Luxury à la française: Copper soaking tubs were popular among 18th-century French monarchy (Marie Antoinette had one at Versailles), and in the late 19th century Degas painted Parisian women bathing in copper baths.
Aside from the regal associations, there are practical reasons, too, to opt for a copper bath: They’re good conductors of heat (they evenly distribute and retain heat), they’re corrosion-resistant, and they’re naturally antimicrobial.
Sold? Here are our 10 favorite freestanding copper bathtubs.
Above: Drummonds Copper Tay Bath is a large doubled-ended rolltop tub wrapped in sheets of pure copper that are hand-pressed onto the cast iron base. Available as polished (shown) or burnished copper at Drummonds in the UK. Contact Drummonds for pricing. Above: The 78-Inch Kelsey Copper Pedestal Tub has a light hammered treatment inside and out and patina applied through a French hot process to fuse the color into the copper; $3,498 at Signature Hardware. Above: The Slik Portfolio Copper Tub is a cast-iron tub with an enamel inner and copper-plate skirt finish; $8,996 at Home & Stone. Above: The 71-Inch Raye Dark Antique Hammered Copper Double Slipper Pedestal Tub has a dark antique patina that is applied with a French hot process; $2,289 at Signature Hardware. Above: The Burnished Copper Usk Bathtub is based on a classic 18th-century bateau bath (boat bath) design and has been treated to accelerate the natural aging process of the copper. Contact Drummonds for pricing. Above: Urban Archaeology’s Mercer Tub in Polished Copper is 68 inches long and has a solid copper skirt available with or without rivets. Contact Urban Archaeology for pricing. Above: The Native Trails Santorini Freestanding Copper Soaking Tub is made of recycled copper and is hand-hammered by a coppersmith; $9,490 at Native Trails. Above: The Mercedes of copper bathtubs is the Waterworks Clothilde Freestanding Oval Copper Bathtub, handmade based on an original 19th-century design and lined with tin. Contact Waterworks for pricing. Above: The Henrick 67-Inch Textured Copper Slipper Tub has a hammered copper texture inside and out and is finished with an antique copper patina; $2,747 at Signature Hardware. Above: The Premier Copper 72-Inch Bathtub is made of recycled 16-gauge copper that is then hammered and finished with an oil-rubbed bronze finish; $4,099 at Home & Stone. Above: The Babylon Brushed Copper Bath from Fired Earth is made from solid copper that is finished with aviation grade lacquer. It’s available with a metal or enamel inner and prices start at £5,650 ($6,890). Above: The Antique Copper Bath from the Water Monopoly is an actual 19th-century French double-ended tub; £6,695 ($8,170). Shopping for bathtubs? See our posts for more ideas:
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