How to turn your bathroom into a spa — or close to it
The dog broke my toe. My parked car was hit. The roof is leaking.
And I am travel worn.
In two weeks, I have been in eight airports and three time zones, and have seen 4 a.m. on more clocks than I care to count.
After a run like that, I am pining for a long weekend at a dreamy spa somewhere, the kind where you wear a cushy robe, lie back with cucumber slices over your eyes and drink chilled lemon water.
But the dream and the spa will have to wait, as I have a roof to replace, a car to fix and a toe to mend.
Which got me thinking ….
If I can’t go to a dreamy spa somewhere, why couldn’t I create my own? I can close the bathroom door, draw a steamy bath, light a scented candle and drink iced lemon water right here.
What’s stopping me? My bathroom doesn’t feel like a spa.
One of the smallest yet most personal rooms in the house, bathrooms often fall short of their full potential because many of us treat them like a pit stops. We zoom in and zoom out.
But what if this space were more like a sanctuary than a locker room?
I gave my bathroom a fresh look and asked what great spas have that many bathrooms don’t — but could.
Here are 14 ways to spa-tify your bathroom:
DECLUTTER >> Clutter and calm cannot coexist. Clear surfaces help create a tranquil feel. Everything on your bathroom counters should be both beautiful and useful. Aim for serene. Edit your bathroom drawers and cabinets. Toss any products you don’t use.
Once you’ve pared down, get drawer organizers. Maximize tall storage under the sink with stackable wire baskets that pull out. Leave room for a small waste bin, which you want out of sight.
CLEAN >> Your bathroom should look, smell and feel like the most hygienic room in the house.
Make every surface — from mirrors and soap dishes to faucets and toilet bowls — gleam. COOL IT ON COLOR >> Visual noise can overwhelm a space. To create a Zen vibe, keep patterns to a minimum and color palettes light.
ADD LIGHT CONTROL >> Install dimmers, which will give you instant mood control at the touch of a button — because sometimes you want soft light to help you decompress.
SWAP YOUR SHOWERHEAD >> Switching your ordinary showerhead for an oversized rain version will upgrade your shower to spa level fast.
BRING IN SOME BLING >>
If you have the room, a chandelier with a few drops of crystal hanging over the tub, or in the center of the bathroom, can quickly kick up the class factor.
GET A NEW GRIP >> The master bath is one room where you can depart from the hardware in the rest of the house.
Change out your faucets, knobs and pulls for ones that add a touch of luxe.
HANG A CHIC CURTAIN >> Shower doors or doorless step-in showers look clean
est, but if your bathroom shower needs a curtain, keep it simple and pristine.
SPLURGE ON TOWELS >> Don’t get sucked in by soft towels. Sizing, which washes off, makes towels soft and also nonabsorbent. You want thirsty towels.
Look for 100% long-staple terry cotton, in a generous size and a light color. You can’t go wrong with white.
Add a sumptuous bathmat and a plush terry robe. You really don’t want to use yesterday’s washcloth, so buy a dozen and keep them handy in a neat stack or pretty basket.
HANG ’EM RIGHT >> Hang or neatly stack clean-to-beseen towels where they’re visible.
To keep the bathroom looking tidy, hang damp used towels on hooks behind the door, or toss them in the dryer.
CORRAL BATH SUPPLIES >> Bath products have a way of sprawling. Gather shower products into a handsome caddy, and place bath essentials on a chic tray by the tub.
Think triple-milled soap, luxury bath salts and natural bath sponges.
FOLLOW YOUR NOSE >> Spas are filled with soothing scents, usually fragrances like eucalyptus, lavender and citrus.
Find a scent you love and stick with it in lotions, candles and soaps to avoid mixing scents.
ADD SOMETHING GREEN >> Plants add life to a bathroom.
CUT THE COMMERCIALS >> Cover tissue boxes. Put liquid soaps and lotions in attractive pump dispensers, and fill elegant jars with cotton balls and Q-tips.
If it isn’t pretty, don’t set it out.
When you find that rare moment to enjoy your home spa, get a pitcher of iced lemon water, light a scented candle and leave everything that doesn’t promote relaxation — your cellphone, work papers, children — outside the closed door.
Then bliss out.
Syndicated columnist Marni Jameson’s At Home column is published here weekly. Contact her at marnijameson.com. To see all of Jameson’s columns, go to mercurynews. com/author/marnijameson/. Jameson is the author of four home and lifestyle books, including “Downsizing the Family Home — What to Save, What to Let Go.”