Sometimes, doesn’t it seem like everything is changing? We watch television on our computers, check stock quotes from our pocket, and eat desserts with weird things…like bacon. Turns out, the structure of our homes is changing as well, and that which was once hidden from sight has now assumed a starring role under our roofs. Like the home spa – a feature once evicted to the basement, tucked away in a bathroom, or, even banished to the outdoors – is now taking its rightful place front and center for all to access.

Good design trends deserve most of the credit for the public emergence of the home spa. Tacky wood paneled saunas have been usurped by stunning, modern steam shower stalls, adorned with gorgeous glass fronts and laden with up-to-the-minute perks. Sleek digital control panels that manipulate everything from time and temperature to light, sound, and aromatherapy have replaced outdated thermostats and unappealing switches. (And by the way, when did you ever have aromatherapy in your sauna?) Now styled with an architectural eye, the home spa has truly gone from a thing of utility to thing of beauty – and it’s time to show it off!

Home Spa

A shift in the way we entertain is also responsible for the home spa’s – literal – newfound prominence. The steam shower is the new swimming pool – infinitely easier to maintain, but still the perfect centerpiece to share with company (and won’t monopolize square footage in your backyard). And the centralization of our lives (which now revolve around an all-purpose kitchen-family-room-media-center hub in the middle of our homes) has encouraged general domestic transparency, which isn’t good news for that old hot tub out in the shed. Bringing the home spa into the main of the house is just another step in organizing our homes around our priorities – comfort, luxury, health, and togetherness.

So don’t shy away from bringing relaxation to the forefront! Show off your home spa like the star it is, and embrace both its powers of health and happiness and its aesthetics. By the way, has anyone seen my laundry room??