There was a time when Cleopatra enviously enjoyed therapeutic
bathing rituals. Now every person can—in their own home. Replace the word
‘bath’ with ‘shower’. Prefix the words ‘rain’ or ‘multiple massage flow’ to it
and what you turn on in your bathroom is no longer a low pressure trickle of
lukewarm water but an avalanche of high pressure raindrops—at varying
temperatures and speeds. Yes, it’s that simple—hydrotherapy in the home at the
flick of a switch.
Relaxation has been the traditional copyright of ashrams, resorts
and 5-star hotels that offer a homegrown, customized mix of Ayurvedic
massages and therapies. With growing incomes and global exposure, wellness has become a top priority for the urban Indian. Modern spa techniques have been lifted from the west and combined with
indigenous therapies across gyms, wellness centres, and spa chains all over India,
What the experts forgot to take into account is the amount of time it
takes to travel to the spa and back, make appointments, juggle your schedule to
meet those appointments and reach to realize your favourite rose and apricot
body scrub is no longer available. Suddenly the discounted spa membership
doesn’t seem to be delivering at all: so what’s the next solution? Obviously,
home spas—they save on travel time, are more hygienic and only cost a onetime
fee and serve your for a lifetime.
For those of us who believe that the quickest getaways are just a
doorknob away, we practice the art of Spalatial Bathrooms—transforming squashed
and cranky 45 sqft urban toilets into—spa bathrooms. With unique designs that
utilize space optimally, technically superior products that improve the hygiene
and drainage, and quick and quality execution within the specified budget and
deadline—many tortured toilets are now spa-ctacular!
Let’s look at the four steps to create a rejuvenation zone that is
spalatial in spirit even if not in size.
Step 1—Divide and Conquer
From a designer and contractor’s view, there are two main playing
fields in a bathroom: the concealed and the visible.
The ‘concealed field’ deals with water supply lines, drainage
equipment, black and grey water soil pipes, waterproofing and electrical lines—all
to be accomplished by a technically qualified plumber, water proofing expert
and master electrician.
The ‘visible field’ deals with the flooring, ceramic wall tiles,
electrical fittings, sanitaryware and sanitary fittings, accessories, storage
cabinets and requires an aesthetically driven design consultant.
Both these areas have to be planned and tailored to perfection to
go beyond a regular bathroom.
Step 2—Go Spalatial
With so many options to choose from, you must carefully select the
flooring, wall tiles, woodwork finishes, sanitaryware, sanitary fittings and accessories
that meet your client’s sensibilities, requirements and budget.
Replace leaking low pressure showers with a rain or sheet shower
surrounded with wall-mounted body jets. Throw in a steam jet for the days with
extra long traffic jams. Add eco-friendly, branded dual flush water closets.
From a technical view point all fresh water should be supplied through hygienic
long-lasting copper pipes to a robust and ready to last a lifetime bathroom.
Don’t stop yet! Spice it up more with mood lighting, surround
sound music, non-skid floors, inspiring wall finishes, and big windows
ensconced with glossy green plants outside. Now drop in the accessories:
bathrobes, tight-weave bath towels, embroidered hand towels, neatly rolled face
towels in wicker baskets; scented candles, organic body scrubs and
skin-sensitive loofahs.
No one will ever want to leave this bathroom now!
Step 3—Cost it up
A good way to estimate the cost of a spalatial bathroom is to
create six cost heads: design, supervision, labour, materials, wastage and
taxes. Labour can be per square foot (e.g. for painting, tiling) or lump sum
amount (e.g. plumbing cost may be a fixed amount per bathroom). Materials costs
are flexible and depend on how much you want to spend. Wastage for ceramic
tiles, wood etc should be calculated at about 10%–15% of actual requirements.
Always budget for an additional 10% of tile quantity for future repair work.
Add VAT at 13% to the bill and about 5% for delivery charges. Breakages etc are
not accounted for at this stage of budgeting.
Step 4—Muscle the Manpower
Plan a 120-day schedule for a standard 45 sqft bathroom (though
most efficient remodeling can get over in 75 days).
Start demolishing unwanted structures in the bathroom. Next ensure
the plumbing and waterproofing are completed and tested. Use copper pipes for
bringing in the fresh water supply and PVC pipes for drainage. Check the water
pressure, and either buy fittings that will operate at this pressure, or
install a pressure pump to get the desired water pressure. Water pressure is
calculated in bars—10 metres (33 feet) of vertical plumbing. The distance in
metres is calculated from the bottom of the storage tank to the entry at the
flush tank, basin mixer or shower mixer. Ignore horizontal pipe runs as they
will give an approximate 1 bar pressure.
Then, begin the electrical wiring, the aluminum and wooden frames.
You can choose to wall mount your rain shower or embed it in the false ceiling.
Fix the concealed copper plumbing, concealed stop cocks, concealed unit of the
shower mixer, concealed cisterns and drainage traps. Then fix the floor and
wall tiles, the sanitaryware, bath fittings, fixtures, the glass shower door
and mirrors. Finish off the walls with three rounds of painting. Polish the
wooden door and cabinets.
Clients often don’t realize the possibilities their high-priced
matchbox-sized real estate offers in terms of features and facilities.
Spalatial solutions exhaust the possibilities to the maximum. That’s why one of
the most common bathroom remodeling trends today is splitting urban residential
bathrooms into two to carve out a powder room. This powder room is then used to
store the washing machine, and cater to the needs of all day visitors and party
guests. The remaining part of the bathroom is converted into a home spa using spalatial
solutions.
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