6 Design Elements For A Spa-Like Bathroom

The ensuite master bath, traditionally a nice bonus for homeowners, has become a must-have feature over the last few decades. Today, these intimate spaces must go above and beyond to impress modern home buyers. Whether you’re looking to renovate your bathroom so you can enjoy it for years to come, or you’re hoping to increase your home value for resale (or both), you can’t go wrong by creating a spa-like experience.

As you might have guessed, this involves designing a luxury space, complete with elements like a soaker tub, a massive, walk-in shower stall, double vanities, and of course, high-end finishes. However, the devil is in the details when it comes to designing a bathroom that truly delivers a spa-like experience. Here are six elements you’ll want to consider including in your upscale bathroom.

1. Infuse the Space with Natural Materials

To create a feeling of Zen that permeates a spa environment, you’ll want to incorporate natural elements. Natural stone tile for flooring and shower surrounds offers a beautiful foundation for your spa-like space, and incorporating unique touches like organic river rocks for the shower floor adds to the calming aesthetic.

Stone countertops in marble, granite, or engineered quartz can also help to enhance the spa-like vibe by elevating the level of luxury in your bathroom space. Once you’ve got the foundations covered, don’t forget to include details with wood, such as bamboo or teak shelving, stools, and more. Finally, make sure to imbue your space with living natural touches like houseplants that add color, texture, and depth to your room, along with the serenity that  greenery delivers.

2. Use a Soothing Palette

Color is an extremely important element in any living space. Pale blues, for example, are a great choice for bedrooms, where relaxation is the order of the day. Yellow is a wonderfully sunny way to create a warm and inviting kitchen space. For a home office or art studio, you might utilize zesty reds, oranges, and pinks to stimulate creativity.

In bathrooms, which tend to be smaller than other rooms in the home, you’ll want to choose a neutral palette that delivers the calming, high-end appeal of a spa setting. Warm neutrals like creams and beiges are ideal, although bright white can also work, depending on other elements in the space.

You’ll want to steer clear of bright washes of color, opting instead to display your personality through colorful accents in hues you prefer. You can easily swap out rugs, shower curtains, and other colorful accessories as design trends (or your personal style preferences) change.

3. Heated Elements

Is there anything worse than sliding out of your cozy bed and stepping into a chilly bathroom with freezing floors? Although you’re sure to warm up quickly in a steamy shower, there’s no need to have the polar bear experience between your bed and shower.  Good news! There are a few great solutions to consider.

Once you’ve torn out existing flooring, consider installing radiant flooring elements. These can link to an existing boiler/radiator setup, although an easier option- and one well-suited to homes without a boiler setup- is an electrical radiant heating system.

Of course, this will entail some expense. A much cheaper option is to simply add rugs to your space (although you could do both). Plush rugs, when kept clean and fresh, add luxurious texture to your overall aesthetic and help to keep dripping on the floor to a minimum.

For additional warmth, consider adding a heated towel rack. Not only will you step out of the shower or bath and into a nice, warm towel, but this feature helps wet towels to dry more quickly and prevents mildew.

4. Upgraded Fixtures and Appliances

A spa-like bathroom demands attention to detail, and this starts with taking expected items like appliances and fixtures and giving them an upgrade. For example, you don’t just want any bathtub – you want a soaker or jacuzzi tub. If you’ve got a typical toilet, consider adding a heated seat or bidet attachment that takes it to the next level.

As for fixtures, you could go simple with upgrades like a rainfall or massaging shower head and touchless faucets. Or you could elevate the space with a gorgeous waterfall faucet and a shower design that features wall-mounted, massaging body jets.  Some shower designs even include a digital control system that allows you to adjust spray pressure as desired and create presets for different users.

5. Upscale Storage Solutions

Thoughtful storage is essential in small bathroom spaces, where you have to stash extra linens and toiletries. For a spa bathroom remodel, there are two main types of storage to consider. First, you’ll want hidden storage for items like your hair dryer and toiletries that could create messy clutter if left out in the open.

 However, most spas also utilize open shelving for displays. This offers an ideal space to show off plush, luxury linens, like rolled or folded towels, and it makes them easy to grab as you exit the shower or bath.

You can also use clear glass jars to hold items like fancy soaps, bath salts, and bath bombs, or add baskets to hide necessities like extra toilet paper, lotion bottles, and more. In addition, functional items like a stool or bath caddy can add both storage and display space when you use them for items like loofahs, bath sponges, towels, and other essentials.

6. Dazzle the Senses

A beautiful bathroom is certainly a treat for the eyes, but if you want an immersive, spa-like experience, you can’t neglect your other senses. Start by adding mood lighting with dimmer switches that let you decide the level of brightness that suits your tastes. Next, consider installing a built-in, bluetooth speaker system that lets you pipe in relaxing, ambient music while you luxuriate in your soaker tub.

Don’t forget about your sense of smell. Whether you prefer to add aromatherapy with a shower diffuser or you simply fill your space with scented candles, you can add the relaxing scent of lavender or vanilla to enhance your bedtime routine or invigorating citrus that helps you wake up during your morning shower.

Finally, you’ll want to layer your space with touchable textiles that add soft texture to all the hard surfaces. Plush towels, robes, and rugs create the comfort and luxury you would expect in a spa. When paired with design elements like natural materials, a soothing color palette, upgraded fixtures, and plenty of storage, textiles will put you in the lap of luxury every time you enter your bathroom.

One word of caution…. Avoid the temptation of squeezing every idea from your Pinterest board into your new spa bathroom. The most important element of any good spa is that it is relaxing. Over-mixed styles and an eclectic bunching of multiple ideas will remove the Zen from the space in a hurry. Choose simplicity over numerous elements, and if you’re not sure, we always recommend working with a designer to make your space flow.