in higher end design," Mr. Ruck said.

Steve Benson, the owner of Modesto Kitchen and Bath in Modesto, agreed.

The kitchen and bath market "has changed more in the past six years than in the past 20 years," he said.

With the proliferation of television shows and networks that emphasize decor and design, the average person is more educated about what they want. One thing they want is nicer things in the bath. Mr. Benson has had clients inquire about adding fireplaces, flat-panel televisions, audio systems and water-resistant MP3 players into master bathroom suites. In older homes, some homeowners are knocking out walls or taking space from an adjacent room or closet to create bigger bathrooms.

The average hall bathroom basic remodel can cost $10,000 to $20,000. A master bath remodel can range from $15,000 to $40,000.

Remodeled bathrooms can boost a home's resell value. Though some clients might have that advantage in mind when they plan their remodel, Mr. Benson said he still sees a good number of clients who are improving that room because they simply want to enjoy it more.

(c) 2007 Augusta Chronicle, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.