Turn Your Bathroom Into a High-Tech Haven

Amy Goffstein and her family have 24-hour access to a spa—or at least it feels that way when they step into a master bathroom equipped with a lighted mirror, steam shower, freestanding air tub, and even a toilet with a heated seat and temperature-adjustable bidet function.

“We were trying to create a place where we could relax and where we would want to spend time rather than just running in and out,” says Goffstein, a real estate agent. 

Goffstein says she, her husband, and their two children have used the room’s special features consistently since moving into their renovated Ladue home in November 2014. Her favorite improvement is the Steamist Total Sense steam shower with Aroma Sense, which can be programmed to include various users’ shower preferences, such as water temperature and pressure. It also features a waterfall showerhead, three body sprays, and an aromatherapy function.

“When you’ve got that eucalyptus and that steam going, it really does feel like a spa,” says Goffstein.

Homeowners and designers are customizing bathrooms to function as high-tech havens, say industry experts. Fewer are choosing the once-standard built-in whirlpool tubs that require tons of water to fill and are rarely used. More common today are heated floors; luxurious showers; racks that keep towels dry, warm, and sweet-smelling; and freestanding tubs that serve as a sculptural centerpiece while offering an array of specialized treatments. 

Arkansas-based plumbing products manufacturer Jason International offers MicroSilk hydrotherapy tubs that send “microbubbles” from the base of the tub into the skin through the pores to clean, exfoliate, and hydrate.

“It’s like a facial for your whole body,” says Megan Bittle, president of RSI Kitchen & Bath. “Having a skin-improving feature in your tub is very nice and popular.”

And such products aren’t just for palatial bathrooms. An increasing number of options make it easier than ever to customize almost any space, says Leigh Suffian, partner at the Immerse by Atlas showroom in Brentwood. More manufacturers are introducing freestanding tubs in smaller sizes, and homeowners can bring luxuries such as music into the bathroom through a high-end Bluetooth-enabled toilet or Grohe Aquatunes shower speaker that retails for $149.  

“There are more ways than ever to get music in the bathroom through Bluetooth,” says Suffian. 

Indeed, though some homeowners want to make their bathroom an oasis where they can tune out and turn off, others are creating clean contemporary spaces with medicine cabinets that include built-in televisions–offered by companies such as Electric Mirror and Robern—and plenty of hidden electrical outlets for smartphones, speakers, and other devices.

Jay Eiler of Castle Design, who helped Goffstein remodel her bathroom, says heated floors, high-end finishes, floating vanities, beautiful lighting, and stunning freestanding tubs can also add to a home’s retail value, but it’s more about creating a bathroom that helps homeowners relax and recharge in a way that works for them.   

“It’s the first thing they see in the morning and the last thing they see at night,” he says, “so they want it to be special.”