We’re longtime fans of the ofuro , or Japanese soaking tub, both for its good looks and promotion of rest and relaxation at the end of the day. Here are 10 in-situ favorites, ranging from traditional hinoki cypress wood or darker teakwood baths to Western-style ceramic baths in Japanese-style wood wrapping.
Above: A hinoki wood bathtub in the Rudolph Schindler–designed Hollywood Hills home of designer Pamela Shamshiri . Photograph courtesy of Rizzoli from the book, The Perfect Bath Garden Visit: At Home with LA Designer Pamela Shamshiri in the Hollywood Hills . Above: A bathing-themed room by Dutch designer Hanna Maring in Amsterdam’s Volkshotel features a freestanding Japanese tub with sliding privacy panels on each side. Photograph courtesy of Volkshotel, featured in A Pink and Green Bath in Amsterdam, Japanese Soaking Tub Included . Above: A hinoki bathtub by Alaska company Sea Otter Woodworks is set in a bed of river stones in a Mill Valley, California, house by architect Barbara Chambers. Photograph by John Merkl for Chambers & Chambers Architects , featured in Weekend Spotlight: Indoor/Outdoor Living with Chambers & Chambers Architects . Above: Designer Jonathan Tuckey created a bathhouse for clothing designer Maureen Doherty next door to her London shop, Egg . It has radiant floor heating and a Badbox Bathtub by Studio Anna van der Lei . Photograph by James Brittain , courtesy of Jonathan Tuckey and featured in Steal This Look: A Japanese Bathhouse in a London Mews . Above: An oval Japanese bath in the guest room at Atelier Lachaert Dhanis , a venture of artist duo Sofie Lachaert and Luc Dhanis in Belgium. Above: In the 16-room Nobu Ryokan hotel in Malibu, bathrooms feature teak soaking tubs with bronze Dornbracht fixtures. Photography courtesy of Laure Joliet , featured in Hollywood-Style Zen in Malibu: Nobu Ryokan Guesthouse on Carbon Beach . Above: A custom-designed teak soaking tub in a 1903 Manhattan loft apartment remodeled by Matt Bear of Union Studio in Berkeley, California. Photograph by and courtesy of Union Studio, featured in A Rugged, Rustic NYC Loft by Matt Bear of Union Studio . Above: A soaking tub is inset into the floor in the bathroom of a London remodel by designers Sevil Peach , featured in Sevil Peach Studio in Primrose Hill . Above: In a 19th-century London house remodeled by architects Undercover Architecture , a black ceramic bath is tucked inside a shell of Canadian maple treated with exterior-grade lacquer and natural white oil. Photograph courtesy of Michelle Young , featured in A London Terrace House with Brilliant Color by Undercover Architecture . Above: A ceramic soaking tub with a wood surround in the Melbourne home of architects Stephen O’Connor and Annick Houle. Photography by Earl Carter , courtesy of O’Connor and Houle and featured in Slow House: A Serene Cabin in the Woods . Explore our Remodeling 101: Bath Guide , which covers Bathtubs and Showers , Bathroom Hardware , and Bath Accessories . And learn more about the art of Japanese bathing in:
Finally, get more ideas on how to evaluate and choose a bathtub or shower in our Remodeling 101 Guide: Bathroom Tubs & Showers .
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