At ISH 2023 in Frankfurt, the Pop up my Bathroom trend platform presents the Wellbeing Bathroom as a future concept.
The old concept of wellness has come to seem one-dimensional. That’s because there’s a lot more to wellbeing than a trip to the gym, a detox regime or a visit to the sauna. Whereas wellness focuses on physical fitness and nutrition in order to improve performance and appearance, today’s approach places greater emphasis on general physical and mental health.
It’s this second, multidimensional outlook that the term wellbeing stands for: wellness tends to represent the physical dimension, whereas wellbeing encompasses mental and emotional aspects as well. The wellbeing trend stands for a lifestyle that doesn’t just seek relaxation but meaningful activities that increase contentment and make us happy as well. What’s more, a growing number of employers are introducing Wellbeing Days with the goal of preventing the physical, mental and emotional exhaustion of their workforce – the measure is regarded as a form of sustainable corporate governance and a way to promote resilience.
The bathroom can also serve as a point of intersection between wellness and wellbeing. A bathroom for wellbeing is a place where all the senses are alive or come alive – with water as the key element. As a result, both the semipublic and private bathroom are important spaces for the flourishing wellbeing market. The Pop up my Bathroom initiative established by Messe Frankfurt and the German Bathroom Sector Association (Vereinigung Deutsche Sanit.rwirtschaft e.V. /VDS) is using this ISH 2023 trend to shine a spotlight on the importance of wellbeing as a competitive factor for the bathroom industry.
A Wellbeing Bathroom can play an important supporting role – with both simple and highly complex products like a bathtub or whirlpool (for indoors or out), an infrared sauna or individually programmable showers, classic water applications, a clean aesthetic, smart products for therapeutic lighting and experience-enhancing multimedia features – or simply with a personal space for health-promoting activities. The Wellbeing Bathroom enhances the private spa with aspects like personalised training programmes and rituals, individual treatments and little escapes, as well as mindfulness exercises. The feel-good factor is key to creating this special retreat. In addition to equipping the space with innovative bathroom products, the interior design therefore has an increasingly important role to play in bathroom planning as well.
The private bathroom’s new-found role as a Wellbeing Bathroom opens up a wide range of possibilities for both challenging and pampering the body in one and the same room. The shower can play a vital part in this respect: equipped with various sprays and programmable extras, it now enjoys the status of No. 1 feel-good oasis – probably because it takes up relatively little space, added to which showering is quicker and conveys a sense of being active. But it would be wrong to write the good old bathtub off yet: experts point out that its health-promoting effect doesn’t just stem from the fact that taking a bath means taking your time and creates a sense of calm. Because contrary to popular belief, soaking in the tub doesn’t just relax the muscles and joints, it also stabilises the heart and lungs, improves circulation, stimulates the kidneys and strengthens connective tissue. In addition, it has a soothing effect on the entire organism via the autonomic nervous system. The bathtub is therefore an ideal complement to the usual fitness practices and turns the workout into a holistic health experience.
But the tub isn’t the only fountain of health in the bathroom: other “stations” also lend themselves to healthy everyday routines that can lower our susceptibility to illness. Modern saunas and steam showers can stimulate the circulation and metabolism, relieve the airways and relax the muscles. Infrared cabins can also be factored in to a holistic approach. In the shower, all sorts of different rainfall and waterfall effects can be combined with hand showers with multiple spray modes to create highly enjoyable encounters with water. Innovative fittings can also help create sensuous wellness and water experiences in the Wellbeing Bathroom. Alternating hot and cold showers, either for the entire body or just the legs, are also a cornerstone of hydrotherapy treatments, and if a Kneipp pool and Kneipp hose are installed with ergonomic considerations in mind, the Wellbeing Bathroom can provide a professional-level experience.
A carefully thought through bathroom design is all it takes to meet the basic prerequisites for a perfect Wellbeing Bathroom. Plenty of space – in terms of both square metres and storage – is definitely a help, because neatness is good for mental equilibrium. Only a neat and tidy Wellbeing Bathroom allows users to incorporate health-promoting activities into their daily routine in an enjoyable and hassle-free way. Sufficient storage space and an uncluttered look are therefore essential. As a rule, too many accessories are a distraction, whether you’re working out or cooling down. But that doesn’t mean the bathroom can’t be given character and equipped to suit individual tastes.
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