Oh, bathrooms—a place in the house where so much happens. You shower, shave, perform your skin-care routine, and so much more. As technology gets smarter, bathrooms do too. You might have thought that your mini skin-care fridge was impressive, that you had a fancy faucet, or that your LED-lighted mirror was high tech, but folks, you haven't seen anything yet.
We dove deep to explore the ways the bathrooms of the future will look, and believe us, you'll never want to leave. And you probably won't have to. Here are seven ways we predict that bathrooms will change (for the better) in the future.
The bathroom of the future, like the anything of the future, will have a brain of its own. Only a battle of intelligence among the smartest of your smart objects can crown the room's thought leader, but we like the odds of Kohler's Verdera Voice lighted mirror, equipped with Amazon's Alexa. Mirror, mirror, on the wall: How do you say "I love you" in Japanese? Also, we need more hand soap, thank you.
It is almost irrelevant that some skin-care products last longer under Arctic conditions, according to San Diego dermatologist Melanie Palm, because the sensation of applying cooled liquid to skin is just about as good as it gets. Built-in skin-care fridges, like Perlick's 15-inch chilled drawer, subtly inform snooping guests of your new standard of living, so you don't have to.
DXV's 3D-printed faucets are made from alloy and give the impression that one is washing their hands via magic instead of pipework. And if fixture company Moen has its way, our bathroom faucets may soon dispense water at preprogrammed temperatures. Its U by Moen Smart Voice Faucet does just that.
If a wellness object is evaluated by its effectiveness, but penalized by the amount of pseudoscience needed to bolster its effects, the sauna ranks high. A study by an alternative-medicine journal recently claimed sauna use has positive results, including for heart health, but much more research is needed. A shower that doubles as a sauna, like Gruppo Geromin’s Ethos design, turns sweating into a regular ritual.
Unlike other tub purveyors, the minds behind the curvilinear BainUltra bath actually recommend you bring your smartphone in with you. How else will you activate its Illuzio chromatherapy function? The centuries-old "color therapy" is said to rebalance energy in the body, kind of like acupuncture (but without all the clinical studies behind it).
Do you need to go one, two, or three sets of 10? Bathroom oracles, like those at home design firm Scavolini, foresee more gym elements in bathing spaces, especially as virtual fitness classes continue to boom. Scavolini’s ladder-like Gym Space (with fitness attachments such as traction bars) can also display candles and linens.
A bizarre side effect of the coronavirus pandemic: North Americans are ready to embrace the bidet. One day, panic-purchasing reams of toilet paper will be a distant memory, and we'll retire to our Toto Neorest NX2 toilet, with its heated seats and air deodorizer.
This story originally appeared on Allure.
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